PDXracer

My right foot, I fractured my big toe in 2 spots, along with dislocating it.

Docs reset it, but the fractures they cant do a lot for, its just gonna take time to heal.

I can still wear my same Nike shoes, but its a real PITA to take it off and put it on without enduring some pain.

What can I tell them to not have to go through this the morning of my flight?

doober

Tell the screeners you cannot and will not remove your shoes due to a medical condition. Go no further than that with any explanation. If they push, call for a supervisor immediately.

Remember, they CANNOT ask any questions about your condition.

goalie

beat me to it and if they pull the d-y-w-t-f-t b/s, tell them that it is a federal privacy act violation and they really don't want to go down that road cuz if they do, you want not only the supervisor present, but the tsa terminal manager, the federal security director (fsd) for the airport, the ground services coordinator (gsc) for the airline you are flying and last but not least, a leo......and also politely remind them that time is of the essence as you cannot miss your flight

gobluetwo

i assume it would result in a secondary, right?

gfunkdave

Yes.

goalie

yup again but if you do not alarm, it should only be a shoe (and maybe palm swab) and go tho you might get a full body maSSSSage (hit and miss as it depends on the station) however they should not be examining your bags unless something alerted the x-ray screener. if they want to do a bag search, ask why as that is not the reason for the secondary. if they insist, it is retaliatory screening and that needs to be addressed as mentioned in my earlier post,

osxanalyst

No need to cop an attitude from the start as some on this board espouse. Just tell them you have a fractured toe and that you cannot remove your shoes without extreme pain. If the screener then pulls some b/s, then I agree 100% with Goalie, escalate the situation to involve the folks he mentioned.

purpleskiesfly

Agree...but unless I missed something, it should be shoe not shoes. Offer to take the non-offending shoe off and explain the difficulty with the other.

Dan6681

I had a neck brace on for most of the summer. They would just yell secondary male no alarm. A TSA guy would eventually meet me usually help me gather my things and then do the swab on the neck brace.

My case was a bit more obvious then yours but I think if you tell them you can't take off your shoe because you broke your toe they will do the same thing.

It's still all a bit silly IMHO. I was in Oz with the neck brace and they could care less.

goalie

removing the "good shoe" would put the op in a situation of not being able to remain steady on his/her feet and with a broken bone in one's foot, that's not a good idea. a screener tried to pull that on me about my good ankle and i simply asked him if he wanted to crawl thru the wtmd thus slowing up the line or hop thru it on one foot where the risk of me falling over was real and that the lawsuit afterwards would not be fun.

osxanalyst

I suggest OP do what makes most sense for your health. If you can manage with one shoe, this is probably the least confrontational option.

Xyzzy

The first reply is correct. Due to a recent injury, I've done this three times in the last few days. The big airports see this all the time and know what to do. One small airport, with overzealous screeners, gave me a *full* secondary. They interpreted my questioning of this (and my refusal to let my belongings be carted all over the screening area without me) as a refusal to be screened. When we were all done they had a LEO give me a lecture. He, too, had an attitude, asked me for a doctor's note, threatened to detain me so I would miss my flight, etc.

AArlington

Did you say "Don't taze me bro!"?

Xyzzy

No. He was actually reasonably polite, but quite misinformed.

CATSA SO

What's with the general attitude that you have to go in fighting from the start? Go in, be honest, be polite, explain your situation properly and ypu'll be fine. If you go in with an attitude and decide that treating the people who are only doing their jobs and trying to keep you safe like dirt is the best way to go, then don't be surprised if your screening experience is less than simple/pleasant. TSOs are people. Simple as that. How about being reasonable??

If you go in politely and end up being treated like a criminal that's a different story. But why on earth would you go in looking to make trouble in the first place? It always seems amazing to me when someone comes in, causes a scene from the start over a non-issue and then wonders what they did to deserve missing their flight...