Thank you in advance for your tolerance in asking a few PIT-related questions. I've curtailed my travel by 90% since September and frankly, I just don't know squat any more as to how any flight/security experience will go.

I am flying on the DL non-stop PIT-CDG Sunday evening. I'm taking a Megabus over to PIT to meet up with my friend for the flight. I cashed in my miles for this flight specifically because PIT is only 3 hours from CMH and I thought I wouldn't have to deal with TSA on the way back after Immigration/Customs. Turns out I am wrong. Anyway, being that PIT isn't my "home" airport, where I have half a clue, I wanted to get a lay of the land. Specifically:

- Are the TSA personnel polite and reasonable, or do I need to prepare for the barking now?
- I can go through security with my travel partner - should we stagger our security screenings so we can have each other as a possible witness or go through together? He's even less experienced than I am at the post-late-2010 security changes, hence the question.
- Are passports accepted w/out question, or do they tend to demand other ID
- Do they play the "say your name" game?
- Do they play the "20 Questions" game?
- Mini-laptops and Nooks in or out of the bag for screening?
- I know that PIT has backscatter WBI at both checkpoints. What I didn't find is if there's any way to do a SDOO. Does anyone know if there's a way to avoid WBI?
- If I can't avoid it and I opt-out or I'm randomly selected for the pat-down, have the pat-downs been "reasonable" or "professional", i.e., does anyone have experience in PIT with the pat downs? I know it's a "YMMV" issue, but I know that some airports are just awful to travelers, while others are more reasonable.
- If I opt-out, do they give you a hassle about you trying to keep your possessions in view?
- Anything else I should know or be prepared for or should do? I will be there 3+ hours in advance, I do lock my carry-on so that any search is in my presence, and I will be using zip-ties for my checked bag.


Upon my return, I've decided to not go through TSA security, as I have no further flight and am renting a car to go back to CMH. It's not my fault the airport is designed the way it is and I'm not risking a grope for the TSA and airport's convenience. I've seen the one FT-member video and description of this opt-out. Is there a particular statement I should make in order to get an escort out of the building without having to go through security? Any other tips besides re-reading the other accounts of such an opt-out, and remaining polite, calm yet assertive?

I apologize in advance to those more experienced by the questions, since it's kind of a PITA and newbie-like. I wish things hadn't changed so much that I'm forced to ask to minimize the anxiety that traveling now provokes for me.

Thanks again.

Other than a common security entrance which tends to get long lines for non-elites/premium class flyers, PIT is not much different than most other airports. 99.9% of all TSA staff are normal, polite and professional. But it is a good thing you are not using DTW now that the college football season has begun, as TSA in Michigan has been instructed to strip search anyone from Ohio.

It's my home airport. You will find the TSA personnel toward the polite side. SDOO is generally easier at "rush hour" than at any other time. I've noticed they are going to WBI only at slower times. You can scope out the situation pretty easily as long as you don't go to the alternate checkpoint (there, you are trapped). If you end up having to opt out it should not be too traumatic. I do it all the time. They are generally good about keeping things in view, responding to requests to change gloves, and conducting less-than-awful patdowns. No problems with passports, no say your name. Every now and then I see TSOs milling around the lines that makes me think something BDO-y is going on, but there is no official program of it AFAIK. Electronic readers can stay in your bag.

Compared to other airports I fly through, PIT is not horrific. Getting out of customs without going through screening? I don't know the magic words because I've never done it.

PM me if you would like more info.

Agreed. During really peak times, PIT can feel like MCO. Most of the time is not peak there though, so it's not bad. I have done one opt out there and the guy manning the backscatter was easy going about it, "I'll probably find out in 5 years just how bad these things are." The patter made it a point to do the patdown near my luggage and was pretty benign.

Thank you very much, jfunk138 and JackonFerry for the helpful information. Much appreciated. ^

Yeah, my one PIT O&D experience wasn't bad at all. It was pre-naked machine of death, but the attitude is what really makes or breaks a station.

Nothing like the $h!t shows at BZN (yeah, shocked me too), LAX T7, ORD and a few other places.

Thanks. I agree wholeheartedly with the attitude making or breaking the matter and I appreciate the information you, and the first two posters have provided. It seems PIT might be a tad better than my home airport and way better than CLE and other airports that resemble levels of Dante's inferno with the yelling, rule-changing and other foolishness.

I think its all really driven by the managers. BUF has good management, so you get fewer issues with bad TSA. LAX is too big to manage, so you get all over the charts. BZN has management that sees fit to trot out 4 3 stripers for 2 lanes. That results in them demanding to know what your medication is for and thinking they know how to speak French.

Usually the WBI is only operating in one of the two lanes (separated) at the main checkpoint. You can easily scout it out ahead of time by looking down from the check-in level.

There was a guy who got the airport police / TSA to escort him out upon arrival. He has Youtube videos posted in this thread here. FWIW, it's only the WTMD to get airside after customs, or at least that's what I saw from his video. I haven't landed internationally at PIT since the days it was a US Airways hub in the 90's.

The thread you may be looking for, for your return trip from CDG to PIT:

my i escorted out airport police story posted by Redsnapper.

If you opt for a similar experience, hopefully since they've been through it at least once, they'll be able to get you escorted out in a shorter timeframe.


edit add: I guess I'm tired as it appears Majuki linked the same thread and I didn't catch it when I first read though this one...

Thank you. We'll see how the return opt-out goes, as my travel partner is adamant that he's not going through security to go to his car. I had told him that I hoped it would be a bit faster since they've done it relatively recently.

Thanks for the WBI information. Good to know that it's typically one WBI running.

I had considered just doing security since I heard it was WTMD only and I didn't want to torment my friend with a polite interaction with LEOs and TSA management, but as of last night, said friend has insisted he's getting an escort out as he just wants to go to his car and one doesn't need a search for that. We are hoping that perhaps we just get the escort out a bit faster since this was just a couple months ago. We'll see how it goes in 18 days.



A sincere thank you to all who posted the useful information without judgment. I truly appreciate your time/effort. ^

There's not too much I have to add here, but to confirm that in all my interactions with the TSA at PIT, they have been very professional. The only reason I think the TSA boss there took so long in escorting me out was for just that reason - he wanted to make sure he did everything "by the book", so to speak. It really wasn't his fault, but he was put in an awkward situation by the airport layout.

The police were likewise polite and professional. They were a bit more chatty than the TSA boss, and were a bit more relaxed. It seemed they were not under pressure the way the TSA boss was.

Altogether, there were no serious problems in my experience. Just be prepared for everything to take a while...

I just returned yesterday afternoon from CDG. We opted out of the screening imposed for simply wanting to leave the airport after our international flight and we requested a LEO escort. I recorded the interaction and I will likely write it up later but there were no serious problems except from a TSA head-honcho and the Delta baggage handler (but both very minor in the bigger scheme of things) and we were on the land side of the airport in 35 minutes. The police were great, and certainly shared more than a few feelings about the set up, their opinion of the TSA. After we were land side, the one officer provided us a lot of info as to how the call came in from the TSA, which was pretty interesting and thanked us for getting them out of roll call.

The screening for the flight out from PIT was as described by the regulars and the opt-out wasn't an assault.

Thanks again to those who provided information.