Not a huge shock, but people walking barefoot through the security screen may be picking up some nasty diseases. Even people in socks aren't safe. A llocal TV station took a sample from the carpet in SFO.

Full Story

Thanks! That story's getting printed and placed in my travel folder! ^ ^ ^

TSA will kill us faster than any terrorist.

What about people going into airplane lavs with bare feet?

That's their problem, not yours. As long as you wear shoes in the lav, you're not going to get their foot cooties unless you return to your seat, take off your shoes, and put your feet where the bottoms of your shoes had been.

As for the security screen: Disposable foot covers are fairly cheap (cheapest I saw on the web for antiskids were $10 per 100, incl shipping, but since they were meant to fit over shoes they might be too big for some). Disposable booties (as seen in hospitals and first class amenity kits) seem to be more expensive. Target.com has expensive ones specifically for this purpose:
"� Stay clean while traveling with FeetWrap Disposable Slippers
� Slip on to protect feet when taking shoes off during airport security checks
� Avoid contact with heavily trodden airport pathways that can be breeding grounds for foot fungi"

A second thread on this subject was started this morning so I've merged the two foot cootie threads into the original.
Thanks.....


___________________________

Cholula

Travel Safety/Security Moderator

I've never understood people who come to the airport not wearing shoes that they can wear socks with. I always have socks on, and I'm always wearing shoes you can just slip on and slip off, so I don't care. If someone else wants to be an idiot and wear flip flops to the airport, then, again, what do I care?

I've never understood why people go to the airport and think it's ok to have to remove shoes to get on a plane. I always keep my shoes on, so I don't care. If someone wants to be an idiot and remove their shoes at the airport, then, again, what do I care?

I agree -- as a straight male over 12, I never wear sandals or flip-flops in public, but as you can see by this thread there are lots of toe fetishists on Flyertalk.

The story I hyperlinked a few posts above shows the problem exists even for people wearing socks -- no doubt caused by the parade of the barefoot.

Classic line, great way to use humor to defuse the situation. Well done! And thanks for yet another sensible, informative post form the inside.

Along the lines of what you just posted, there is a sign over the exit door of Ed Debevic's, a restaurant in Chicago:

"Help keep Chicago clean...wipe your feet before leaving."

--PP

ORD, terminal 2, Wednesday morning: "Sir, your shoes need to come off."

"I did exactly what I always do, smile sweetly and say "I'll take the secondary, thanks." He gives me this death glare and yells "MALE ASSIST, FULL!" and I go to the wanding moat. The entire process takes 2 minutes and I get to gum up the works, make them work harder, and generally inconvenience everyone a little. If we all simply refused to remove shoes and asked for the secondary, the lines would stretch around the block and things WOULD change.

Screeners like this get really sore when you don't blindly obey their unique interpretation of the law and their own SOP. I always get there early enough to give them a run for their money.

On the other side of the coin, I am finding fewer and fewer mouth-breathing, gum cracking, grunting, knuckle-dragging apes in white shirts at the checkpointes these days. Apparently after hiring damn near everybody in sight who couldn't get a job anywhere else, they are culling the jerks and leaving the reasonable (and at times a lot of fun) employees.

--PP

--PP

Paul, please tell us you filed a complaint.

VideoPaul... A lot of fun employees?

Fer Crap's sake, get ahold o' yerself, man!