Originally Posted by
Umi206
I was also surprised that there was no one searching our vehicles as we entered the parking lot and figured that was because it was so early in the morning.
Originally Posted by
Umi206
Another different thing was there was no search of automobiles entering the parking lot at Hilo but the sign about searching cars was still there. So, I suppose it was because it was 5AM.
Are you saying that at ITO they search all cars entering the airport? Or are you referring to the general cautionary sign that cars are subject to search? They simply do not search every car at the vast majority of airports because the wait time would be astronomical.
A few years ago shoe removal was 'optional' but as FT shows, 'optional' meant something very different to many TSOs, just as the removal of orthopedic shoes and medical devices may not be 'required' but is interpreted differently by many TSOs.
And I can assure you that I was peeved to see TSOs getting angry at foreign passengers who didn't remove their shoes a few days ago. It peeved me because there was no signage to remove shoes, and since we don't play the shoe game in the rest of the world, there was no way to know this.
TSA may be moving to 'shoe removal is again optional' but if a TSO confirms this, it is just like the quart/gallon bag issue - very poorly executed.