When going through the new full body scan machines, do you have to remove your wallet? If so, where do you place it so it doesn't get stolen or lost? I normally place my wallet in my backpack when going through the WTMD and hope it's still there at the other end after I walk through lol.

Yes, you have to remove your wallet (and all your money, boarding pass, passport, etc) and possibly have them stolen, while wasting time in the scanner and their being out of your sight.

The BEST answer is to keep your wallet, folding money, and travel documents in your pocket and OPT-OUT of the Nude-O-Scope. It is your RIGHT! Save yourself future cancers.

Either way they're gonna rifle through your wallet. The only way they won't openly handle your wallet is if you leave it in your carry on, which of course, is open to outright pilfering. This wallet policy is idiotic.

Recently, at Tulsa, I opted out of the WBI. I was forced to remove, wallet, cash, boarding pass, etc, from pockets while they did the full pat down. Not pleasant, but suppose that's what they ultimately want to do - make it so unpleasant that you're more willing to do the WBI instead. They went through my wallet and the way things were set up I had part of my belongings to the right of me and the other part to the left, making it difficult to keep an eye on everything at once. Not a good situation.

I know I've said this before, but, I always put my wallet inside a locking carry-on which I lock in the parking garage out of view of screeners. That way, if they want to do a bag search, it has to be in my presence because I have to open it. FYI, it's a combo lock so they don't have a key to "discover" during the x-ray.

Excellent idea. I need to get one before my next flight.

Good lord. With steps like this, planning for a day trip must be like a small expedition! Does anyone who flies a significant amount think for a second that this is a pragmatic solution to this "problem"?

You're probably more at risk of getting mugged while you're stopped in the parking lot locking your bag

Couldn't the same logic be used about screening in general? Are we more at risk of getting mugged than a terrorist attack on the plane?



And FYI, about a month ago I was in Miami Admirals Club. There was a gentleman there with his wife and infant son. His wallet was stolen at the X-ray machine by another passenger.

What happened was he put his wallet into a bin, watched it go into the machine and then stepped through the WTMD. The TSO operating the machine backed up the belt to get a look at something and the person grabbed the wallet.

All on video, but by the time they got the video, the person was long gone.

I opted out and got the pat-down at DTW, connecting after an international arrival. My wallets (I spread things among three during overseas travel) needed to be in a tub that the TSO took out of my sight and put through the x-ray. It was my dazed state after a long flight that made me forget things on me that set off the WTMD and got me the secondary; also if I'd been thinking more clearly I'd have insisted on counting all the money and cards in the wallets, but it looks like I got everything back o.k.

To answer your first question - of course we are. By several orders of magnitude.

To respond to your second point - sorry, but the passenger was an idiot. I wouldn't leave my wallet out in the open anywhere in a public place, and I'd expect something like the above to happen if I did. But I would consider keeping it in a zipped pocket of a carry-on bag a good balance between safety and convenience. Would you?

I thought his solution to the problem of pilfering from screeners and other passengers was a good one. It's much harder for people to steal things from locked bags-- and it requires TSA to wait for you to get there and observe their shenanigans before they can open your carry on and rifle through it.

As for the risk of getting mugged... would that be coming from the TSA folks that were discussed as wandering around parking lots and looking into rental cars with flashlights a few weeks ago? (Yeah, I saw the opportunity and just couldn't resist... )

Nonsense. There have been over 120 arrests of TSA agents according to the TSA. (I can't find the figures for baggage handlers but there have been dozens of organized baggage handler theft rings busted http://crime.about.com/b/2008/03/31/...theft-ring.htm ). Figure a 5:1 ratio of people caught vs. people getting away with it, and it's clear that the MOST DANGEROUS PART OF THE AIRPORT wrt being a crime victim is your interaction with TSA and baggage handlers.

Just another example of the TSA's failure to protect air passengers! Of course, they won't consider this a TSA failure, but I do (and you should). If they can't stop a wallet snatcher, do you think they can stop someone who knows a little slight-of-hand to slip something past them? It's a shame all the TSA agents involved weren't fired on the spot.

That's some interesting maths you're using there Now would you like to explain what justification there is behind your summary of "nonsense" with regards to my post?

Actually I would consider keeping the wallet on my person as a no sacrifice of safety and far more convenient.

I simply don't see any value added to security to force people to remove their wallets.

Something is seriously wrong when our "security" has been arrested all these times while never catching a single perp that they are supposed to catch, while letting a few slip through.

I propose that TSO should be "screened" before leaving their shift to discover stolen items. This will improve security for airline passengers more than anything else they have come up with.^