Hello grizzled vets of the TS/S forum, I have a question.

Three weeks ago I had ankle surgery and I am in a walking boot. What can I expect when passing through security?

I ALWAYS opt out of the nude-o-scope so I know I will be getting my perp pat-down.

Will they attempt to make me take it off? Because I will not do it.

When I passed through pre-surgery in LAS I was wearing a compression sleeve and I did not take that off and the TSA agent swabbed the sock and tested it for explosives.

Please advise on what to expect - thanks!

I had a walking boot a couple of months ago. Had similar experience as what they did with your compression sleeve. They never asked me to remove boot, they just swabbed it. No extra pat down (for clarification - no extra pat down after going through the WTMD - I self selected the non-NOS lanes so no need to opt out).

Thanks for the response, lexi. ^

If it's a medical device, you should be ok. If you are using standard products, it may not be.

A couple of months ago, I sprained my ankle badly and wore a pair of hiking boots to compress and support my ankle so I could walk. I was selected for AIT, and opted out.

TSA made me take the boots off, keep standing through the frisking (while barking at me to stand up straight, and not put my weight primarily on my good ankle), and seemed to squeeze my bruised ankle extra-hard to make sure I had not strapped anything to it. It was painful enough I almost wished they were squeezing my testicles instead.

Having been there, done that with ankle surgery and traveling with a franken-boot......

Even if your boot has no metal in it where it will not alarm the WTMD, expect a secondary screening consisting of a visual inspection and an ETD swab of the boot (and perhaps your hands and other shoe as well) along with perhaps a full body patdown.

Now in line with that....

If requested to go thru a NoS, opt-out (even if you have decided in the past that it's ok to go thru a NoS) as you don't know what type of "anomalies" will show up because of the boot

Do not take your boot off or even open it up to show the TSO that there is nothing "artfully concealed" in side it-period! Even if you alarm, let the TSO do their job and resolve the alarm as you are not required to remove the boot. Also, do not take off your other shoe when going thru the WTMD and if "told" by the TSO you have to remove your shoe, politely tell them "no thank you as that makes me unsteady on my feet and I don't want to fall over"

That never should have happened! Did you tell them there was a medical issue why you couldn't remove your boot?

What makes a compression sleeve need to be swabbed? Is it so dense it defies the magic see-all machines, or just the fact you didn't remove it?

And now for the facts...

AIT � Please, opt out. I don�t work with the AIT systems personally but I cannot see it "not" causing a pat-down.

WTMD - Best choice. Yes, the boot is going to get swabbed and tested. As for the other shoe, follow the directions of the WTMD TSO. If the boot swab alarms the ETD system you will be asked to remove it so that it can be x-rayed. If you refuse to do so then you most likely will not be boarding your intended aircraft. They will allow you to sit while its being x-rayed, no need to stand and possibly harm your ankle. Ask for a chair if one is not offered. Allow an extra 10 minutes or so in your schedule for problems. If there is a problem, and it cannot be resolved in that extra 10 minutes, then you are not going to make your flight anyway.

WTMD Opt Out � An option, but it gets you a full body pat-down. Not the best option IMO. And yes, the boot still gets the swabbing and testing.

TSORon - you say that we may be REQUIRED to remove our medical device (the walking boot, aka walking cast). This is contrary to what your own TSA website has to say on the matter:

"Security Officers should not be asking you to remove your orthopedic shoes, appliances, or medical device (insulin pump, feeding tube, ostomy or urine bag, or exterior component of cochlear implant) at any time during the screening process."
and
"Security Officers will not ask nor require you to remove your prosthetic device, cast, or support brace."

These are from the page that discusses Assistive Devices and Mobility Aids.

So, who is telling the truth????? Inquiring minds want to know.

Sprains that you don't see a doctor for don't count as a real medical issue. And a hiking boot isn't prescribed by a doctor. You just buy them at the store. Therefore, there is no cause to treat it as different from any other shoe. It has to come off.

I've had very bad luck identifying painful areas to TSOs. Whenever I've done it, they've pressed extra hard on the areas I identified. I assume the SOP says to ask where you're sensitive, so that if you are hiding something, you probably try and get that area excluded from screening and they should look extra hard there.

I forgot to take my liquid bag out for that screening. They didn't catch it. However, if I'd been carrying my shampoo in my pockets, in my underwear, or stuffed into a sock, the TSA would have found my shampoo.

Some airports (like some concourses at DCA) have cast-scope x-rays that will be mandatory. These machines emit an unknown amount of radiation, but likely much much more than backscatter.

Bolding mine:

Ron-

Having flown with a full on Franken-boot and having it alarm with an ETD swab, I was not asked nor was it required for me to remove the boot. The TSO's were very thorough on a visual inspection, used a HHMD and consulted with two supervisors but I was allowed to proceed.

Now as slidergirl notes in her post, what is the proper procedure as inquiring minds do want to know as I can see this becoming a "you must pay the rent but I can't pay the rent" situation

Incorrect, I said �asked�.

If the ETD swab alarms then the alarm must be resolved. How they do that, well now I�m not allowed to discuss specifics and the �inquiring minds� here know that. Like I said, if one refuses to remove the device when asked they most likely will not fly. That does not mean that removal is the only option available. Bottom line is that the alarm must be resolved before the passenger can proceed into the sterile area.

(bolding mine).

This makes no sense at all.

Goalie has real-world passenger experience with this and is also a highly reliable source.

My bad as yes, I forgot to include that in my case, the alarm was resolved (even after a second positive ETD swab and yes I agree 100% that an alarm does need to be resolved) to the satisfaction (n.b. satisfaction) of the TSO''s but again, I did not have to remove my boot nor was I asked to do it so again, I re-ask my question....

If a pax cannot remove their franken-boot (or even one better where the pax is actually in a cast), the TSA must have procedures in place to even allow a pax into the secure area even if they cannot remove their "device" as what do you do if the pax is completely innocent, has not gone near any explosives and etc. What if the ETD machine that reads the swabs is incorrectly calibrated? And etc. Sorry-but in this case if the the TSA can't get their act in gear and solve a very common issue, then there are much bigger problems

Aw, shucks