Hello,
I know this has been discussed on the boards but I can't find the exact thread...

My mother is a diabetic and will be flying next week. What is the proper way to tell the TSA person that she cannot remove her shoes in order to walk through the metal detector? Or is this even an option now?

Thanks for any help!

Go to the very end this thread:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...98#post6335998

Good luck to your mother....

That thread is 32 pages long and ends with anecdotes of puking children.

If ANYONE has direct experience with how to tell the TSA agents that their shoes cannot come off due to diabetes, I'd sure like to know about it... Thanks!

How lazy can you be? LOOK through the last couple of pages, for Pete's sake!

check post 448 on page 30.

Unless things have changed recently, the way I would do it would be to ask for a pat down instead of going through the metal detector. When you meet the screener that is going to do the pat down, explain the problem. If she cannot remove the shoes because she cannot take them off herself, the screener should take them off for her. And then after the shoes and your mother are screened, the screener should put the shoes back on for her. I've done it a thousand times for women for various reasons. And I never minded doing it, I'm only too glad to help. If there is a reason your mother shouldn't have the shoes off at all, I would explain that to the screener and see what the options are. They may only swipe the shoes and that may be enough. If it becomes an issue that they cannot be taken off for some reason, ask for a supervisor. If the issue is not resolved by them, ask for the Federal Screening Manager. Take care.

The "quickest" way... ignore the loader who is yelling at you to take off your shoes. As you start walking through the WTMD and the TSA person on the other side looks at your shoes and yells at you that you have to take off your shoes, firmly say "I have a medical condition and can't take them off." That should be enough, but if not, give a few hints at what the medical condition is (ie. diabetes). If the screener does it "right," you should then be sent to the secondary pen and only have your shoes ETD.

By ignoring the loader your gonna piss off the screener at the metal detector. And when you do that, you know its not going to just be a quick swipe of your shoes. Saying you have a medical condition means nothing. Having a doctors note means nothing. Notes are too easy to come by and I guess no one has ever lied about a medical condition. Come on, the time when you could just explain anything is long gone. But, heck, if you want a full secondary, do it your way.

I disagree with you. Telling the loader is usually a waste of time. They rarely will communicate with the screener. At best, the loader will then scream at the screener why you can�t take off your shoes. This may embarrass OP�s mom and is unnecessary to have such information screamed out to everyone in the security area.

The loader will probably just tell you to tell the screener anyway. It also is very likely that the screener won�t hear the loader because the screener is busy screening someone and besides with all the yelling that�s going on it�s hard to hear from that far away. The screeners usually ignore the loaders and are just focused on the stream of people going through the WTMD � it is unlikely that you will piss off the screener by telling them a legitimate reason for not taking off your shoes.

Saying you have a medical condition means everything, you don�t need a note. That is what the publicly stated policy says. That�s what the TSA screeners have been trained to listen for. If the screener doesn�t agree, ask to see a supervisor. They should not be subjected to a full secondary unless they alarm. Usually the screener should then yell, �female assist, no alarm, shoes� � just like in the old shoe carnival days. Regardless of what they say, when the secondary screener comes to help the OP�s mom, she should show her BP (showing no SSSS) to the secondary screener, tell him/her that she didn�t alarm and that she is diabetic and just needs her shoes screened. It usually is that easy.

What is not easy, and what is not right, is all of the accusatory yelling of lies that shoes �MUST� come off to people who should not have to take their shoes off. But of course, shoes shouldn�t be coming off of anyone, but that fact is irrelevant to the practical information that OP was looking for.

I respect your right to your opinion. But having worked for the TSA for over 3 years what your suggesting will only give this poor woman grief. Asking for a pat down and not having to announce to everyone what is wrong may make it a little bit easier for her. I'm not trying to take a stand or prove a point. I'm trying to give her the advice that is best for her.

I agree that asking for a pat down is likely to be the lowest stress approach for OP's mom - and that is probably what OP was really looking for.

However, I really don't think that someone should have to ask for a pat down if they are not going to alarm and just can't take off their shoes. And if they ask the loader for the pat down they will likely have to explain things with more people around than talking one-on-one to the WTMD screener.

I didn't realize that you were TSA... are you saying that it is TSA policy to subject people with medical conditions that require them to not take off their shoes to get a full secondary screening if they don't alarm because they ignore the loader who is lying to them that they "must" take off their shoes?

What I am saying is that as of right now, all shoes must come off I believe. If you are not able to take them off, or won't take them off, you are subject to full secondary screening. Will all screeners do the whole process? It's going to vary from terminal to terminal, manager to manager. The whole thing about medical conditions is that the TSA cannot tell if the person is telling the truth or just trying to bypass certain parts of the process. So saying your ill, or presenting a note is useless. Notes are readily available to anyone that wants one. And people lie. Its inevitable that some that claim illness are lying. Since we don't know who that is, everyone is subject to the same screening. Its not easy and not very pleasant to make someone feel like a criminal, but until we can be 100% sure of who is and who is not, everyone must be screened 100%. That is why I suggested a pat down. Although not completely private, the screener is focused on just that one person. I have found that being able to speak to them and ask them about their illness makes them feel a little bit better about what I have to do. Any any one can ask for a private screening. Dont' let them tell you no, it is your right to privacy is you want it.

This contradicts what Bart said in the "Ask Bart" thread and what the TSA website says:

Taken directly from the TSA website, including color and emphasis:

[QUOTE]People with disabilities, those with prosthetic devices, and those with medical conditions DO NOT have to remove their shoes during this heightened security level. Those with disabilities who keep their shoes on will be subjected to additional screening that includes a visual, physical and explosive trace detection sampling of their footwear.[/QUOTE]

Why don't we all just claim to have diabetes to end this ridiculous shoe carnival?