Originally Posted by
essxjay
According to the TSA Web site pax are advised to alert CP security officers if they have metal implants. Fair enough.
I've just been the lucky recipient of metal plates and screws in my right ankle. While I don't mind going through the WMD in principle, I'm now facing a lifetime of secondary searches because of the inevitable ping.
Apparently, people with Pacemakers can get a special Pacemaker ID card so they can bypass the WMDs altogether. Does anyone know if there's a card for those with metal implants such that they can get a reasonable secondary pat down and not a full-on body massage? As I stated above, I'm not looking to get around the WMD, but I do want to minimize my hassles.
The people with pace makers and defibrillators are not supposed to go through the WTMD because in the old days, the magnetic field from the WTMD would shut them down. This doesnt happen today with new pacemaker technology but TSA doesnt want to take that chance.
Therefore people with electronic implants (and there are others besides the two I mentioned) get a full body pat down. Any person can request a full body pat down and they dont have to give a reason. It has to be a full patdown though there is no shortcut to this. With implants like you have, you may set off the WTMD. When this happens you will be subject to a hand wand secondary screening. This is faster and less intrusive than a full pat down. You will get touched at the area the implants are in. Along with the secondary hand wand comes the second part were TSA is required to pat your arms, sides, belly, back and thighs. There is no way around this either. If someone shows a card to TSA about an implant, we are obligated to view the card but it does nothng as far as getting you are shortcut to the screening process.