Yeah, DEN is the epitome of how to win friends and influence people.

FWIW, it wasn't the Crabtree incident I was referring to, it's this one.

Every time I go through DEN I look for Crabtree, but I don't see him. Of course, that doesn't mean he doesn't work checkpoints, he could be working another shift. But with the TSA caring much more about PR over actual security, I get the feeling Mr. Crabtree has been permanently assigned to baggage duty.

It sounds like the TSO in question was slavishly following the SOP on this one -- which, as we all know, leaves a lot to be desired.

The SOP states that we are not supposed to order a passenger to remove a medical or assistive device, nor are we supposed to accept their offer to voluntarily remove said device. Obviously, this policy was devised by a liability-conscious person who did not want the bad press/lawsuits resulting from people falling, etc.

However, if played out strictly to the letter, it creates a weird sort of "don't ask, don't tell" scenario in which we're not required to STOP a passenger who is removing their brace (etc.), but if they ASK us if they can/should remove it, our proper response should be to decline, and send them for additional screening instead.

Which results in the sort of hassle you endured. Sorry about that!

Of course, this also conflicts with the recent changes that permit an unlimited number of times through the WTMD. Under that policy, since the OP knew that the brace would set off the WTMD, the OP should have been afforded an opportunity to attempt to rectify the conflict and pass through again. In this case, that would have resulted in a successful pass through the WTMD and no asinine/abusive/invasive body rub.

Yes that's all fine and dandy except the bolded part. You send a person for additional screening which is a pat down and a ball rub and the magic wand around your body only to go off by the knee brace. Yet you don't remove the knee brace and put it through XRAY. Instead, you wave the magic wand over what the initial TSA guy said "Gee, I wonder what that could be" and it beeps and you finally let me go. How do you know there was no weapon in that? Bomb materials? You don't. Completely without logic.

I think the OP said they swabbed his brace ... that would detect explosives. As far as other weapons, we're supposed to visually inspect the brace and pat it down.

I agree the rules are somewhat lacking in this area, but it's also something of a Catch-22 ... what if someone removed a medical appliance that they really SHOULDN'T (for health reasons) mess with, simply to try to avoid additional screening?

Wasn't there a big flap on here a month or so ago about a woman with a sprained ankle or something, who removed her boot or brace (sorry, can't remember details) and claimed she ended up with a fracture as a result?

I'm not a lawyer, but I'd guess that in the event of an injury, our potential liability goes UP if we encourage you in any way to remove your brace ... hence the way the rules are written.

This is all fine and dandy except for the fact that I was willing to give them an official doctor's note stating that this brace was only needed for sports activities and I was fine to walk without the assistance of any medical device unless playing sports.

If I wanted to hide a knife in the knee brace, it wouldn't be difficult. It isn't a small one. I'll take a photo.

But a knife? They give me a few when I'm on the plane. Dunno if a gun could be that small - was never into guns.

ABC,

Next time, don't ask or offer -- just remove the brace and put it through the X-ray before you go through the mag, and you'll save yourself a big hassle!

That is what I was thinking. Why ask in the first place, unless you are unable to walk at all without it?

That doesn't make the experience any more asinine. Clearly the point is to screen for hazardous products - and TSA doesn't when they just pat around the knee, and avoid the knee brace.

As for not removing it - I've never gone through security with it before. I figured any metal parts in the brace would be titanium - the same ones in my body which wouldn't set off a metal detector. When you get to the security line, you're in their ballpark. I didn't know what they'd want to do which is why I enquired (whether verbally or not - this was three trips ago - I may have just pointed).

http://www.breg.com/knee-bracing/lig...fusion-xt.html

As you can see, lots of room to conceal things (esp. cash - and this was a Swiss flight to Zurich - though not Geneva so I guess they weren't as cautious).

Agreed. I have been doing this along with my portable DVD player. If I left it in my bag, invariably the bag would be pulled for a secondary. So even though countless TSA officers told me I did not 'need' to put the DVD player in a bin, I smiled politely and ignored the request.

very clever NY-FLA. but i think this war should end....

Which war, the one on liquids*? the one on false ID's? the one on gels? the one on common sense? or the one on the constitution that plays out daily at the nation's airports?

*You know, the one with 2 dozen unenforcable exceptions.

Would be pleasant to read the OP's experiences on the way back through crazy ZRH security.

The US departures in ZRH are populated with the 'lowest' agents airport security is permitted to hire. They try to impersonate the "real TSA" without actually grasping the purpose of what they are doing.

My personal highlight was when I was forced to take my shoes off (a ritual no other port outside of the US celebrates) and then was allowed to carry them with me through the portal. So they are harmful at my feet but just fine in my hands.

What makes it particularly odd is the fact that in the other wing of the E terminal - Asian and other longhaul departures - there are perfectly normal security folks .

Didn't have any problems - never have but I fly GVA/ZRH/FRA A LOT. I went through separate security downstairs where only one guy was which my bag was scanned and I walked through the metal detector, taken upstairs and there was the gate. Boarded.

Only hiccup (spilling red wine over my shirt) and it took passport kontrol about 2' to let me go after they scanned my passport).

So no shoe carnival, belt-removal, body patting as usually?