bdschobel

I suppose some sort of official communication has gone out on this subject, and the 67,000 cretins who got it now believe that they are highly trained nuclear physicists or something. Makes me laugh.

Bruce

FriendlySkies

SJC is where I had my first opt-out, and I had the same experience. Very rude clerk who tried to force me into the machine. I find SJC to have terrible clerks

barbell

My luck is starting to run out.

Today was my 2nd opt out, the first in SAN. As I walked to the ticket counter to check in the NoS, of the backscatter variety was roped off. Once I entered the line they opened it and roped off the WTMD. There was nowhere to hide! I said, "I opt out," and was told to sit down because "It might be awhile."

The lead then admonished the screener for allowing me to send my stuff through because "it's gonna take 30 minutes before someone's available." So I asked why it would take so long and the response from the lead was, "When you refuse to be screened you wait until we're ready." Oh, rly? I asked, "Why are you forcing me to wait?" Here's the rest:

Screenwriter Wallingford: I'm not forcing you to do anything. You don't want to be screened.

Me: I have no issue with being screened. I do have an issue with cancer. Why an I being punished?

Wallingford: You want to play the victim, go right ahead. I'm not staffed to deal with people like you.

Me: The TSA offers an equal opt out option, which I've chosen. It isn't my problem you aren't staffed properly.

Wallingford: I don't have the staff for opt outs.

Me: Not my problem. I've chosen your opt out choice and you are making me wait because I've selected an equal screening you offer.

Wallingford: Now you're catching on.

I had to wait 10 minutes. At which point they shut down the NoS and a screener who had been standing around doing absolutely nothing was called over. The entire process was a veritable Charlie Foxtrot.

I had to ask him to change gloves, which were clearly dirty. I then asked him to swab them first, which was met with, "That's not procedure." Wallingford finally allowed that the SINGLE ETD machine at this c/p had been giving "a lot of false positives" and allowed the gloves to be swabbed. They made a big, and I mean HUGE, deal out of what an inconvenience it was for them.

The rub proceeded, and wasn't nearly offensive as my first, though it's still pretty disgusting. I made a point to let the screener know, "My dad used to rub me just like this. I hope your kids don't have to endure the same thing. It can cause severe emotional trauma for them. He refused to make eye contact after that.

Only my belt was swabbed in addition to the post-rub glove swabbing. Which means they totally missed my 4 oz. bomb, err hair gel.

My God. When is this nonsense going to stop?

As a side note, I'm not shaking nearly as badly as after the first one, though it's still no fun.

FriendlySkies

Please file a complaint against that idiot. 1-866-289-9673

Personally, if they had made me wait 30 minutes, I would have called the police. I see the potential 30 minute wait at unauthorized detention.

Caradoc

So they planned to keep you separated from your carry-on and "stuff" for thirty minutes because the shift stuporvisor couldn't be arsed to schedule another half-trained moron to be on shift to cover opt-outs?

Wow.

I shouldn't be surprised, but every time I think I've seen the dumbest thing ever, the TSA just has to top it.

Global_Hi_Flyer

Agree. I would also pay a personal visit to my congressional office. The delay is CLEAR retaliation.

mikemey

I agree. It sounds like retaliation to me.

I felt that SAN clearly retaliates. They told me a couple of weeks ago that they weren't equipped to deal with opt outs when I made clear that I was NOT happy about not being able to see my personal items. I told the clerk that their staffing issues were not my problem and perhaps they should staff for any occurance, to which I got a smirk.

Fortunately for them they didn't make me wait long to get groped.

InkUnderNails

Very slow at the airport. They had every lane open and all scanners running and nobody in line. Hard to do a SDPOO with everyone hitting the scanners.

Oh, well, my luck had to run out sooner or later.

Took awhile, two-three minutes maybe, to find a male opt out specialist, but I eventually got one. This was a genuinely nice guy. I explained that I was hearing impaired and he was very patient. He even waited for my carry on to get screened so we could take it into the penalty box with my other stuff. He stood there and held my other stuff for the whole time.

I suspect these folks are getting some politeness training.

The rubdown was thorough, front of hands used everywhere except around groin and buttocks. There was no genital contact but it was close. I guess I inhaled deeply at just the right time. There were no questions as to why I opted out. No trying to convince me that the scanners were fine. Nothing except the frisk.

One thing. I really do not understand why I have to take the belt off for a frisk. It is a web belt that can be seen through for its entire length.

Finally, or maybe firstly, TDC took my Nexus without blinking. Went downhill from there.

nachtnebel

did they tell you what they were going to touch before they did? odd that some use front of hands yet others use the back of hands. the backs are a lot less invasive and works just as well.

mjjckc

Last Friday was my first opt out. It was 6 am and next to no passengers were in the airport. Memphis Terminal C has one line for the BKSX and WTMD. I've been worried about the patdown for several months, but managed to avoid it since my home airport (SBA) has no NoS. I only traveled this time because it was one of my best friends birthday's and I figured I'd have to have one sooner or later or give up flying.

The previous time I was in Memphis they let people go through the WTMD if the BKSX was in use. But this time they were having everyone go through. I asked the TSA guy running the line if it was for the metal detector or body scanner, and he said both. He then gave me this blatantly obvious look like he's had basic behavioral response training and could tell I wanted to avoid the NoS. He then pointed to the NoS and motioned me towards it. I said "I Opt Out!"

They had me go through the WTMD and waited to screen my carry on and laptop. The male assist arrived and the TSA agents directed me over to an area next to the bomb residue analyzer. They made sure at all times I could see my possessions, perhaps in light of the recent theft of a laptop at MEM by a TSA agent. The male assist offered to do the pat down in private but I said I wanted it in a public area. He put on new gloves and I asked him to run the gloves through the bomb machine before patting me down to avoid a false positive. He did. He asked where I was flying to but aside from that I wasn't asked why I opted-out.

Then the pat down itself began. It was pretty tame compared to what I expected. My junk was avoided, and my butt was barely tapped. The thumb around the waistband was also very tame and probably only went half an inch down. Then he put the gloves in the scanner and it came back clear. It was all over in under five minutes and I thanked the male assist guy for not making the process weird. The patdown was annoying, but nothing that would disturb me or keep me from flying.

Has the TSA backed down from the enhanced pat-downs that were occurring in November?

nachtnebel

They have no reason to be feeling passengers butts at all. that part is still invasive.

there is an interesting tie-in with Stockholm syndrome here. Not casting aspersions on you, but here we are put in a situation where we are inclined to be grateful that the person did not touch genitals where it should be a criminal offense to do so and gratitude is certainly not called for.

bocastephen

Seriously, next time something like this happens, start screaming for a supervisor and work your way up the food chain. If necessary, demand they call your airline's GSC over, who can bring the airport terminal manager over to get involved - if it's going to take them 30 mins, then make sure you make them suffer through every minute of it.

If they won't call the GSC, then tell them you want your stuff brought back and you're going back to the ticket counter to get them yourself - and if they refuse, escalate to an airport cop.

Any before anyone yells "armchair quarterback", I've done this very thing at SEA before, although it was over an ID issue, not a cancerbox.

LeeAnne

While I'm happy to see that someone had a slightly less invasive pat-down than many have described, I have to agree with the above point - that touching the buttocks of travelers at ALL is invasive and unacceptable.

I also wonder why the TSO asked where he was flying. How is that at all his business? How is it relevant? Is it required by law that we respond to such questions?

bdschobel

I think they are just trying to make conversation. I usually refuse to answer, though in a nice way, saying something like, "What difference does it make?"

Bruce

mjjckc

It was basically making conversation. Talked about how great the BBQ is in Memphis, etc.

Aside from the finger in the waistband thing, my experience was not all that different from a bouncer at the door of a nightclub. My main fear was getting some power trip type guy that likes having temporary power over other people. Which does happen especially if a job involves a uniform.

And it was back of the hand on my ..., not forward hand squeezing.

I agree that we shouldn't have to deal with NoS and pat downs, but at least for me the pat down was just annoying and didn't cross the line. Whereas I'd take the train across the country over going through a NoS.

When I was waiting to board, I asked this attractive girl in her 20's who was behind me in the check in line earlier to print tickets if she'd gone through the NoS. She said yes and that it bothered her. She didn't realize you could opt out.