Originally Posted by Bart

I'd love nothing more than to spend a few brief moments with both that screener and that supervisor behind the proverbial woodshed so that I could see for myself how far their heads are rammed up a certain part of the anatomy.

Please file a complaint with your airline, especially the part about them dumping your complaint form in the trashcan. Forget the FSD, use the airline station manager as your advocate. To put it succinctly, this sort of stupidity by the screener and supervisor pisses me the hell off.

To answer your questions: no. Screener cannot require you to remove your socks. Screener cannot refuse you secondary screening if you request it in lieu of removing your footwear. Socks are not footwear that would meet any TSA screening criteria. The individuals you encountered are horribly incompetent.

However, once you've either passed through the WTMD or submitted your property for x-ray examination, you've initiated the screening process and cannot turn around and leave the checkpoint. You can enter the checkpoint at this point and refuse further screening; however, this is not the same as walking away from the checkpoint.

For you and others: if you encounter such a close-minded supervisor, then ask for the airline ground security coordinator. The GSC is the liaison between the airline and the TSA, and the GSC is usually an airline supervisor who is keen on customer satisfaction.