Carry On Problems and Procedure
 

Hello

1. As for watching the carry on's:
Since I am traveling with my 8yr old and wife I figured I would let her go first with non valuable items in her carry on. Next our child (which we will OPT out for him for safety reasons). This way she can watch my carry on's with our laptop and cell phones. What do you all think?

2. Question on OPT Out: If my wife and I decide to also OPT out, and do the pat down, can we still keep our ID, cash, Credit cards and cash on us?

3. Question on Jewelry: My wife can not remove her wedding ring. It physically will not come off?? Does this mean automatic pat down whether we OPT out or not?

4. If I OPT out can I keep my watch on?

Thanks and GOD bless

Thanks

1. OK.
2. No. Emphatically no.
3. Probably not an issue.
4. I've seen this handled both ways. Unpredictable.

Bruce

Thank you

Hello

We are getting conflicting feedback and news articles etc on the Pat Downs.

If my wife and I decide to OPT out, and do the pat down, can we still keep our ID, cash, Credit cards,watch and cash on us?

At the very least will they let us hold them in our hands. I do not want to put these items thru the tray or carry on. Whats to stop a TSA agent to take my watch out of my carry on while I am being groped?

If they wont let us hold them in our hands than I will go for the scanner.

I'm hearing that the rule is nothing in your pockets, and nothing in your hands, when you pass through the WTMD/AIT or get a pat-down. The best you can do is keep eye contact with your personal items, while they are on the x-ray belt, or have them brought to you during the pat-down.

(6000. AIT has been the best thing ever, for my post count...)

I opted out yesterday because I would fail the scanner anyway. I was instructed to go meet an agent. He asked me to stand in one space. I told him I could not see my luggage and requested that it be kept in my line of site for the duration of the pat down. He had my luggage be retrieved and it was brought to my side. I was not allowed to touch it for the duration of the pat down and had to place all belongings--keys, wallet with it when I entered the private room.

So yes your luggage will be kept with you, but you will not be able to access it during the pat down.

DO NOT BELIEVE THIS TO BE the POLICY IN EVERY AIRPORT OR EVERY INSTANCE. The TSO can do anything he/she wants with your "stuff" and you do NOT have the RIGHT to see it while being "inspected".

Nothing in your hands. My suggestion is to put everything in a ziplock bag or whatever, put that in the case, and lock the carry on.

If they need access they will have to wait for you.

There's going to be a huge market for whoever comes up with a carry on with a locking pocket.

Most of my backpack pockets have dual zipper pulls. The three that do not are within range of one of the dual zipper pulls or the main handle. To solve the ID problem, I went to Target and bought a small camping first aid kit - it is a reinforced nylon case (rigid) with dual zips and plenty of space. I lock the first aid kit with a Master Lock combination lock and all of the dual-zip pockets with separate Master Lock combination locks. In addition, my laptop is cable-locked to the backpack.

My suggestion would also be to lock the pocket of your carry on that holds valuables. This is what we do.

If you are worried about what to do with the key or nail clippers (if you use zip ties), go pick up a small combination lock.

I've got a small key one and the key never sets off the WTMD in my pocket.

I don't think procedures are being applied equally at all airports. When I opted out recently at Indianapolis, I was told to remove everything from my pockets, no one brought me my things off the X-ray belt, and I had to protest a bit in order to win the right to (sort of) keep an eye on my stuff abandoned on the belt during the pat-down.

I recommend you take everything out of your pockets and put it deep in your carry-on--and lock your carry-on shut--before you get in the security line. I'm also going to adopt the suggestion of cable locking my laptop to my backpack, though once my cable lock was confiscated as a potential weapon.

This was my experience at IAH two weeks ago. See my post here about it.

I strongly recommend that anything valuable be placed in your carry on bag in a hard-to-find location, at a minimum. Locking it is even better. I've got a small combination lock that works pretty well for my carry on bag, but my purse is another matter.

Considering how paranoid airport security is that you NOT keep your eye on your luggage before you board a plane, it would be high irony if they were the reason you COULDN'T keep your eye on your luggage.

So true. Every 2 minutes, they announce that you should report unattended bags. I wonder what would happen if, once you heard that announcement, you told the TSA agent that your bags were unattended.

Better: What my wife and I always do. She goes ahead, I keep *ALL* of our carry-ons. Only once she's through do I send them through and come through myself. That way our carryons are never unguarded.

I don't know about the nude-o-scopes but mine is very difficult to remove (>1 minute to work it off, although it's been more than a decade since it's been off for any reason so I don't know if that's still accurate) and has never caused an issue.

But will they allow you to just stand there holding on to your stuff until your spouse is through?