PIT on Thursday - What to expect
 

I will be flying out of PIT on Thursday. I will have crutches and my ankle is in an air cast. What can I expect. Flight is at 5:50AM

PIT has been ratcheting up the NoS lately. Avoiding them has become harder and harder. If open I would recommend using the alternate checkpoint, as it is easier to pick your line, but if you're in a cast that might be a challenge. I've never seen anyone go through security anywhere with a air cast on. I would imaging that they'll call out the SWAT team on you. :rolleyes: All kidding aside, I wouldn't assume the worst, but who knows anymore. Nothing shocks me nowadays.

Well, I just went through two TSA checkpoints (not in PIT, in BUR and OKC) with a back brace. None of the TSOs at either checkpoint had ever seen one before, and seemed completely befuddled. Expect the same over your air cast.

They both initially demanded that I remove it and put it through the x-ray. When I told them it was a medical device, and as such I would NOT be removing it, they subjected me to intense pat-downs (worse at OKC than BUR). They also thoroughly swabbed it and tested the swabs for explosive residue. In OKC, they also pressed on it hard enough to cause me excruciating pain (perhaps to see if I was telling the truth that I had two fresh, very sensitive surgical incisions on my back?).

According to the TSA website, you are not required to remove it (I'm not sure if an air cast CAN be removed). But don't expect the TSOs to know this - mine didn't, until I told them. Just stick to your guns. Expect a thorough prison-style frisking.

They also may try to stick their fingers underneath it. Don't let them (I didn't). They can swab the outside of it, and that should be sufficient to convince them that you are not a suicidal terrorist carrying explosives or other "prohibited items" in your cast.

Use of the WBIs has ramped up considerably, to the point where I started driving on trips less than 500 miles. PIT has a single entry point for all airlines with about 7 lanes (plus the alternate, which you can't see when you enter the main terminal because it is up some stairs and on the other side). The scanners seem to be least likely to be used on everyone during rush hours (maybe 6am to 8am, I don't know about the evening). If used during rush hour a massive-looking line will build because the machines are so slow. Otherwise, it's a bit of a crapshoot (I never use the alternate as the person above suggested). Opting out is not much of a big deal there. I never had a problem when asking the TSO to pull his gloves from a box and change them in front of me.

Is the alternate line open at 5:00 am (or earlier)?

That said, although it's been a couple of weeks, keep to the left. Only a WTMD on the far left lane. The two NoS machines are hit-or-miss as to whether they are in use.

Good luck...and report back.

Last time I flew out of there was in early November. It was a Friday and I got there around 5:30 am. There were two lines at the main checkpoint, both were already all the way out to the main doors. The alternate checkpoint was already open at that point and was backed up around the corner already by the time I got up there. I doubt it is like that every day, might have been because it was Friday. Still, I was surprised to have a 45 minute wait that early in the morning.

Your experiences with an air cast may vary from nothing, to being ordered to remove the cast :rolleyes:, to being ordered to use a cast scan machine, or worse.

Hopefully you have the first end result.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...-her-cast.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...t-options.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...ring-cast.html

I suggest carrying a print-out from the TSA website saying you are not required to remove the cast.

That may not help, as the links I posted reflect, as well as the experiences of several of us here.

You'll discover that it's "out of date" when you present it to a clerk.

Best answer seems to be "it depends.". I had a broken leg a couple of months ago and went thru several checkpoints with a boot cast and crutches. I opted out of backscatter scanners (could not stand without crutches, but would have opted out anyway).

At BOS, the cast was patted down but no one asked me to remove it...which I wouldn't have done if they had. At Columbus no one even touched the cast, although they thoroughly patted down the airport wheelchair I was using and ran the crutches thru the X-ray machine a couple of times.

I considered myself lucky -- I had fully expected to be subjected to a breast and genital grope since that's how most disabled passengers are routinely treated. I haven't flown since and will avoid doing so as long as I can because of the current violations against our freedom and human dignity taking place at airports all over the country.

Very Uneventful. Only using normal metal detectors. No aircast/crutches or cpap harrassment.