Originally Posted by
Fredd
We just passed through SEA security. We're on our way to a cruise so brought along a couple of insulated coffee mugs for various beverages. Mrs. Fredd placed them separately in the tray to avoid any hassles, obviously a mistake.
The TSA then swabbed both the cups and Mrs. Fredd's hands. That's apparently SOP. The cups were deemed okay but Mrs. Fredd's hands tested positive (must be that Doubletree soap).
We didn't see any of the new scanners in operation but in any event they told her she would need a full patdown. They suggested it could be in a private room and that I could come along, but we both elected to have it done in public.
It wasn't as bad as the worst we've heard about but it's still not a great way to start your day at 5:30 a.m. It also took several minutes before two female screeners could be summoned, one to feel and the other to watch. The screeners were probably more uncomfortable doing it out in public than we were. We'd definitely recommend that to others, as has been mentioned here regularly.
Happy New Year...
Regarding the swab of the
dangerous cups and then your hands.....
Did the TSO use a fresh swab for your hands after swabbing the cups? If no, I'll bet that was the problem and where I always get a shoe swab (and sometimes a hand swab as well) and have had a false positive, I follow the advice given to me here on F/t by one of our resident TSO's ^ and ask for a fresh (i.e. new out of the tin can) swab for each one of my shoes and both my hands as I don't want to run the risk of any cross contamination. Plus, I always visit the head prior to entering security and wash my hands with warm water. No soap, just warm water.