Is there really a TSA rule that you can't walk thru a body scanner passport in hand?
This past week I went thru security in MIA for an international flight.
When I go thru security, I usually already have the contents of my pockets, except for boarding pass and passport in my carry on.
Upon approaching the scanner, the screener told me I would have to run my passport and boarding ticket thru the x-ray machine.
The request seemed suspect and arbitrary to me because I have never heard of that in my last few hundred flights (I fly 150-250K miles per year) and they let the previous 3-4 people walk thru with passports visibly in their pockets or in hand.
The issue is I do not want to put my passport by itself to go thru the x-ray machine as during peak travel times it is very easy for another traveler to 'accidentally' walk off with it
Is there a real rule for this? How have you guys handled this?