Originally Posted by OFFlyer
Why is it that the US is the only place on the planet where you have to remove shoes, belt, etc to pass through security. All other airport security points can do without. The shoe, belt, jacket, pc stunts are useless and only to give a feeling that something is being done.
This brings up a question I have. On previous European trips over the past three years I have noticed the less obtrusive security. Once a screener at CDG more-or-less snickered when I asked if I should take my shoes off. Yet when we flew out of MUC earlier this month it was shoes off, belt off, the whole nine yards. I still set off the alarm and was frisked fairly cozily. I wasn't the only one. That was followed up by a fairly long list of questions when we picked up our boarding passes. I even asked an FA about the change but she said they went through a separate crew line and she didn't know.
Is this new? Is it because we were on a UA flight, or because it was a flight into IAD? Is it peculiar to MUC? It was a much more thorough screening than the TSA's at IAD several hours later. We have European trips booked in January and February (France and Italy/Germany) so I'd be interested in knowing in advance if that's the new reality.