lobo411

For now, you may be allowed to opt out if the supervisor decides to grant you that privilege. But you must petition as a proper supplicat--on your knees. And of course it will be easy to issue an updated policy directive next year that there will be no exceptions.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/23/tsa-electronic-body-scans-opt-out-policy

global happy traveller

Basically same topic but from CNN

http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/23/travel...nge/index.html

sbm12

Or on FT: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/check...os-policy.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/check...s-opt-out.html

Or on my site:
http://blog.wandr.me/2015/12/tsa-kills-opt-option/
http://blog.wandr.me/2015/12/clarifi...pt-out-policy/

gingersnaps

Supposing that the mandatory AIT are SSSS, why would TSA make the change? Is a pat down not enough? If a pat down is not enough, what does that say about the pat down procedures very likely developed by TSA's Office of Training and Workforce Engagement?

Himeno

How are they even allowed to do this when they are required to provide an alternate option?

saizai

I'm not SSSS. I was mandated through AIT by STSO. Got TSM to overrule him after an argument. All on video; links @ https://s.ai/tsa/legal/46110.

chollie

More importantly, if TSA doesn't believe the grope is as effective as the NoS, they are effectively claiming that they can never screen wheelchair-bound pax to the highest standards.

Great message to send to the 'bad guys'.

jww947

I am not sure what the big deal is? Are people scared they will get radiation poisoning? In this era of heightened security, I feel it is better to be safe than sorry. If terrorist get through security people are complaining about TSA, if they enact measures to stop terrorist people are complaining. They can't win so they are probably just saying Fuc@#% it we are doing everyone.

saizai

I'm not. I simply object to being strip searched by the government as a condition of exercising my fundamental right to travel. I don't give a damn if it's perfectly safe, nor do I care if they don't show the image to the smurfs.

That part I actually agree with. One should assume that the adversary (nonexistent though they are) is going to use the most vulnerable options.

However,
a) this means that TSA has an obligation to be effective in screening people in wheelchairs, regardless of whether or not they're "faking it", and therefore they have no right to try to find out if that's the case or not,
b) AIT is not more effective than patdown anyway (it's less effective, but faster when it doesn't false positive),
c) the actual holes in security are not some pax claiming a bogus busted shoulder, but rather the people going around because they work there. (See e.g. the various drug smuggling rings that have gotten busted.)

Boggie Dog

TSA must have some evidence that suggests Pat Downs are less effective than WBI. If not why change the policy to make WBI mandatory for some people for whatever reason TSA wishes to use at that moment?

Boggie Dog

If TSA was actually interested in interdicting potential terrorists then TSA would be screening airport workers, the people who actually have the greatest opportunity to introduce a weapon onto an airplane.

Passenger screening is a production to make people "feel" safe.

Loren Pechtel

Yup. Security is only as strong as it's weakest link. I'd love to see how TSA handled my mother's folding blind-cane but she didn't live to the TSA era so I'll probably never know. No matter what scrutiny she drew by officials in various countries nobody ever paid any attention to her cane despite the fact that if it wasn't in it's bag it was totally obvious that it was hollow.

jww947

There are inefficiencies is every program to include TSA screening. TSA/Airlines should get raw with people and say. If you don't like the program don't travel, find another means of transportation, this is what we have decided and this is what we are going to do. On the flip side if they do enact this attitude then they must be efficient and foolproof as possible. We will see what the future holds for airline travel.

Tanic

Check out the Constitution of the United States sometime. Article IV in particular.

Himeno

In this era of government fear mongering, it's better to submit to government lies?

Body scanners do not work, do not do what the government claims and were not designed for that use. They have no place in airports.

Most of what the TSA does has nothing to do with security, does not provide security and is simply not needed in any way whatsoever. The methods used by TSA (and many other governments who have fallen into line behind US demands) reduce security. They spend so much time looking for things that are not threats that they miss things that are. The set up of checkpoints, and the delays that things such as body scanners create, mean that any "terrorist" has no need to get into the secure side of an airport, there is a far better target - the checkpoint itself.