Went through the metal screener without taking off my shoes. After I get through without beeping and am moving to get my bag, the screener says he suggests I rescreen with my shoes going through x-ray.

I say no thanks as I'm already on the secure side, the shoes aren't profile, and frankly I want to get something to eat before my flight. I'm immedietly asked to go to secondary.

After waiting a few minutes, a screener comes around and asks me to sit down. As he gets to my heel, I feel the wand touch my shoe and of course I get the beep...shoes now have to go through x-ray.

What a pisser. Why can't PHX get this screening thing down properly? Does the TSA really think terrorists can't figure out which airports are shoe carnivals and which aren't.

Hell, if I wanted to blow a plane with a shoe bomb, I'd go to podunk, USA where there's no shoe carnival, catch a puddle jumper to a major airport and then have my fun since I'm already in the secure area.

I can understand the need for the dog and pony show to make grandma ethal feel safe, but a little consistency and reasonableness isn't too much to ask.

The normal FT question applies here: Did you get his name? This warrants a big complaint in my book.

The same thing happened to me at DFW a while back. Wack the wand on the shoe so it goes off, and off with the shoe and send it to X-ray. The only problem is that nowadays you should have had the shoe polish only.

File a complaint.

The pissant should have swabbed your shoes only since you didn't alarm at the WTMD. Also, the time for said pissant to make the shoe suggestion is before, not after, your trip thru the WTMD.

Medic, I seriously hope you didn't give the TSA agent a hard time; he is just doing his job. If you made comments like you did in your post, you would probably be arrested. Relax.. I'm sure you didn't miss your flight by three seconds.

You are kidding, right? His job is not to make a false examination of the shoes. His job is to hold the wand about an inch from the shoe and do the wanding.

Actually, the SOP says "2 inches away from the shoe." I make them follow their own rules. They hate me for it!

Bruce

^ ^

Its UP to two inches. 1/4 inch is acceptable. 1 3/4 is acceptable.

Is rapping the shoe with the wand acceptable, too?

Yeah, medic. What's wrong with you? Listen to IHATESAT.

Take it and LIKE it, as another has posted on these boards. Just stay seated in the back of the bus while the 'good' Americans take their places.

There is no need to go out of your way to travel to Podunk. The TSA screeners couldn't find a well made shoe bomb if they tried. Most quality running shoes have thick soles with packets of air or gel. It wouldn't take much to replace the air or gel with a highly explosive chemical compound that could be set off manually in the lav - or the trigger could be packed in the carry-on, then put inside the shoe after clearing security.

See...that's the problem. The TSA want to avoids risk. There is no way that can be done. Any wall they create will be scaled eventually by an organized group with sufficient skill and resources.

Well, that and being stuck in an endless loop of 'they did it to us once, so they will do it the same way again' - instead of trying to figure out what new weakness that could be exploited and try to mitigate the risk around them.

IHATESAT, the OP was well within his rights to challenge the screener. This is not a police state and screeners are not police - or government authorities of any kind. The screener violated procedure by bumping the wand against the shoe to cause an alarm and make his point. For that, he should be written up. If he is caught doing it again, he should be terminated.