Okay, you've all got me worried now. I just joined so that I can ask this question.

My husband, my 26 yr old daughter and I are travelling to Rome next fall: Toronto to Frankfurt, Frankfurt to Rome, Rome to Munich, Munich to Toronto. (Sorry, I don't have the abbreviations memorized).

I carefully (and more expensively) chose a route that did not have connections in the States because of what I've read here...but now I'm worried.

You see, my daughter was sexually assaulted as a child and is now recovering (very well, we're very proud of her) from the years long emotional consequences of that, including a physically abusive boyfriend.

She has a hard time with even the dentist touching her, I'm not sure how she'd react to the kind of so-called patdown you describe. Full hysterical flash-back freak-out probably.

The walk-through metal detector and wand we encountered in 2009 was no problem, is that still what we will likely encounter this fall? If not, what should we do?

Any info and/or advice is greatly appreciated. We are so looking forward to this trip, I'd hate to have it clouded in anyway for her. Thank you.

In Canada the general procedure is that you step on a randomize mat. If it points in one direction you go through the regular metal detector. If it points in the other direction you pass through more rigorous screening. If you go to the thorough screening you may choose to use the scanner or pat down. Most reports of pat-downs in Canada indicate they are less "intimate" than the American version.
In Canada you have the right to leave the screening at anytime if you choose not to fly that day.
You may want to contact the airline and see if any arrangements can be made on your daughters behalf.
German and Italian screening are generally reported as roughly equal to its Canadian counterparts although I have not read any reports about refusing screening in Europe.
As always there are always exceptions to the standard. Stand your ground and do not be intimidated.

Damn. Bad enough they are doing this to any innocent person. The ffact that a sex abuse victim must suffer through it makes me boil.

Italian and German airports are not using the body scanners. If she doesn't set off the WTMD, she should be just fine in Europe. The only one to worry about is Toronto.

Given her background and the concerns, I would be extra careful when selecting travel clothes. Nothing with metal, make double sure there isn't anything left in pockets, etc. I've seen more courtesy in the process everywhere I've been versus the US process and attitude. It's a sad statement, but very true.

BTW, Welcome to FT! Hope you stick around, and enjoy your trip.

You were very smart to avoid US connections. The US doesn't have normal connections anyway. There is no transit option like in most countries. Aside from the sexual assaulting Nazis at the checkpoints, you have to deplane even for a direct flight, bring your luggage to customs for inspection, and recheck it even if you are getting right back on the same flight to another international destination. All for no reason at all. I guess the US bureaucrats just assume that everyone flying from the US is starting their trip from the US. Idiots. If you don't connect through the People's Republic of Safe States your daughter should be fine. Keep in mind that if she gets selected (by the randomizer mat) in Canada you can always choose to just head back to the airline counter and reschedule the flight for another time when you will have another chance to try your luck on the randomizer mat. As opposed to taking the risk of the the specific CATSA screener she encounters being a "bad apple". As long as you get to the counter before the plane leaves most airlines will just make you pay the change fee (plus any fare changes). For Air Canada that is usually $150 per person.

She could also try wearing an athletic cup to protect her in case the CATSA screener has been trying to emulate the TSA method of sliding their hand up the leg until they meet "resistance" and then some. In the US she would probably have all kinds of unspeakable things done to her which would never happen in Canada. It sounds like you have already read about them.

You have to go out of the sterile zone to make ALL connecting flights?

I think the discussion refers to the fact that the US doesn't have the concept of being 'in transit'; that is, changing planes in the country without 'entering' it. Most other countries do.

[Off-topic: This is much more of a problem for visa-countries, than for Canada/EU: A Chinese businesswoman would have to do all of the US immigration documentation, interviews, checks etc. just to change at LAX to go to a customer meeting in Canada. So there's a big market for (non-US) airlines that allow travelers to travel between Asia and Canada or C/S America without transiting the US.]

So flying from Canada to Rome via the US means that you have to enter the US (immigration, customs and full security check), even if you are only changing flights.
In the case of Canada, this will be in the US pre-clearance done in Canada, rather than the US. There may or may not be another security check in the US, since arrivals from Canada are treated as domestic flights ("pre-cleared").

In the US, there's no general requirement that you leave the sterile zone to transfer. However, at some airports there isn't a single connected sterile zone and the arriving and departing gates may be in different zones. International departures may or may not be in a separate zone, but they often have extra security checks at the gate, in any case.

International arrivals have to clear security to transfer in almost every country, regardless of whether the connection is domestic or international. (Intra-schengen is not considered international in this context.)

Hope this helps.

Wear clothes that don't have any metal as was suggested above. Wear sneakers, as the large majority of dress shoes heels etc. etc. will have steel shanks in them that may trigger an alarm. If she's selected by the randomizer and then again by the Walk Through Metal Detector for the Full Body Scanner, she should opt in for it, as the other alternative is a full body pat down.
I don't know about other canadian airports, nor foreign airports, but we've moved away from pat downs as much as possible lately. Opting for friendlier alternatives instead. The only way to get a pat down now is to refuse the FBS, or to request bypassing the WTMD due to a medical condition. e.g. pacemaker.

There is no specific procedure in place for a case such as your daughter, but explaining the situation at the door to the first CATSA screener you see may or may not get her bumped into a priority lane as is used for Nexus, Handicapped and passe3ngers with small children.

There is at least one poster here who has had bad CATSA experiences, but looking at all the airports you list you should honestly not have to worry much at all.

Many of the reviews here of more 'intimate' touching at FRA are from a few years ago, and more importantly appear to be often due to the extra screening 'requested' by the TSA on US carriers on US bound flights.

MUC is one of the most friendly and 'easy' airport security I encounter. Both MUC and FRA have workers who speak English well. I have never encountered a malicious female screener in Germany, unlike in the US where TSA seems to hire women with attitude issues (and a LTSO has told us here about the problems TSA faces with hiring and retaining female screeners) Last summer I made a game of counting the number of 'please' and 'thank you's' and other pleasantries I received at MUC during the busy summer season from screeners. Even during the extra busy December freak snow storms they remained friendly and pleasant and lines were short compared to the US lines.

I cannot recall the last time I had a physical pat down at a German airport (I usually use MUC, FRA, TXL, and DUS)

FCO (Rome) is generally uneventful.

I have also seen times where one child member of a family received an extra screening arrow on the CATSA randomizer mat, and the staffer let a parent opt to do the extra screening instead of the child. (I don't know if that qualifies as 'random' at that point, but it certainly qualifies to me as 'empathetic' and 'human'.)

Well, newbie alert.
Took me this long to figure out how to find replies to my post. Thanks everyone, you were very helpful. I think I'll recommend that she just go through scanner, if it comes to that...

If it does come to that make sure she understands that there will be people viewing her naked if she goes that route. It is better for her to know that beforehand rather than find out about it afterward. The image will be the equivalent of a black and white photo. She should understand that it is not just a picture of her bones that the CATSA screener is viewing. It is her skin. It is a virtual strip search machine.

The Canadian imagers are all millimeter wave (RADAR or microwaves) and considered pretty safe by most people here with a technical background. But obviously everyone feels differently about being viewed naked by strangers. I hate the idea, but many people don't seem to care.

The chances are extremely low. FCO is running a current short term test using the 'new' technology which does not show the images the previous poster stated. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...pting-out.html In HAM (where there is an optional test) and at AMS one does not have to use the scanner if selected.

There are no scanners at FRA and MUC. Here is an example of what security is like in Germany. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/archive/t-1215641.html

Canada does have scanners at some airports for international departures, but I have never seen them in use, and there is the option on the very low chance if one is selected to take the very tame pat down instead. It is nothing like the US pat down.

When I was at YVR US departures last week there were 3 MMW's but only 1 in use. When I was in the area 1 woman was in it and the guy in front of me was randomly selected. so at most there was a 3% chance you'd have to go in it. If I still lived in Detroit and wanted to transfer internationally then I would definitely drive up to Toronto to do it.

Yes, I'll have to talk to her about this. I've brought it up a bit, just to let her think about it, we'll talk more.

There's no good solution, is there? Only the best of a bad lot.

KatieBaker