Exleftseat

Left PHX T3 last Tuesday. Mrs. EX and I opted out. The only other person they were concerned about was an 83 year old Grandma. I know her age since I asked her. She said it happens to her all the time and she does not know why she is singled out, all she does is visit the Grandkids once or twice a year. I told her not to feel bad, it is a bonus of our old age! My wife was able to take pictures of her "feel up" to post on her Japanese blog. I was wearing a Hawaiian shirt, open collar and the screener felt the need to put his fingers inside my collar, what was he trying to find there? I had forgotten to take off my watch, he lifted the watch and looked under there, what could I hide there? I have given up asking them why they are looking at these places and what they are trying to find. It's all quite surreal to me. I transferred at LHR, stayed airside but had no problems bringing a can of soda from the lounge onboard. So much for strict security at LHR. On the other hand transferring at BKK to HKT Mrs. EX was stripped of her bottle of water. Go figure. Nothing makes rhyme or reason anymore.

Global_Hi_Flyer

Another opt-out and another miserable experience at IAD this morning.

15 minutes to get through the line and put my stuff on the Xray belt. The WTMD dragon ordered me to the strip-search machine. I opted out, and she told me to move where I could not see my things. I told her I was going to stand where I could see my stuff, and that happened to be in front of the WTMD. She told me I couldn't block the WTMD (notwithstanding the fact that she wasn't allowing anyone through...), I told her I would not move where my stuff was not visible. That elicited a call for a supervisor (side note: if you get a screener that delays calling for "assist" then stand where you block things - it'll get a call for a supe fast & speed things along).

Supe came and went to collect my stuff, and a groper showed up. The groper was VERY slow, think "as slow as you can possibly walk". He insisted on giving the speech - it took 1.5 minutes to do so. It took another 5 minutes for him to grope me and run the ETD.

Fredd

What a shame! I can't help but suspect that management is encouraging the line workers to make the opt-out experience as miserable as possible for customers who exercise that right.

We just returned from two weeks in India and I'd even prefer Indian security over the worst of our TSA experiences, although the females in our group didn't like the idea of the private search in the private little booth, presumably set up to preserve their modesty.

bdschobel

I have no doubt at all that this is the case.

Bruce

Rondall

Retaliation indeed.

Michael El

I opted out at FAT last night. Although a small airport, I was the only one who opted out. No speech about how their NoS was not the x-ray type. Just the stand here, wait here, don't touch your stuff speech.

It was quick but the clerk met "resistance" two times. Once from the back and once from the front.

CavePearl

True I think. Even the little 8x10 signs in front of the scanners now say Refusal to be scanned will result in an intrusive patdown. Threatening passengers from the very beginning. Ignore the sign at your own risk.

Global_Hi_Flyer

This is absolutely true, and I've had a TSA screener tell me so. More than once (most recently LAX). One even used the words "perhaps you'll remember this next time you choose....".

saulblum

And at that statement, your next move should have been to immediately demand that the FSD (or most senior TSA official at the airport) be called over, and an official complaint lodged against the TSO. (Of course you would have been well-prepared and had plenty of time to catch your flight.)

http://blog.tsa.gov/2010/11/opting-o...d-imaging.html

(Not that we believe anything Bob writes.)

In addition, once you have the TSO's name (and do not leave until you do), send in an official complaint, naming the TSO. Perhaps write your reps too, naming the TSO.

As you're walking away from the checkpoint (keeping in mind that this exercise might cause you to be delayed for some time), tell the TSO what you plan to do, and conclude with, "perhaps you'll remember this next time you talk to a passenger."

bdschobel

Oh, I love this added touch!!! ^^^

Bruce

Superguy

Here's my experience at SLC T1 yesterday.

Show up at security, and look at the lines. Looks like all the T1 NoS are in place. However, there are some that don't have the lines blocked. I wen to the one where it looked like at least some people were sent thru the WTMD.

Send my stuff thru, and then they try to send me thru the NoS. Screener asks if it's for privacy or health concerns. I told him privacy. He asked if I was aware of the avatar software upgrades, blah blah. Told him I was and still chose to opt out. He had me wait. Said he would ask someone what could be done.

I told him that I can't see my belongings. Last month at SLC I was permitted to stand next to the x-ray at the glass and keep an eye on my stuff till ready. Another guy (I did get his name) cops an attitude and told me he couldn't let me see my stuff. I told him TSA states that I can. He told me "well, don't send your stuff thru until we're ready for you if you're going to opt out." I pressed it some more and said that I wasn't required to last month, nor did I have to at BWI. He then said he didn't have the staffing resources available to keep an eye on me till I was ready.

I finally get called thru. They send me thru the WTMD to go thru and of course, I don't alarm . Screener asks where my stuff is and gathers it. He gives me the standard patdown. I'm on my way.

I get to the gate, fire up my tablet and file a complaint with TSA. I complained about the stituation, that the guy copped an attitude with me, that their staffing issues weren't my problem (especially considering how many they had standing around Friday night when I came in), and how they have no respect for the 4th amendment.

I got a koolaid response saying how necessary it is, how appreciative most are, and how effective they are, blah blah. Also said the screener was right (big surprise ).

What irritated me is that they expect me to stand there with my stuff if I'm going to opt out or risk having my stuff stolen because they aren't equipped to handle opt outs since only 1% of people do.

I'm going to respond to the email, so if anyone wants to give me some input on it, I'd appreciate it. Send me a PM.

Super

Global_Hi_Flyer

"I want a supervisor NOW". Repeat more loudly until you get a supervisor.

Wollstonecraft

Both of these happened last week, early AM.

ORD T1
An unpleasant opt-out experience. WTMD was being physically blocked, and as soon as I got to the backscatter machine (and it is radiation-emitting backscatter, not MMW) I opted out. Clerk had me wait by the WTMD for about 1 minute, my eyes on my stuff (esp. locked backpack containing iPad) the whole time. She then opened a gate and let me walk around the WTMD (I still do not understand why they do this.) Next clerk came over, I had to mention a couple of times that I was going to keep watching my belongings. Eventually, someone came over and carried them to the pat-down location. This clerk changed and tested new gloves without prompting, asked if I wanted a private screening, then started the most aggressive pat-down I have ever experienced. Multiple examinations (looking/touching) inside the waistband, etc. Got pretty aggressive near my crotch, to the point where I literally stepped back to get away and said "back off." Clerk repeated the mantra about having to up and down the leg but allowed me to squeeze my thighs together hard to prevent further aggression. Next time, I will call for a supervisor.

ORD T2
The checkpoint which is mostly WTMDs, but the clerk directing traffic pointed me to the backscatter line, and prevented me from getting out of it, so I opted out again. Same walkaround the WTMD. The clerk was more attentive in getting my belongings so I did not have to ask multiple times. I was asked to stand on the pad with yellow footprints but clerk did not say anything when I stood on the very inner part of the yellow footprints, with my legs basically together. This pat-down was much better - included hair but no wasitband, no crotch, very quick and easy. Which made me suspicious that clerk #1 was in fact being overly aggressive beyond training and I should have called for the supervisor right away.

It shocks me every time how many people go through backscatter anyway. I did not see any opt-outs when I was going through my pat-downs, just people standing outside of backscatter for their own pat-downs after anomalies were detected. The term "sheeple" seems completely appropriate when you actually see it in practice.

CDKing

The TSA agent supervising one of the security lines at PDX on Saturday morning tried to intimidate me into using the body scanners. Literally said if i didn't go through the scanner that someone was going to touch me in sensitive areas. I guess he thought because the scanners are new at PDX that he was going to be able to scare me.

Thankfully the person who did the pat down was nice and didn't even come close to touching my junk. Same person did my pat-down the next day as well and was just as pleasant. But the look on his face was priceless as he know I had just flown the same route PDX-BOS 24 hours prior.

When I flew the weekend before out of PDX and the guy doing the pat down was commenting on how even he was not sure how safe the machines were and wanted more to read about them. That makes me even less confident about the safety.

Both of the trips I was required to use the WTMD first before my pat-down. I actually prefer this way as to walk through the gate they open is way too close to the machine and secondary radiation

Fredd

DRO has a new MMW they were filtering everybody through this morning, and both of us opted out.

The employees immediately held up our bags and trays, and seated us in plain view of them. We did have a wait but they put us through one at a time, only sending our bags through when we were at the other end to receive them.

They treated us courteously throughout and the searches were as respectful as they could be, given that they're by definition and practice extremely disrespectful and IMO something nobody should have to endure simply to board a plane. I also commended the fellow searching me for not using the word "resistance," and for actually saying "buttocks," which got a smile out of him.

At the end, he politely asked me why I opted out, and I replied "because I still can." When I told them that, in another "bastion of freedom," the UK, passengers did not have the right to opt out, he and a fellow worker expressed surprise. When I said I felt we as a country are on a very slippery slope let's just say they didn't disagree with me.

I also told them I hoped they got dosimeters for themselves, and both said they'd heard rumors but would believe it when they see it.

After our very worst experience in SEA a few weeks ago that I posted above, this was about as "good" as it could be, a very relative term of course.