Why are they scanning wallets?
 

I just flew FLL-LGA, they asked me to put my wallet into a basket and run it through the scanning machine next to the metal detector. What difference would it have made if I walked through with it in my pocket or if they ran it through on the belt. With all of the chaos going on at this checkpoints, I feel uneasy about someone picking up my wallet on the other side while we are being delayed because of someone slowing down the line when they set off the buzzer at the detector.

[This message has been edited by Rssrsvp (edited 11-07-2001).]

I usually put my wallet through anyway to avoid setting off the machine (it does make a difference), but FLL is the only place I've been too (just this Monday) that ever requested I take my wallet out. I usually put it in one of my other bags before getting the checkpoint anyway.

I have a metal clip to hold money in my wallet (not that I ever have money in my wallet, another story) which sets off the walk throughs. I'm not saying your wallet would set it off, but lots of people's do.

I think they are just trying to get you through in one shot. Asking for wallets, watches, shoes, belts and the rest of the stuff they are asking you to remove (depending on airport) may keep you from beeping on the walk through, which means you will not have to be wanded, patted down, or start removing things and going through again and again.

I always put my wallet in the carry on or jacket pocket to go through security, way before all of this it would set the machines off. I was never comfortable putting it out in the open in a basket in the open.

My point exactly. If someone walks off with your wallet, is the "security" company responsible for the loss.

I also would not like to put my wallet in a basket on the belt.
That brings me to the question: What "power" have this "security persons". Do I have to do any silly thing they ask me to do?

I always place my wallet, cell phone and keys in the outside pocket of my bag. I've never had a challenge with security pre or post 9/11 with doing that.

I stopped carrying a wallet years ago due to the pain in the as* syndrome. Cards and id with rubberband in pocket.

I always put pager and cell phone in bag first, before they ask. I never take change out of pocket. Ignore the wallet and change requests, same with watch. Cheap pens stay in pocket, better ones (more metal)go into bag.

I was told by the screeners that they are concerned that the hand-held metal detecting wands might harm the magnetic strip on your credit cards if you are wanded and your wallet is still in your pocket. Don't know if it's true. I know the x-ray machines and magnetometers don't affect the magnetic strips on my cards, so I just put my wallet in a pocket of my carry-on.

If this is the case, why aren't people being warned when they use the hand held wands? This is now a common place occurance with the stepped up security, and there will be many angry travelers out there with credit cards that cannot be scanned properly when they go to make a purchase.

Currency, credit cards and photo ID stays in pocket. Wallet in carry-on or by itself (no big loss if it's stolen when empty). I am not going to let my currency, credit cards and photo ID be separated from my person. Period.

The wands don't effect CC's.

I think the main reason for scanning the wallets is that razor blades can easily be inserted between CC's.

The last days I have beeen told to pull out my jacket and to put it through the x-ray. They demanded this even when I've said that any items out of the pockets were put into my carry-on. This happened at three airports in Germany, same for all people. I was never asked to do this before.

My wallet has enough cards with magnetic strips to set off the more sensitive metal detectors; I'm sure I'm not alone. Maybe enough wallets set off the metal detectors for the "security" team to want to cut down the false alarms by having wallets go through the X-ray machine instead.

This is done to distract you so that they can steal or smash your laptop.

Goes back to childhood when parents' standard answer was "because I say so." http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

As has been mentioned, wallets can conceal razor blades and other possible weapons. The old method of simply putting the wallet on a small basket, bypassing the metal detector, is obviously less secure.

The jacket is the same idea. With a jacket on, it's hard to do a visual search or a patdown. That's why they prefer to simply X-ray it.

Personally, I put all my change, gum packet [the tinfoil sets off metal detectors], wallet, and belt into my jacket pockets and just pass the whole jacket through. You can't walk off with my jacket without me noticing.

Because of these:

http://www.1sks.com/store/microtech-option-2.html

or maybe these:
http://www.swissarmydepot.com/swiss....age&sku=564065

or perhaps these:

http://www.selfdefenseproducts.com/rigidstainless.htm

Regards,
-Bouncer-
PS: I actually have the Swiss Army one. Invaluable lil tool, I check it through and put it back in my wallet after I land.

[This message has been edited by Bouncer (edited 11-12-2001).]

I was asked at CAK (small regional airport with ONE security machine/metal detector for all gates) to remove the batteries from my cell phone and put the phone & batteries through the xray separately. I politely declined and told the security person if she wanted to make a call to verify the phone, that was fine, but I wasn't about to reprogram 200+ names into the phone because they were worried it wasn't really a phone....

She let me put the battery cover & phone through separately (battery still in it's rightful place).

I flew back from... uh, I think it was BUF this past weekend, and they were making everything in pockets go through the x-ray in what must be the world's flimsiest little plastic container. They were also making all the coats go through. And, of course, all the bags -- with the laptops pulled out of the cases.

The end result was that there was a massive pileup of bags at the end, as people were slowed going through. It got to where it was backed up to the x-ray machine itself, and the belt kept piling them in. Someone tried to grab their bag, and one of those flimsy little containers snapped. Pocket change, bits of paper, scattered dollar bills, nuts and bolts, and more went scattering in every which direction.

It was a mess, in short, moreso since the nuts and bolts were apparently needed for some sort of medical equipment the man's daughter had. I noticed that most of the plastic containers were broken in some fashion, probably from getting all smashed up....

Just wait'll wintertime -- when hats, gloves, scarves and heavy coats will go into the mix, too.

Not to mention the Barnum & Bailey routine once the hubs get hit with 20,000 pax trying to rebook canceled flights because of the usual snow/sleet/ice delays on the tarmac.

Hee hee, right about then we'll all be HAPPY they've cut back capacity by 20 percent.

And you thought the summer of 2000 was grim.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Possible explanation - the metal detectors do not do a good as good a job of finding metal that is "shielded" by non metalic stuff. A thick coat, a thick wallet, or your hand in your pocket can make it harder for the machine to find something. This should come as no surprise. Again, the problem is that there are no standards at the airports that say that ALL overcoats be put on the belts. Some airports in Europe require this.

Ken, you're a genius! (I do the same thing http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif)

Isn't it amazing how fast you get through when you don't have to stop to unload your pockets?

The numbers on your cellphone are stored in static memory. Removing the battery will not erase them. If it doesn than have either a very very unusual cellphone or your phone is broken.

As others have said, it is easiest just to take everything out of pockets, and also jewelry, and place it in a pocket of a carry-on. My rollaboard has a small pocket at the top of teh front. I keep it empty just for thi spurpose. Before getting to the security area, I place everything (except for photo ID and boarding pass or e-ticket receipt) into the pocket, and close it up. Then I absolutely refuse to place my bag on the belt until the person in front of me has passed completely through the metal detector and I can move on through and have a line of sight with my bag. This way, even if I am pulled aside and wanded or patted down, I can always watch my belongings.

There is nothing that compares to the stroking of one's ego. skofarrell I take back everything that I've ever said about Canadians. However I will continue to laugh at all Southpark Canadian jokes http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

This is a very important point to remember with any item that you place on the belt. Never let it out of your sight, and wait for the path through the detector to be totally clear. Earlier this year one of the evening news shows showed video tapes of laptop bags being stolen when someone stopped short and bumped the victim at the detector and his partner picked up his bag on the other side and walked out of the airport. Of course this will be extremely difficult to do with the present state of security at the airports and the checking of ID's and tickets before reaching the detector.

[This message has been edited by Rssrsvp (edited 11-08-2001).]

I could really care less it we let this stuff on board. It poses NO danger any longer. The hijackings were successful not because they got boxcutters and knives on board, but rather because up to that point, everyone thought that cooperation and patience was the safest way to deal with a hijacking as eventually the hijackers must land. We now know differently and no one will ever again gain control of the plane with this type of stuff. It's truly a non-issue at this point. Oh sure, some A-hole could try to attack crewmembers or passengers but hey, bare hands and other items in the plane can do even more damage. In short, I think this is all a little silly. I would feel extremely safe even if EVERYONE on board was carrying a pocket knife. It just doesn't matter. ....just my two cents..thank you.

And this crap about razor blades could be in your wallet is foolish. Get real, it would be easy to get blades through security, right through the x-ray machines. Use your imagination. Though any moron could figure it out, I am not going to place the how to here in fear of being arrested for some reason.

I don't disagree with either of your viewpoints. In fact I've been saying the days of the peaceful hijack were over since the 11th of September.

Still not the point though, that's the kind of thing they're looking for with wallets.

You have to remeber, the gov't and airlines have to be seen to be doing something. Doesn't matter if it's the wrong thing or not. This isn't about security, it's about perception of security.

Regards,
-Bouncer-

No, if you lose anything at security, you're on your own. (But if someone does disappear with someone else's things, security tends to be concerned)

Now, if the feds start running security, you may be able to make a claim....

Give me a break! Have you not heard of "soverign immunity?"

As I usually travel alone, I don't have a buddy to help guard the goods. I put my real valuable wallet contents into the inside, zipper pocket of my Travel Smith jacket. I have a few dollars in my wallet. I'm a tall guy. I can see what's going on ahead of me. Frequently, I don't like it at all.

At DFW the screamers (yes, I spelled it that way on purpose) are now tyrants. One woman had all of her personal items in Zip Loc bags. A male screamer took out her underwear and went through it with his fingers. Held up her bras! She nearly died of embarrassment. She had clean underwear BEFORE he did this. He also opened all of her make up.

The same guy tried this with me and I gave him my best teachers' evil eye. He backed off. Left my underwear alone.

That's what we deserve when the lowest bidder supplies stuff. Remember, the FAA is on the Airlines side...not ours (until the **** hits the fan)

Actually, with the sensativity turned up, the magnetic strips on credit cards can set off the detector.

[This message has been edited by mikey1003 (edited 11-10-2001).]

Must be an Argenbright screamer that they didnt do a background check to find that he did time as a sexual predator http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif

I am not buying this. I have all my credit cards in my pocket, and not protected by a wallet. After probably a dozen flights since 9/11, no problems. Other than looking at all the baskets with wallets in them and people climbing all over each other to get to theirs.

Spyderco makes so-called credit card knives.

A word of advice -- don't believe anything the screeners tell you. (i.e. If they tell you the earth is a sphere, you should probably join the Flat Earth Society.)

Both the walk-through devices and the wands use the same technology. The wand is just "up close and personal" -- it can be used to localize metal objects.

But neither will damage mag-stripes, as neither has anything to do with magnetism. (Well, OK, maybe in a Grand Unified Theory sort of way, but not for our purposes.) If these were magnetic type devices then they wouldn't detect aluminum, right? And you can certainly make as nasty a knife with aluminum as with any other ferrous metal.

X-ray machines do pose a very slight risk to magnetic media, such as credit card mag stripes or floppy disks. However, it has nothing to do with the x-rays. Rather it has to do with the massive power supply transformers (that do generate a wallop of magnetic flux) required to generate those x-rays. But I have about 15 cards with mag strips that go through x-ray 5-10 times a week for years, with never a problem. A "theoretical" issue, I suppose. See above. The mag stripes will not set off the metal detectors. Some credit cards have metal foils which under labratory conditions might be able to be detected. But if a detector was that sensitive, then anyone with a metal filling would set off every detector in the airport. Even I don't set off the walk-through units, and I have a huge chunk of metal in my right hip (not to mention several screws and even part of a broken drill bit. The only thing that will "shield" metal is more metal, which of course would be even easier to detect. Coats, hands, wallets etc will have no effect on the walk-through units, and will only affect wands if they are so thick has to prevent the wand from being suitably close. As are all persons named Ken. It's a genetic thing. See above.

In the decades before September 11, there were hundreds, perhaps thousands, of airline hijackings. Most were not hijacked by religious fundamentalist terrorists, and very, very few resulted in any violence. Four related hijackings on a single day probably aren't going to change that, other than if increased security or the perception thereof stops a depressed immigrant, possibly with mental health or drug or whatever problems, wants to "go home" and sees an airplane hijacking as the best way to get there.

The probability of a repeat performance is no higher now than it was on September 10, and is probably lower with heightened security activity and awareness, and increased law enforcement activity. As well, the element of surprise is gone.

But the next time there's a hijacking it might be a huge mistake to presume that the plane will be diverted into a building. It's not inconceivable that more people with be injured or killed if the crew and/or passengers over react.

But each person will have to carefully evalute the situation, should the occasion ever arise.

What happens when a man has a foil wrapped personal item in his wallet? Do they make him open it? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

Why would you carry chewing gum in your wallet? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif