Originally Posted by
Often1
What makes you say that it was "random"? If it was the odd beep from the metal detector, that is the so-called randomizer and it has nothing to do with you or with Covenant, the private security company at the SFO checkpoints. If you hit the randomizer twice in a row, that is simply bad luck.
If you are being diverted to a secondary for other reasons, there are other reasons.
If all that is happening is a hand / bag swab, more likely the former.
It's definitely the "random" check, but I've gone through at SFO probably 50 times this year, and I've hit the random check 25 times. It's not just about hitting it twice in a row.
I understand probability, which is why I've waited so long to post about this.
There's very little variance in what's on my body when I pass through the WTMD each time, which is why I'm wondering exactly how the system's implemented. If it's some probability factor multiplied by the amount of metal it detects on you, for example, then that could explain why I'm hitting it more than most.
Otherwise, I guess I'll resign myself to getting my hands or bag swabbed every other trip
