Flew out of MCO today for the first time. Had gone to the DL gate but then wanted food and wasn't happy with the options around me so I decided to take the tram back to the area where security was (I know, nothing there but it was my first time in MCO, didn't know that at the time). Got off the tram, quickly realized there was nothing there and attempted to get back on to go to the gates but was told that I had to reclear security. I have no idea why, since I was still in the sterile area.

Get in the security line and have to opt-out of the NoS. Two 1-stripers tell me to stand just on the other side of the WTMD. Problem is that while standing there, the Backscatter Machine blocks my view of the belt where my belongings are (just iPhone, wallet and shoes since my bags were left airside when I went on my food run). I tell the 1-stripers that I need to be standing somewhere where I can see my belongings. They tell me that if I wanted to see my belongings, I could have gone through the NoS and that I have to stand where they tell me. I tell them that this is ridiculous and to call a supervisor.

There are no supervisors anywhere within eyesight. Literally an army of 1-stripers, and I'm still waiting for the male assist to come grope me. Five minutes goes by, I'm on my tiptoes where I can half-see my belongings over the machine. Debated walking to where I could see them but didn't want the TSOs to do something drastic like shutdown the checkpoint because I moved.

Finally another 1-striper shows up to do the grope. We start walking to the groping area when a 3-striper shows up and introduces himself. I tell him what happened. He agrees that I have both the right to opt out and the right to see my see my belongings but then says something like, "we have to maintain the integrity of the security checkpoint and we didn't have anyone to escort you to where you can see your bags." I ask him why it is my problem that he is understaffed. We go back and forth, and I point out the unacceptability of his 1-stripers essentially saying that I have to choose between seeing my stuff or going through the NoS.

Finally I say enough talking, just grope me already. The groper takes me over to the groping area and is profusely apologizing, and I think he meant it because he gave me a very mild grope. He said that his dad was flying last week and came back and told him that they need to do a better job of letting people keep an eye on their valuables. No idea if he meant it, but he seemed genuinely sympathetic and I appreciated it.

Anyway, the good and bad of the TSA there. Has anyone else had an issue with them not letting you see your stuff? I've never ran into that before

This is a very common problem, having no way to view your belongings while awaiting the groping. For many airports the configuration is such that you can't see your property when you go through the N-O-S either, so keeping them view is not possible even if you "comply" with the naked body viewing.

At one airport, I went ahead and moved over to where I could see my possessions, and even though the TSO had been getting heat for me blocking the WTMD from other pax, he still had a hissy fit about me moving "beyond his control." I told him he could put me on a leash if he wanted to attempt to "control" me, but I was going to watch my laptop and backpack.

A TSO then quickly appeared to move my belongings into my view, but I was still blocking the WTMD, at the first TSO's insistence that I remain planted on the footprints just past the metal detector. Much grumbling from the other side from impatient pax. I looked at them and shrugged - not my fault the TSO is making me stand here.

Finally a "female assist" groper appeared, the other TSO carted my backpack and laptop like a slave, and we moved over to the designated groping area for my relatively brief and non-invasive "pat down."

Three TSO's kept busy, a couple dozen pax delayed for what? I was wearing a skirt (gasp!); there had been no alarm, and no demand for opt-out (though I always opt out when ordered through the N-O-S).

Happened to me @ ORD when I opted-out in April. I told the clerk that I was unable to see my belongings, and that the TSA website insisted I keep them in sight at ALL TIMES.. She couldn't care less, and basically told me to shut up. Supervisor was useless, and sided with the clerk.

op, for the future, mco is one of the easiest sdoos in the entire system. enter the queue by seeng the tdc towards the center and youre automatically directed to a wtmd lane. only the outside two lanes have the nos. in fact, just last week i madee this mistake and saw the outside tdc. i left the queue post id check and re entered in the middle for a successful sdoo and likely a significant time savings. no one said a thing.

sorry, suddenly my pda wont capitalize or puctuate other than a .

They did change the process for opt-outs to make it harder for you to see your possessions. I believe it intentional to retaliate for you refusing the strip-search.

I was going through security at MCO a couple weeks ago and had already passed the TDC and was in a line that had both a WTMD and a NOS. I observed that the adjacent line had only a WTMD so I ducked under the divider to move to the other line. I actually made eye contact with one of the clerks as I did this and she just turned back to what she was doing -- no issue at all.

yep. ive done that several times there. just further evidence at how useless and unnecessary those machines are.

This varies by airport and by individual TSO. Some are vindictive, some not. At ORD two days ago I had a very professional opt-out experience with grope conducted by a one-striper who insisted I rotate on the pad so I could keep my belongings in view at all times. At PHX last month my stuff rolled out of sight while I awaited male assist and when I mentioned it to the TSO standing with me he snarled, twice, that "I can't do anything about that."

No operations manual / standards / etc in effect. TSOs do whatever they want.

You know what really makes no sense about this?

I can't think of an instance when I didn't have a dedicated 'minder', a TSO whose sole activity at that time was keeping an eye on me until my groper showed up.

A TSO who could accompany me the few steps it would take to keep an eye on my belongings.

Say you have no choice and will have to opt out. Has any one ever tried to be preemptive and not send their stuff through the xray until a TSO who will doing your the patdown is present and is able to collect you belongings is present? Seems like to me that backing up the input would be enough to get someone on site faster.

This happened to me at the same time as my earlier experience, posted above..

They were only running the radiation box, so I tried to keep the stuff from going through.. Clerk at me, and then said she'd call a sup unless I put my stuff through.

And they wonder why we hate them...

My tip for keeping your stuff in sight -

Choose the baggage x-ray on the side that is closer to the WTMD. The WBI will obstruct your view of the belt on that side, whereas nothing (except maybe some obnoxious TSOs) will block your view of the belt on the WTMD side.

If you have to opt out, and are made to wait on the non-sterile side, you can stand near the WTMD to have a view of your stuff. If the TSO instructs you to stand closer to the WBI on the non-sterile side, in a spot where you can't see your stuff, just move over a little to a spot where you can see your stuff. You're still on the non-sterile side, so moving over a little just to see your stuff shouldn't cause any problems, other than some whining from the TSO. If the TSO instructs you to wait post-WTMD, you'll have your stuff in your line of sight.

See my report on how I handled this situation, this thread, my post is #1396. Basically what FlyingUndertheRadar suggested above. I recommend more people just hold off putting your stuff through the xray belt/line if necessary, to maintain sight of your stuff until your groper has arrived, ready to molest you on the other side.

I don't understand this part, and I'm surprised no one else has mentioned it yet. If you were still in the sterile (airside) area, why were you told you needed to re-clear security? Were you forced to walk through the egress hallway back to landside, and then made to get back in the line for the TDC?

I've gotten annoyed enough, numerous times now, at multiple airports, about not being able to see my items that I'm getting to the point I just don't care. All of the airports that I've flown through lately where I've been forced to go through a NoS line (i.e. not like at CLT where I can just conveniently choose to go to a lane without a NoS), so SFO, DCA, GPT, have it so I can't see my bags.

Raising my voice enough about not being able to see my bags tends to get a supervisor over fairly quickly, but last week in GPT that didn't even work. I had been through GPT the week before and the supervisor clearly remembered the ruckus I raised (as he actually said so after he finally came over). I waited longer than I wanted to wait for a groper to come over while not able to see my bags so moved to a point where I could see my bags. The supervisor actually did shut the checkpoint down briefly and threatened to go get a LEO.

Customer service at its finest. They really expect me to leave my belongings (including my wallet and boarding pass? Really? No way) where I can't see them.