Savvy Traveler

This was last Thursday, 2/16 around 8:00pm at the far left checkpoint. After showing my ID to the Airline Revenue Protection Contractor, I purposely chose the line with the walk-through ETD. The landside TSA employee was telling people to keep their shoes on in that particular lane. Something I never thought I would hear, to be sure.

So I step in, shoes and leather coat on. The machine blows some air, takes samples, clears me and opens the gates. The TSA guy on the far side then apologizes, saying that he should not have allowed me in with my coat on. My response, of course, was along the lines of, "do you know what this machine is for?"

Needless to say, I had to walk around and go through the machine again, this time with shoes on but coat through the x-ray. Keeping shoes on is progress, but, really, get with the program and understand that the purpose of the machine is to detect explosives and that keeping a jacket on in perfectly reasonable. I'll definitely arrive a bit earlier next time so I can engage in some dialogue with the Screening Manager about this.

Edited to add: my roommate, who was right behind me, was made to take her shoes off.

IHATESAT

I went through the puffer at DCA. It was definitly an experience I won't forget...

When I got on the security line, certain people with jackets were told to go on the puffer line. However, EVERYONE had a jacket on, as it was below-freezing out. Anyway, it was up to one of the TSA agents to determine which jackets were "too thick."

Anyway, when I was next in line to go through the puffer, it became apparent that the other end was clogged with people waiting to go through the metal dectector at the other end, and I would need to wait. However, both the TSA agent on my side and the machine were yelling, "ENTER NOW," while the TSA agents on the other end were saying "DO NOT ENTER." The female TSA agent on my side was yelled at by a male supervisor for telling me to go through when the other end was too crowded, and she became VERY emotional. She started to cry, and walked off, leaving me there completly confused and w/ all the other TSA agents either trying to comfort her about 20 feet away or on the other side of the puffer...

About 5 minutes later, all you heard was, "WHY ISN'T ANYONE AT THE ION SCAN???"


It is a work in progress, obviously...

dgilman

This is a off-topic but a funny story about the "Puffer" Machine.

I was doing a dog & pony show for the Premier of China on the behalf of GE. Basically they wanted to get the Chinese to buy more locomotives, imaging equipment, and, yes...puffer machines.

So they have actual equipment for this show, including a puffer machine, just in case the Premier wants to see something in action.

About 2 hours before he is set to arrive, we're all told to leave the area, as the (I assume) Diplomatic Security Service is doing a bomb sweep (the show was in the US).

Next thing I know, all these agents are running around like Oswald is in the building or something.

Seems that they use a small amount of explosive material to calibrate the puffer machines, and the dogs got a hit off it. Took about 30 minutes for them to figure out what was going on.

JMR

Too funny. I went through the puffer in San Juan, PR and did not find it an offensive experience. Human factors seem to be its weakness - staff seemed very bored and inattentive at 3:30 in the morning.

Savvy Traveler

I didn't either, aside from the surprise of a little burst of air blown in my face. I'd much rather go through these, as they provide actualy security instead of the Kabuki Carnival.

Now that we have some in operation we need to get the TSA to apply sensible policies for their use, i.e. shoes and coats stay on.

PIT_Flyer

At PIT sometime last month, the puffer machine was malfunctioning and TSA had people walking around it. All of a sudden, TSA announced that the machine was back in business and asked the guy ahead of me to walk through the machine (he was next in line, BTW)

10 seconds later, the machine signals a red flag and the poor guy is led off by a swarm of TSA agents, questioning him if he had any explosives in his possession. Quite a spectacle. A few agents than start the wand search, bag search and the whole nine yards.

In the meanwhile, I am next in line and look apprehensively at the puffer machine (don't forget that the machine was non-functional until a minute ago). The agent at the machine asks me to walk around the machine, saying that it was still not functional.

The guy who set off the alarm was still given the full treatment, despite TSA declaring the machine non-functional...No apologies for a false alarm, no nothing...

last2board

Imagine my suprise on Mar 3 when I approached security at IAD and heard the agents yelling, "Please keep your shoes on!" As I exited the puffer the agent said my shoes might cause an alarm, and if they did they would have to go through the x-ray. I was able to proceed without removing my shoes, but of the 6 people closest to me in line, 3 had to remove their shoes after walking through. That caused a worse backup than the usual proceedure where everyone removes shoes. I am no fan of the shoe carnival, but with or without shoes, I just want to get through quickly. Having half the passengers remove their shoes for xray after the puffer machine caused a bigger delay than the old proceedure.

Spiff

There is absolutely no valid excuse for making people remove their shoes if there is no alarm at the WTMD.

L-1011

I read the post that these people caused an alarm in the "puffer". If that's what happened then those alarms should be resolved somehow. Didn't Bart hint to this scenario and he thought that the total time would be longer when there is an alarm in the puffer. I guess all we can do is to stay away from those newly fertilzed lawns on our way to the airport.

Spiff

Unless these people's shoes were caked with mud/dirt/ANFO (Ammonium Nitrate/Fuel Oil ), I cannot imagine the TSA person being able to predict they would cause an alarm at the puffer.

I think the TSA person was predicting they might alarm at the WTMD due to metal shanks, which would indeed have to be resolved. However, no WTMD alarm, then shoes should always stay on and those who require their removal under such conditions are filthy little shoe perverts who deserve a one-way trip to Guantanamo for treason.

mikeon

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Spiff

That's how it should be.

No one should have to remove their shoes if they know that the shoes do not alarm the WTMD.

If a person flunks the WTMD, the alarm must be resolved. It's that simple.

mkt

They seemed bored and inattentive at 12 noon too... lol

SFO_Runner

Remind me not to pass gas the next time I'm in the puffer.

Pickles

Why? Does it sample methane gas also?