No shoes at security, should we have carpet?
 

I just walked through the elite security checkpoint for DL at LGA and watched several women having to walk barefoot through the scanners after being requested to put their boots on the belt to be x-rayed. My fiancee made the remark that if people are being forced to walk barefoot on concrete, the least that the airlines could do would be to provide carpet. Having never considered this to be an issue as I always wear socks, I had to agree with her viewpoint. I would be curious if any airports do have carpeting at the security areas?

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I think that there should be carpet. It is bad enough to have to walk on a dirty floor with your socks on, but barefoot would be even worse. But then again....the carpet would be just as dirty. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif

It seems like most of the security areas I go through are carpeted - SFO and JAX quickly come to mind.

Although tile floors are cold, they are easier to keep clean than carpet. I predict an epidemic of athlete's foot related problems. I've trekked through muck, muck!

I want real security, not daily reminders of new threats to use planes to blow up various critial public necessities, plants etc.

We deserve the best, not the worst!

at LAX a few weeks ago (terminal 6), when asked to remove my shoes, I asked (nicely) for a carpet or paper towel or other item to place on the floor as to not have to step on the disgustingly dirty floor...security guard#1 flat out refused. I asked for the supervisor. They ulitmately obliged, with paper towels. I was told that I ws the first passenger ever to ask for something to protect me from the floor... they then took about 15 minutes and hand searched every everything in my bag... turn on the computer. camera, etc... i definitely upset the cart. However, if they are going to ask passenegers to remove their shoes, some kind of protection must be available.

cpd

Carpets can be just as disgusting. Think about carpets in hotel rooms; I alway bring a pair of slippers so as to not walk barefoot on them. Thanks for the warning, though. From now on when I travel in sandals, I will put on a pair of socks right before I go through security so to protect my feet from the ravages of the floor!

[This message has been edited by Analise (edited 02-01-2002).]

2 comments

1. Carpets might cause an additional kind of static at security

2. Just be glad that the left and rigth shoes do not count are the two carry on items. We would all have to have boots.

I think you did the right thing; a couple of weeks ago, I asked a glove-less security fellow to put on gloves before touching me with his well-traveled hands.

In any case, perhaps you should consider changing your FlyerTalk handle to Carpetdiem http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

This calls for a new odd thing to carry - your own paper towels. During the past year or so, I've started to carry my own
food (East to West Coast possible with no food),
water,
paper pillowcase (saw hair on the pillow),
noise cancelling headphones (a luxury),
reading material (with the cutback in magazines, and
thin plastic ID wallet to flash to security.

Someday, we may be forced to bring our own air supply and urine bottle onto planes.

A friend's girlfriend is in Hawaii and she told him that her shoes were weighed. Has anyone heard of this? She's a bit of a ditz so I'm not sure if she's confusing security putting the shoes in a tray and x-raying them with actually weighing them.

I suppose security could make sure that both shoes weigh the same to potentially eliminate some doubt of tampering but it's not something I've heard of.

a chair or bench would be nice for us old folks to do the shoe thing.

At Washington National (Reagan) Airport, they do things in a much more civilized manner. You first walk through the metal detector with your shoes ON, then you are asked to sit on a chair and remove your shoes. The security person takes the shoes and puts them through the X-ray machine. Then he returns them to you while you are still seated. There is no need to walk barefoot at all!

SAN yesterday was my first shoe inspection. I put my bags/computer on the belt, walked through and then was asked to remove my shoes. I was very early so took the time to ask for somewhere other than the dirty carpet to put my foot. They brought a chair and I hovered my feet above the floor while they inspected both shoes. They wouldn't do them one by one so I could hop/stand on one foot. This felt to me like an over-the-edge indignity. And I will add newspaper/paper towels to my gear.

While I was waiting at the gate, I saw a young slim woman being wanded, then the male guard patted down her legs from knee to ankle. I was pretty startled at the invasiveness, spoke to her on the plane, she had accepted it, said they do it to her all the time.

SJC didn't do shoes.

Sylvia

Hi there,
I had to go to Knoxville (TYS) last weekend and got selected for shoe-sniffing. Mind you, they seemed really quite well organised about it. They had a plastic chair to sit on whilst you were shoeless and a small plastic box for a foot rest.

If you're going to get selected, TYS is surprisingly well organised and it really isn't too intrusive.

Jason

That's why I wear slip on shoes and thick socks!