Good idea! Now, do you think the "flavored" one could be drunk instead of
my usual hoards of bottled water? (Yuck.)

--LG

Has Bart answered the question as to why KY jelly is allowed in your carry-on? Today I asked the MCO TSA and they weren't aware that it's allowed and one of them insists that it's a mistake on the TSA web. I had a printout of the TSA dos/don'ts and a few TSA agents here said that they still would not allow KY jelly aboard even though it says it in black/white on their site.

I'm not Dovster thus I'd rather brush my teeth on the plane rather than join the mile-high club.

Just drink your own urine. Gahndi did.

I think people are a bit paranoid about liquids now, but just to throw something out there, what is to stop people from carrying small amounts of liquid, in bottles, tubes, or other forms of containers in their pockets or hidden in their clothing? A tube of lip balm (gel) or a small bottle of shampoo, or liquor, etc would not be detected in the metal detector for obvious reasons. If you have baggy cargo pockets, it's unlikely TSA would notice. I think this is just one of the many holes in airport security.

For you people who said you don't want your taxes or ticket to include charges for "paper booties" for people going through the "take your shoes off" portion of the security check:

LET ME OPEN YOUR EYES.
Those HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of passengers from all over the world who traverse through that security check gate and remove their shoes ON THAT CARPETING deposit every kind of germ known to man, and a few not yet identified pathogens.

Some of the cleanest looking, DIABETIC PASSENGERS (Of which the world's traveling public holds a significant percentage, OFTEN HAVE INFECTED, PUS FILLED AND WEEPING SORES ON THE BOTTOM OF THEIR FEET, AND MANY DO NOT EVEN KNOW THEY HAVE THOSE OPEN, PUS EXUDING SORES!!!! I know, diabetes is rampant in MY family and we have to cross check DAILY for new lesions because THEIR FEET ARE NUMB!! Several other diseases COULD put CONTAGIOUS TB OR OTHER GERMS from foot lesions on YOU also.

NOW DO YOU WANT TO WALK THROUGH A STICKY, PUS ENCRUSTED CARPET BAREFOOT OR PAY THE QUARTER TO COVER AND PROTECT YOUR FEET OR SOCKS????

I rather keep my shoes on, thank you. There is no justifyable reason to not allow pre-8/10, non-profile shoes being worn.

I'll take No Shoe Carnivals for $1000, Alex.

Do you still think officer discretion is a good thing?

BTW, the silliness in Australia as a result of the TSA rules is ludicrous. In MEL, they are requiring pax on US-bound planes to take off their shoes (meaning any type of footware whatsoever). They then run a metal detector over you, manually search your hand luggage for liquids, confiscate anything liquid or gel of any size (including vitamin E tablets), and then you put your footware back on. (The footware not having been even inspected in any way ... it's just been sitting there on the carpet!!)

Bart - you're a brave man to keep coming back. Thanks for participating and providing the TSA'ers viewpoint. Some questions for you ...

- the reg is that you can bring on liquid meds up to a limited amount. If the original bottle is more than that - and they want you to bring the original bottle with the prescription attached, how is that being handled? What's expected? I have a prescription bottle for nose spray but its larger than the limit - so am I expected to purchase more, waste a bunch of it or what?

- can you tell me a bit of what that note from the doctor should say so I can keep my shoes on through the WTMD and remove them for screening from a chair? Diabetes is an issue in my family and my mother is currently fighting to keep her foot -- this is very real and personal to me. (my mother might travel in October for the first time, I also need a better idea of what she'll need letter-wise. She'd be in a wheelchair and can't walk without shoes - so what kind of notes will she need?)

For everyone that mentioned the disgusting aspects of other passengers bare/socked feet walking through the WTMD before you, don't forget that the TSA'ers are wearing their street shoes that just had a recent trip to the bathroom ... that is disgusting, as well!! If the passengers have to remove their shoes, then the TSA'ers should be wearing special something on their feet while in the security area. -- Note, I STILL wouldn't want to remove my shoes.

Went through T3 Security at Heathrow Friday morning. the security officer said they'd been told that am that lipsticks were OK, but lip gloss wasn't. My chapstick cleared in the bin with my laptop. Worked for me.

I wonder what the local health inspectors have to say about a public place requiring footwear removal with no other protection against pathogens offered? Sounds like a health code violation to me. Fun to imagine the headlines "Airports Across The Country Closed Due To Health Code Violation". Maybe then we'd see an end to this idiocy. ^ ^ ^

As I mentioned in another thread, unfortunately it is not against any states health code for a person to be barefoot, unless they are handling food. I have done a lot of research into it, and it appears we don't have much to stand on from this point. So at least for now we just have to grin and bear it. And to be honest, I prefer the all off, as opposed to the random "shoe carnival".

OK, the shoe thing is nonsense, but no one has to be barefoot. Wear socks with shoes when you fly.

Just wait till you end up in emergency at the end of your flight with a MRSA infection later FIGHTING FOR YOUR VERY LIFE, your entire bodyand bloodstream septic and resistant to most ALL antibiotics in our medical armory against disease.
Or, have a nice big dose of NECROTIZING FASCITIS (flesh eating disease) start working its way turning your arms and legs black eating them away and perhaps you won't scoff at the danger presented and think twice about even TOUCHING socks that have touched that carpet let alone wearing them for the duration of a long flight where a hot sweaty foot can multiply any bacteria you picked up on your socks a millionfold.

I think you should go see "Snakes on a Plane". It may take your mind off these lurid thoughts.