Airport security ?s

[zoeyandmakennasmom]

This is my first time flying and I would just like to be prepared for going through security. We will be flying out of Logan and we will have carry on only. Do they take everything out of your bag and inspect it then put it back? Can they do one bag at a time so I can make sure nothing is left out or do they have several people checking bags? Should we have the stroller open or closed? I'd like to add that whatever and however they do this is fine with me I just think having an idea of how things are going to happen will make me a little less nervous about flying.TIA

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Unless you are randomly selected for an extra search, you just have the stuff scanned, nothing is opened. You need to put the stroller through the scanner, which means it will need to be closed.
Just as a FYI, there are limits as to what you can carry on, size, weight and number of bags. Check with your airline and check www.tsa.gov for what is and is not allowed. I would also like to add that MCO is huge and there is a lot of walking involved, you might want to check your bags and pick them up at the luggage pickup. They get there very quickly (sometimes before you do) and it makes travel ever so much easier, especially with children.

 

[bostonlass]

I left from Logan and went first to Detroit and then on to Tampa where I drove to Orlando. On the way back I left Orlando and went on to Memphis and then back to Logan.

The security at Logan was a lot stricter than that at Orlando in my opinion. None of our bags got opened at either. They just went through the xray machine. What I noticed at Logan that I did not notice in Orlando were a lot of people being asked to remove their shoes, though that could just have been that day. It took us an hour and fifteen minutes to get through security at Logan and about 5 seconds to get through it in Orlando.

One thing I also noticed was that on the flight from Memphis to Logan they boarded the rows that have the emergency exits first and then did a special security check on them. This did not happen on any of the other flights.

 

[tjmw2727]

Yes on shoes...for us as well.

We just flew from Logan to Tampa and dh and I were "promted" to remove our sneakers at both security checkpoints. We had always worn these same sneakers and not set off alarms but we did as was suggested.

At Tampa the agent said that anyone with thicker soled sneakers over the age of 14 who did not take them off and send the sneakers through the xray would be selected for intense screening. The reasoningt is that someone could put an explosive or weapon inside the thicker soles. HTH
TJ

 

[kelscross]

My cousin is one of the supervisors of the security screeners in Columbus, OH. As far as security goes, it hasn't changed much from before except only ticketed passengers are allowed beyond the security. You must show ID and Tickets at the checkpoint so have those handy. The stroller will have to go through the xray as well as any stuffed animals etc your child may be carrying. The only time they open the bags is if something looks suspicious or they can't see everything they need to see. You might be asked to remove your shoes when you walk through. According to my cousin some shoes have a metal rod through the sole of them and the xray picks that up so you have to remove them and put them on the conveyor and walk through bare footed.

Additionally, some passengers are checked twice when they show their tickets. Apparently the computer picks certain ticket numbers for those passengers to be pulled for the other check. He said sometimes this is completely random but also the ticket numbers that get pulled are those who bought their tickets at the last minute and/or are not staying at the destination for very long at all.

My mother travels to Massachusetts frequently for her work and she only stays one or two nights and she always gets pulled. During this check they bring female screeners for females and male screeners for males and "pat" you down. Don't be alarmed they do not suspect you of anything it is just a random procedure.

I find the process to be much smoother at MCO airport which I was surprised with as many passengers they handle a day. Dayton, OH airport is very, very strict and it takes a long time to get through security even at 5am.

Anyhow..how that helps...have fun!

 

[CarolA]

One tip to help keep your bag from being searched, be sure not to pack any prohibited items like knives in your bag.

Also, be sure to empty your pockets into one of those little bins. (Men are really bad about this. They forget to empty the pockets, leave the cell phone on the belt etc..) I always remove my belt, costume jewerly, shoes and anything else I think might set off the beeper. Also, hold on to the boarding pass. Recently for reasons I fail to understand they want you to walk thru the screening machine holding the pass and show it to the TSA guy on the other side. If you don't have it, they act really indignant. (Of course two weeks ago you did not need it and my mindreading skills are limited!)

Sometimes the small airports take forever. I don't want anyone to take this the wrong way but at a few small airports I have flown out of recently the TSA agents seemed to be on a real power trip. (There were 2 people in line and they were YELLING at us like they had crowds of a thousand! I don't know what these agents would do if faced with a real crowd! )

 

[zoeyandmakennasmom]

Thank you everyone for the great info. A special thank you to Gail who has answered everyone of my transportation questions. That link was great and answered a few questions I hadn't thought to ask. Our carry on bags are smaller than what our airline said was allowed. I don't think I could handle checking the bags and worrying about them getting lost. So we'll just take it slow at the airport. DH is a pretty good pack mule anyway.LOL.