No, no, no.

I'm glad that you felt everyone was professional and were not traumatized by this, but the bottom line is that your privacy was severely violated, and it appears that the TSA was far, far outside the bounds of their authority.

Several people on this board have reported positive swab tests, and even "resolution patdowns" which were required to take place in private rooms. Aside from a few early reports of women with skirts being forced to remove them, no one has reported being asked to remove clothing. Even the TSA peeps on this board have indicated that absent a clear and present danger, passengers are not asked to remove clothing, and in fact, are not allowed to do so. Further, one would think* that were a TSA person convinced that a passenger needed to remove clothing to be "cleared", that TSA person would wish to have an actual police office present - you know, for their own protection.

If you can find the energy and motivation, I (and everyone else here) would strongly encourage you to pursue all avenues of reporting this abhorrent situation. Start with the official channels (airport-specific TSA office, online and phone reporting to national TSA office, etc...), and move on to the airlines and lobbying groups like the ACLU, NOW (although they've not really shown too much of an interest here), and so on.

Again, I'm glad that you don't personally feel violated. But please don't think that "it just wasn't your day" or something. This was unacceptable and should not have happened. (And, sorry to say, you will likely never find out exactly what caused the alarm.)


*Of course, "one would think" a lot of things about this organization that prove not to be true...

If you were asked to remove your blouse and let your pants down to your ankles, and then parts of your body were touched...the term "strip search" is totally appropriate to describe your experience.

There will, nonetheless, be people who try to minimize what you experienced by using some sort of euphemism that weakens the impact, both to you and to the people who did this to you.

It is impossible, at this point, to know what caused your alarm. It could have been that your screener used a contaminated swab and/or gloves. In any case, they can't have *REALLY* thought you had kaboom-residue on you, or else they would not have been so eager to be alone in a room with you and the stash of kaboom you would have had on your person, if you were truly up to something nefarious.

Why in the world did you consent to this? I hope you are aware that you had the right to refuse, and then to demand the police be called, the TSA terminal manager and the ground security coordinator for the airline.

They have no right to order you to disrobe and you have no obligation to disrobe - and I'd hope you'd be willing to miss your flight in order to stand up for your rights here.

I strongly suggest you contact an attorney immediately to determine your options to move against the TSA and the airport authority.

Never ever ever consent to disrobe or permit inappropriate touching, and never consent to go into the private screening area without the police, a TSA manager *and* your airline's GSC present as witnesses.

OP, may I ask how they patted you down after you'd removed your blouse and dropped your jeans to your knees? Did the woman put her hand in your crotch?

I don't know whether to praise you for keeping yourself under control or whether to flail you for allowing them to do this to you. I supposed I could do both.

It must have been totally humiliating standing there with your pants down around your knees and just your bra on.

I, too, would suggest that you find an attorney and contact the ACLU.

If TSA reduced your clothing to bra and panties you were violated.

Read the article at this link. The persons contact is at the bottom of the article.

http://www.prlog.org/11522713-new-we...ngs-torts.html

This poor woman. No way in the world would I EVER consent to this. I have chills even thinking about it. As much as I love to travel, if it is coming to this, my flying days are done.

First I didn't think to refuse so I did allow them to do the search. I was just thinking that's how they do it.
"Did the woman put her hand in your crotch?"
she just passed her hand over the area she did not do anything else, so the answer would be simple quick pass NO heavy touching, ditto breast she used the edge of the hand to go under the bra and over the top. Hands down my legs on both sides and that was it. At my age I do not have a hot body. As I have said before I didn't think to refuse and they were professional in their manner.

I guess I was naive in thinking I should do what they asked and though I have flown quite a bit this is the first time I have not passed right on through, so to be honest I just didn't think of it as a major invasion of my rights. I just thought "oh well I am this flights lucky one" Guess I need to get educated and make some contacts as suggested.

Where were your belongings while this violation was going on? Did they bring them into the room with you or leave them outside?

PLEASE follow up with some of the references provided. This was totally unconscionable that you were treated in this manner.

The reason it is important to protest, refuse, complain and all of that, is because even if you did not personally feel violated, probably most people would and by not complaining, it makes it very likely to happen to others. By complaining, taking legal action, talking to reporters, whatever you can do, you potentially spare another person an experience they would probably find much more traumatizing. Make as big a fuss as you can, if not for yourself, for the woman in line for the next flight.

A woman who could be the OP's friend, daughter, granddaughter, etc. -- someone to whom she would undoubtedly not want this to happen.

Nonetheless, I totally understand why she accepted it. Caught off guard by it, and led by someone in uniform, wearing a badge and carrying a clipboard, it would be easy to think that one is dealing with a law enforcement officer carrying out her duties appropriately.

Whereas if they had left your clothes on but used their magic technology to look through your bra and panties to see what is underneath, that would have been perfectly within their rights and powers.

Could someone please explain this to me?

Oh for sure, no fair faulting the OP. But this is how it starts. Take the unsuspecting, be all "official" and "professional" about it, and slowly establish a culture of normalcy around the whole thing.

But this is not ok. At all.

And I'm wondering where all the TSA peeps are...perhaps they've PM'ed the OP to apologize for the accusations of lying...But it would be nice if they could come and answer the question as to whether this is a "soft launch" of a new SOP, just so the rest of us can make informed travel decisions...ahem...

Apologies for one more request for clarification, but was she touching your bare skin in these procedures? That is,

1) By "under the bra" do you mean she touched your bare midriff, or actually put her hands inside the fabric of your bra? She touched your breasts over your bra?

2) Did she stroke down your bare legs after you lowered your jeans?

You are NOT the only woman this has happened to: an aide in my doctor's office says her sister hasn't flown since her metal hip implant led to a very similar search in 2003. Please don't be intimidated by the intensity FTers express our indignation over what happened to you, or imply you should have known yesterday what some of us learned the day before.

What's wrong with this event reflects far less on a person cooperating with perceived authority than it does on those who abused theirs.

Where were your belongings while this violation was going on? Did they bring them into the room with you or leave them outside? The handbag was handed off to another person and handed back to me as I left, I checked it when it was handed to me and every thing was in order. Well not quite the camera was on but that was it.

1) By "under the bra" do you mean she touched your bare midriff, or actually put her hands inside the fabric of your bra? She touched your breasts over your bra?
she turned her hands on the edge and ran them around the outside under the bra and then made a quick pass over the top but did not go inside bra, so yes she did touch my skin, I thought they were checking for whatever they thought was the substance they thought I had.

2) Did she stroke down your bare legs after you lowered your jeans?
she just ran hands down the sides but not back up.

I am hopefully a law abiding person and when they asked me to do something I did it without a second thought. As I said I guess I was naive about the whole process

Remember everyone when the TSA spokesperson said they could demand a real strip search of the passengers if they so chose to do it.

I think TSA already does this to some passengers under certain circumstances, but I wonder if real strip searches are now being tested to see how the passengers react when they are taken to the private room and are informed by a TSA Screener. We now need you to remove your clothes so we can do the patdown.