How is it flying out of DTW
 

I have not been on a plane since I was kid. I know things are very different now. I will be flying with my 3 children. What can I expect?

Don't wear a skirt and don't put your children in skirts - DTW wages war on skirts. Doing so many greatly increase the changes of a secondary search. Fortunately there is a LH lounge at DTW where one can recover and dream that one is in a more sane airport....

I flew out of DTW twice since these new "security" measures; first in January and on 5/4. Both times I flew Frontier's 6:20 flight to DEN. Both times I went through the security line on the far west side of the terminal.

In January, both pornoscanners were running and only one metal detector line was operating. Nobody was told to move out of the metal detector line into the pornoscanner line. As a woman, and rape victim, I was very worried about being patted down. I knew that I would react violently to anybody touching me. So I wore yoga pants, a tank top, no bra, and took off ALL my jewelry. I made it through the metal detector line with no problems.

On 5/4, same set up with clothes but when I got in line I realized that only the pornoscanners were being used. The two metal detectors were both roped off, with smurfs standing behind the metal detectors motioning everybody into the two pornoscanners. But, the flight crews were allowed to go through the metal detectors and then they were roped off again. I also saw a smurf stopping everybody waiting in line and swabbing their hands. Me and the woman behind me quickly walked behind the man getting his hand swabbed and avoided that crap. I also need to note that not a single person had opted out by this point. I get to the smurf and hand over my DL and boarding pass and ask her why they are only using the pornoscanners as the primary means of screening against their own rules. She said "first off they are not pornoscanners." I interrupted her and told her that when their agents are arrested for possessing child porn, the machines most certainly are pornoscanners. She replied that every agency has its bad apples, "including police officers." I laughed, snatched my DL and boarding pass from her and told her that a police officer needs a search warrant to touch my body. I got in the line in front of the metal detector put my things through the xray line. Still nobody has opted out. In front of me three flight crew members were waived through the metal detector. After they walked through the smurf roped off the metal detector. I asked him why it was that I cannot go through the same line considering I purchased my ticket. He told me to get into line. Two people went into the pornoscanner in front of me. When it was my turn, I crossed my arms and stood there. The smurf looked through the machine and motioned for me to walk through. I told her ".... no" and she signed, rolled her eyes, and told me to step aside. I was not sure where to go but noticed the smurf protecting the metal detector had allowed another smurf to walk through the metal detector to take bins out to the "non-sterile area." After she was done pushing the bins through I walked through the metal detector and proceeded to get my belongings.

By the way, which congress people are good to contact with the fact the smurfs were using the pornoscanners as the primary means of screening? I figure a complaint to TSA will get me nowhere.

it's pretty awful. lots of barking. Usually the checkpoints on the top floor (near ticket counters) are calmer, and sometimes have the checkpoints on the edges without a nude-o-scope. I apologize in advance.

I'd rather bypass security in DTW if at all possible.

Lately, I've been flying to FNT. I've a ton of friends in Troy, which happens to be perfectly equidistant between the two airports. FNT is about an hour and a half North of DTW by car, and it is only a 20 minute flight from FNT to DTW. I've seen considerably cheaper tickets starting or ending in FNT (over DTW, even using the same flights).

FNT is small airport... quick in/out, right off I-75, no NoS, friendly TSOs.

And a nicely remodeled concourse, with some better food, free WiFi in the terminal ... it's definitely worth considering. Plus, if you were going to have to connect out of DTW anyways, sometimes the flights out of FNT are better, both in terms of itinerary timing and price.

What about TOL? I know they just installed one pornoscanner around February but since it is such a small airport how often is it used? I live 15 minutes from TOL and would prefer to fly out of there instead of driving an hour to DTW, but flights out of TOL usually have 2-3 connections. Up until now those connections have been too much of a hassle but if the chances of me being molested are significantly lower at TOL then the hassle is definitely worth it.

Unless you are going to fly American or Allegiant TOL will not help. On American you can only get to CHI. Delta eliminated ALL flights from TOL a couple of months ago. Not that there was much to cancel, just 2 MSP flights a day. If you do fly out of Toledo, it is a typical small airport with one security line.

Haven't flown through TOL in more than a year, but I've gotten the secondary treatment there twice (non-invasive) and a bag note once ... never have gone through it at any other airport. Asked for a complaint card the second time around and was refused.

I am going to travel first time with DTW. Getting excited and hope for lots of fun. I am going to travel with my friends. I have heard being traveled with them means full of security.