Originally Posted by TSORon

Because of the way you posted your reply I’m not entirely sure which comment of mine you are replying to. The comment might not have been directed to you, and I try my best to direct my replies to the individual that made the comment.

That being said, I don’t like having people touch my private areas either. But I have never threatened harm to someone who I know is required to do it. Doctors, Police, Screeners, Nurses, Wife. Grab something without my “OK” and my reaction is going to be pretty interesting to behold.

The point I am making is that we TSO’s are going to tell you what we are doing and why before we do it. If you don’t want us to do it then say so and we won’t. Of course there are consequences for that decision, and that may be that you will not be allowed into the sterile area of the airport.

Everyone must give up something to travel. Money for the most part, but there are other things as well. To drive you must have the states permission (a drivers license). To ride a bike you must obey the laws. To walk you must expend energy and still obey the laws for pedestrians. Take a boat, ride a bus, fly in a private aircraft, they all have specific requirements that you must meet before being allowed to engage is that activity. As does traveling on a commercial aircraft.



We all have to give up something tanja, no matter what mode of transport we choose. The most common thing we give up is freedom. It’s one of the costs of travel, and it’s been that way since before you were born. Feel free to not like it. Feel free to be offended. But if you are going to assign blame for those emotions then please make sure that you assign that blame to the correct people or agencies. HINT: It aint the TSO’s that are at the checkpoint, and is not even the TSA.



Easy to write. But I don’t know you, and grannies have been known to carry bombs, pistols, rifles, and even the occasional knife. I can’t take you at your word, sorry but that would be an ignorant thing to do.



OK. Defend yourself. Good idea. But what the TSO’s do at the checkpoint is not assault, we don’t do it without your permission, and we don’t do it without you knowing about it. Defend yourself against a TSO doing their job and the ride you will be taking will not be on an airplane.



We have private screening areas available, at every single checkpoint the TSA operates.



It’s called “Implied Consent”. In other words, the signs that you pass as you walk through the airport tell you that you must be screened before you can fly. If you fail to read them, or fail to hear the announcements over the P.A. system, all you need to do is “ask” and someone will explain it to you. Failing all that, then you shouldn’t be flying anyway. Otherwise, you have implied that you consent to the screening.

Once you have gotten to the airport you can always refuse screening. We won’t mind, honest. Walk away. But if you want to enter the sterile areas of the airport then you absolutely must undergo screening. We are not going to twist your arm and make you go through screening, we will not force you. It’s your choice, completely. 100%.


I cant speak for other TSO’s, but I don’t laugh at passengers unless they are telling jokes (occasionally this does happen). Nor can I influence how you are going to feel, if you want to feel safer then that is a choice you are going to make and there is nothing I can do about it. What I do know is that every passenger before you and every passenger after you is going to be screened just as well as you have been. You will know this as well, just as they know that everyone on the aircraft they are flying on has been screened. If that does give you the information you need to feel safer then there is nothing anyone can do for you. You will just have to fly scared or not fly at all.



You make a couple of excellent points.

TSO’s should not be removing bandages (I would never do it). If we touch them attempting to clear them and cannot, then we are required to refer the situation to the checkpoint supervisor. That person will make the decision on weather or not you can enter the sterile area.

When we are touching these things we are not making a medical evaluation and honestly require no medical training to do it. Our training focus’s on finding prohibited items, and let’s be honest bandages and the like CAN be used to hide things. We will depend on the passenger to assist in these areas to help us make sure that we cause no more discomfort than absolutely necessary.

We deal with disabled folks every day. Much of our training is on that one subject alone. We know what we are doing as far as our duties are concerned. If there is something special that we should know about their condition that will affect the passenger and screening then it is the responsibility of the passenger to let us know. We don’t read minds, we are not doctors. You would know far better than we would about how to get you and your specific issues through the screening process without discomfort.