Ok, I just can't believe that no one seems to care about the cleanliness of the bins for security. Ok, here's what I noticed on a recent flight from PDX to LAX, it's disgusting:

1. Guy put his shoes in the bin with dog (or cat) crap on the bottom.
2. Hairs of questionable origins in the bins
3. Some sort of goo in the bin
4. Gum stuck in the bin

So I told the TSA supervisor... that worked well, they didn't seem to care. Honestly I'm just curious how many viruses and crap are transfered this way. In fact I would bet that the bins are more dangerous than the actual threat of liquid explosives.

Passengers should not be removing their shoes at all.

Don't like dirty bins? File a complaint about the TSA's disgusting little shoe fetish.

What!? Spiff, that is just ridiculous, can't you see how removing shoes is our first line of defense!!!!

Nonsense.

A shoe-clad roundhouse should be our first line of defense against disgusting domestic terrorists.

Shouldn't one be more concerned with having to walk across a dirty floor than dirty bins?

The TSA sites I frequent will not let you put your shows in the bins.

Put 'em in and then put your jacket + KHIAAH (or KHIAI) baggie on top of them before the $45,000 Workfare person on preload detail can say anything.

Afterwards, in addition to filing a complaint about shoes and liquids, file a complaint about HTF the TSA can justify paying someone to do this job when they are always whining about not having enough money to properly harass the traveling public. How are those office decorations and lifetime awards going, Kippie?

That point has been made many, many times before.

The TSA's reaction (including some individual screeners) is basically "suck it up."

Or, for a more simple and realistic solution, how about having the bins washed and sanitized every night or several times per day in a giant dishwasher and / or UV sanitizer.

Or just leave the shoes on. I'm easy.

I wish they at least offered "shoe bins" and bins for everything else. It is so gross to have to put my baggie of things that goes in my mouth (meds, lip stuff, whatever) in a bin that has/had shoes in it. gross.

Recently, an article describe how researchers had swabbed THE BOTTOM OF WOMEN'S PURSES to test for microbiologically infective contamination.

The results shocked everyone. Purses, possibly because they are frequently set on the floor in public /hospital bathrooms ARE THE FILTHIEST MOST DANGEROUSLY CONTAMINATED ITEM THEY FOUND, EVEN TOPPING SHOES!! Could it be some of the filth on shoes is walked off while a purse is carried from one place to another.

Most EVERY purse deposited in the bins puts whatever it collected from the floor around the toilet at the gas station or airport. WOMEN SHOULD NEVER EVER PUT A PURSE ON A COUNTER OR TABLE AT HOME. Even touching the bottom of a purse before you eat at a restaurant sets the woman up to ingest what her hands found there.

You know, I was going to mention that the outside of purses and briefcases, laptop bags, etc are also contaminated--but primarily from things like being in these gross shoe bins. TBH, I don't know any women who would ever place their purse on the floor of a bathroom anywhere, but got an especially big laugh at your reference to "gas station bathrooms" LOL. OMG, no woman I have ever met would put her purse on the floor in a gas station!

There are hooks and shelves in nearly all bathrooms for purses, briefcases, laptop bags etc.

I do agree that any kind of personal bags should never be on tables, etc if one has previously placed them on the floor--which I almost never do anyway. Come to think of it, women who pay $$$$ for designer purses generally take pretty good care of them, and that includes not putting them on dirty floors. thanks for the general reminder though!

I completely agree with the posts concerning the unhygienic conditions that are being imposed upon anyone traveling by TSA procedures. One should add having to walk through the scanner in socks.

The airlines already realize that their tap water is not potable, and warn the traveler about drinking it. Instead they suggest you obtain bottled water on baord, and what has now becoming the added norm of selling bottled water to you.

In my opinion, of greater health threat is the condition of the air in the planes. Most of you are frequent fliers and have experienced an increased incidence of respiratory ailments within a week or so of being on baord a plane.

I disagree.

I fly about 300,000 miles per year and I am rarely ill. The few times I've been ill in the last 5 years have been colds, not respiratory illnesses.

At PHX there are little boxes with paper surgical booties on stands just before security checkpoints. I always take a pair and use them to walk through security, after dutifully placing my shoes in the plastic bin. It's appalling how filthy the booties are after just shuffling through the metal detectors. I cannot imagine walking on the floor in sox, stockings, or barefooted --- then putting shoes back on. Eeeew.

We have a big box of the booties at home, purchased at a surgical supplies store. (We use them for workmen to cover their shoes when inside our home.) I would encourage frequent flyers to buy their own booties if the airports they fly to/from don't provide them. The cost works out to about 50 cents per pair.