A Delicate, Personal Question...for Full Figured DIS'ers!

[Poly Pal]

O.K., in these days of heightened airport security, personal privacy is shot. So, I'll just come out and ask this delicate, personal question directly.

The TSA is advising female travelers to not wear undergarments with underwire support. Are there any women out there who have been stopped at the airport metal detector because of the construction of their undergarments? Were you asked to disrobe? Did they then search the rest of your family? (I'd have to prepare my kids for that!) Yikes! What is Mrs. Poly Pal to do? Are there good alternatives for this situation?

 

[disneyjunkie]

Originally posted by Poly Pal
O.K., in these days of heightened airport security, personal privacy is shot. So, I'll just come out and ask this delicate, personal question directly.

The TSA is advising female travelers to not wear undergarments with underwire support. Are there any women out there who have been stopped at the airport metal detector because of the construction of their undergarments? Were you asked to disrobe? Did they then search the rest of your family? (I'd have to prepare my kids for that!) Yikes! What is Mrs. Poly Pal to do? Are there good alternatives for this situation?

This happened to me last April and August when I took my son to the Airport. Since he was flying alone I had to take him to the gate.

Each time I went through the MD is would buzz. A female security officer pulled me over and use the wand on me. She asked me if it was ok to go under the back of my shirt. (As if you could say no with armed guards standing less than 10 feet away).

It was quick and really not a problem. DS son was 10 at the time, got a kick out of the whole thing. "Why do they stop you EVERYTIME we come here"

This happened at LGA.

 

[dcfromva]

Poly Pal,
I've never set the machine off myself, but I have had friends who have done due to the metal interworkings of their upper undergarments. They received more scutany--TSA has a wand that they wave over everything, plus you can figure on getting the full sevice treatment--bag search, shoes through the x-ray machine, et'c. I haven't heard of anybody disrobing....

Did they then search the rest of your family? (I'd have to prepare my kids for that!)
You should prepare your kids for that possibility anyway. My DS14 is generally the one who sets the machine off (metal zippers, metal shoes, metal glasses--metal? ). I have to say that it was a little unnerving for DS the first few times he was searched. Somehow, he has avoided setting off the machine the past 4 trips we've taken.
Also, your kids could be part of the random searches. They search the person and everything that goes along with that person. I have also seen them do whole families as part of the random searches including a child who looked to me like an 18 month old.....

Are there good alternatives for this situation?
I usually wear a sports bra--don't know if that is alternative for you or not....

The TSA is advising female travelers to not wear undergarments with underwire support.
I believe the reason they say this is to help everyone get through security faster...

-DC

 

[ducklite]

I wear underwires--have since I was in HS! But most "wires" these days aren't metal--they're plastic...so they shouldn't set off the machine. In fact most "strap adjusters" are plastic these days as well.

I take off all jewelry except wedding set, my shoes (the metal shank always sets it off!) empty my pockets completely, and haven't had a problem.

Anne

 

[idontknow]

I flew Thanksgiving after Sept 11 when a lot of people were being strip searched. I wear an underwire for my 36D-DD bust and kept waiting for someone to tell me to strip behind a curtain, but it never happened. I've flown 3 times since and still have not had any problems. Every time we fly, I always make a joke to DH saying how upset I am that I didn't get to bare it for the guards. (never loud enough for the guards to hear it, though. )

 

[Earstou]

My sister setter the buzzer off and was searched when we flew about 3 weeks ago. She had to take her shoes off, and they passed the wand over her and patted her down where it buzzed (being very discrete about it). I was not stopped.
We were told that it was a combination of ALL of the metal she was wearing: ring, necklace, watch, rivets and zipper in her jeans, her underwire and the metal shank inside her shoes.

Coming back, they had her remove her shoes and run them through the xray. That time, without her shoes, she did not set the buzzer off!

 

[BuzzMe]

I've never had a problem with my underwire but I've been asked to remove my sneakers.

 

[Gillian]

My underwires haven't ever set off the detectors.

This past trip they asked us to put all of our shoes on the belt.

 

[CarolA]

I think I am probably an average bra size and I have had my underwire set the alarm off several times. It has not resulted in any of my luggage being searched, I have just been wanded. When the wand beeps at my breastline the girl just moves on or asks if I have on an underwire. No big deal.

The TSA is obviously run by MEN who are clueless about some things.

 

[Krissalee]

My experience has been the same as CarolA's. After I was wanded, I was simply asked if I was wearing an underwire bra. I always wear the same brand of bra - B-cup, Victoria's Secret cotton model - and it has only set off the alarm 2 out of the last 6 times I have flown.

 

[Pig Pen]

I got the wand in Dec 2001 in Orlando airport and my underwires set it off. The security person (he looked about 16) passed it over me a couple times, never said a word while it was beeping, and ushered me thru. I guess he knew what it was?

 

[shelby2001]

I did not wear my underwire bra, however I have a daugher who wears leg braces, and she was prepared and did make the alarms go off, the female officer asked for one of her parents to come into a small room on the side and wanded her, but did not need her to take her shoes off, but she did check her from head to toe and every time they went to the braces they buzzed, they asked if they could touch the braces, she and I both said yes and she will remove them if you would like another personal came in looked at them touched them took them off of her and let us go, she is only 7 but this has happened to her twice now, so she is prepared everytime we go to the airport.

 

[Barringer75]

Last year at MCO all of us passed thru except my DD4. They made her take off her "light-up" sneakers and wanded her (nice female security guard). We just told her she was extra special that day!!

 

[kda]

Never been a problem in half a dozen flights. I was selected for 'wanding' a few times, but hadn't set the alarm off.