FriendlySkies

No problem!

This is what most of them wear:



I haven't been through since March, so I'm guessing that the non BKSX lanes are still there. If I ran into them again, I'd likely ignore them, or say I'm a 1K, etc, etc.

average_passenger

Which side is the line with the WTMD? Thank you for your info about the line that goes around the corner. Is that line to the left or right of the other two lines?

cottonmather0

It's immediately to the right of the ticketing counter - you have to walk past it to get to the main entrance to the checkpoint. There's a column (or elevator shaft?) right in the middle of the corridor there and the checkpoint is kind of tucked into the corner there between the column and the escalator up to the concourse (gate) level. The main entrance is around on the other side of the column (towards Terminal 6) and this entrance is on the near side of the column. Both entrances and lanes feed into the same checkpoint and escalators, but this particular entrance is WTMD only.

There was just a lady there wearing a typical airport service workers uniform (vest, blue shirt, ID badge, etc). She was checking boarding passes before letting anyone into the line, but I didn't notice her turning anyone away. I don't know how possible it would be to ignore her and get in line anyway without interacting with her, but I also didn't see anything that indicated it was a "selective" sort of entrance. I'd just show her my valid boarding pass and get into line.

Superguy

Shouldn't have to. There were signs pointing to taxis, ground transportation, etc.

I think it's only in places where customs is airside do you have to go thru to leave the airport, such as PIT or ATL.

Superguy

To the right. There were 3 lines running. Left was MMW NoS and the "middle" was WTMD only ... no NoS near it. I use "middle" as it's the middle of the 3 I saw, but if you look at it from the outside, it would be on the right as the 3rd lane was around the corner and out of view. The third line (right most one with the ambush) went to the wall, and snaked around for a little bit around one of those NoS peep booths where the guy looks at your scan. After you pass that, the line snakes to the right where it dumps you at the bag xray and NoS.

I had thought about going in that line as it was shorter, but decided against it as I knew for sure I wouldn't have to opt out in the line I was in. My instincts were right.

Schmurrr

FLL Terminal 4 had six lanes open Thursday night, with two (!) feeding the WTMD. All lines were very short, and it was very easy to avoid the scope and grope. TSA was encouraging people to go to the NoS lanes, but not ordering them to do so.

bdschobel

FLL was completely different Friday morning (Terminal 1, United). I arrived before 6 am and was directed to a NoS, just like every other passenger -- quite a lot of people, actually. I said that I was opting out but the moat dragon said that I had to wait in the long NoS line first and then opt out just before entering it. I refused to engage in such foolishness and insisted that I was opting out right now! She tried arguing with me, but I demanded a supervisor. When she refused to call one, I did -- in a loud voice. The moat dragon and I then had a huge battle over my not being able to see my property, but that ended when the supervisor arrived.

She started in with garbage about how I was disrupting "her checkpoint." I told her that she was lying -- and that's the oldest trick in the book, anyway. To make a long story short(er), I eventually got my pat-down, but it was absurdly thorough and supervised by a deputy sheriff. I bantered with him about how, under other circumstances, he would be arresting these same TSA thugs. He pretended not to get it but laughed.

Bruce

Schmurrr

MCO B side this morning had "stealth backscatter" in use. TSA seemed to be periodically flushing the main security lines by sending large groups down a side lane and around a corner to some backscatter scanners. It did not appear that you had a choice about being taken out of the main line. If you were lucky enough to stay in the main line, you could SDOO--and you didn't have to wait in line as long.

I also saw an airline employee opt out of the WTMD in the crew lane and go through a backscatter scanner. How nice that employees are so free to choose the form of the Destructor...

Chrisinhouston

Went through IAH temrinal C 2 weeks ago where they play the boarding pass game. You must have it in your hand for the checker just past the WTMD who checks it for the sribbles from the podium TSO. He then made some notes on a clip board as I had requested an OO. A 2 striper came up and asked him how many that made and he said "10 in the past 30 minutes." The 2 striper replied that with summer travel here things will only get worse and then he escorted me off for my grope. ^

nachtnebel

Is that at a backscatter station? If so, do you think opt outs are much higher with those units than with mmw?

FriendlySkies

Last time through IAH, they were all MMW.

nachtnebel

Then this posting by chrisinhouston is pretty significant...esp if it marks some sort of trend.

Michael El

The only backscatter airport I frequent is PHX and the sheeple don't OO there.

cottonmather0

We just had a relative from Phoenix stay with us here in Boston the past couple of weeks before she went home yesterday. College student, female, kind of young, kind of naive, a bit of a blind Obama supporter, for that matter.

We talked very briefly about airport security as I was driving her to the airport and she said, "I'd much rather get x-rayed than let them touch me. And besides, I don't think the x-ray machines are all that bad, anyway. I don't have anything to hide."

So that was all for the conversation and I changed the subject. I wasn't going to change her mind because she had thought about it, but rather, because she just didn't care in the first place.

Unfortunately, I think her attitude is much closer to that of most typical Americans as opposed to us FT'ers.

Caradoc

She's in for one heck of a surprise the first time she has an "anomaly" followed by a false positive, and gets dragged into the broom closet and handed a paper drape.