Have you had a TSA pat down ?

[MM27]

Have you seen this youtube video? Grandma got molested at the airport (sung to Grandma got run over by a reindeer) It's funny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Qdb6wC0Iz4

 

[WhateverLolaWants]

Flew out of LaGuardia last night and didn't have to do anything but walk through the metal detector. As far as I could tell, no one was chosen for additional screening. Line was really long, though. I did the scan in October 2009 when it was in the testing stages.

 

[AlohaPolynesian]

I'm willing to make sacrifices and feel uncomfortable for a few seconds if it means I will have a safe flight. My mom got a pat down on the way to WDW last weekend, but our airport didn't have the new body scanners to begin with.

My bra set off the detector a few years ago and they had to run the scanner over me in front of everyone and of course it started beeping when they went around my chest! That was kind of embarrassing.

 

[jyssilly]

Usually, with my now 2yo daughter in an Ergo on the front, I never have to go through those things. Our last trip (over Thanksgiving), they actually made me take her out though they did let me carry her through as opposed to making her walk through on her own.

 

[Suellen]

We were scooted over to the family lane that was NOT patting down. I was really worried about my daughter having to have the pat down and frankly was relieved that we bypassed that line.

I always wonder what makes me ~ the haggard stressed out mom lugging two over tired cranky toddlers through the airport screams "I am someone to be suspicious of!" They ALWAYS search my checked bags, they ALWAYS have me empty my bags at security.

BTW ~ in case you were wondering ~ coffee in a bag makes you suspicious.

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

BTW ~ in case you were wondering ~ coffee in a bag makes you suspicious.

Coffee is how some people smuggle in drugs so I'm not surprised at all you would be singled out for a more thorough search.

 

[NHdisneylover]

Coffee is how some people smuggle in drugs so I'm not surprised at all you would be singled out for a more thorough search.

Exactly--coffee is a red flag as it is used to hide smells of illegal substances.

 

[Suellen]

Exactly--coffee is a red flag as it is used to hide smells of illegal substances.

Ha,ha! I'm so naive! Even after the ripped my bag apart after asking me what I had that may be suspicious and I said I had no idea. They found it and said oh, it's coffee, they didn't even open it. I thought it was the silver lining in the bag......it never even occured to be they thought I'd have drugs!

 

[dejr_8]

What I don't understand is why can't all the pat downs be performed behind some barrier? It is an intrusive enough procedure but it is made worse by having it performed in front of dozens (hundreds?) of people.

 

[phorsenuf]

I'm flying out of Tampa this morning so we'll see what's happening there.

 

[deegack]

What I don't understand is why can't all the pat downs be performed behind some barrier? It is an intrusive enough procedure but it is made worse by having it performed in front of dozens (hundreds?) of people.

I prefer to have witnesses should things not go as planned.

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

I prefer to have witnesses should things not go as planned.

Exactly!

I have no problem following the rules (if I did I wouldn't fly) but I prefer it all to be out in the open.

 

[DebbieB]

I believe you can request a private pat down.

I haven't had the "new" pat down, I did a couple of times with the old one. I did go through the new scanner in Richmond in August.

 

[FINFAN]

I find this interesting...and now that it is common knowlwdge, how long until the first nutcase tries the "pancake" method?

http://news.travel.aol.com/2010/12/...full-body-scanners-easily-duped/?ncid=webmail

 

[CPT Tripss]

Yes. The guy was hot too .

I'm willing to make sacrifices and feel uncomfortable for a few seconds if it means I will have a safe flight. My mom got a pat down on the way to WDW last weekend, but our airport didn't have the new body scanners to begin with.

My bra set off the detector a few years ago and they had to run the scanner over me in front of everyone and of course it started beeping when they went around my chest! That was kind of embarrassing.

Too bad that the searches that TSA does do miss so mush bad stuff and does little (at best) to keep you safe.

What I don't understand is why can't all the pat downs be performed behind some barrier? It is an intrusive enough procedure but it is made worse by having it performed in front of dozens (hundreds?) of people.

All you need to do is ask. But, my personal take is that having my patdowns done in public "informs" others of what is going on. I get patted down every time through the government travel checkpoints due to ortho shoes.

Exactly!

I have no problem following the rules (if I did I wouldn't fly) but I prefer it all to be out in the open.

What are the rules? Except for being told that we must submit to a search everytime we fly and that the search may include a patdown, the government has publisshed no rules to tell us what to expect, what the TSAers are and are not permitted to do.

 

[sbell111]

I've had one. It's no biggie.

 

[Disnydad]

I've flown recently but have not been throught the new scanner or had a pat down.

 

[scrapquitler]

The only airport pat down that I ever had was in Bogota Colombia in February 2000. I was en route from New York to Quito, Ecuador with a stopover in Bogota, and was astounded by their security (this was pre-9/11). First, there were military police with machine guns everywhere (common in South America), but apparently the enhanced security was part of the crackdown on drug trafficking. Every passenger was patted down (males by male agents, females by female agents, all in camo uniforms), and I mean completely...and it was out in the open. No curtains, no step aside over there, nothing like that. Everyone was completely patted down, interrogated about where they had been ,where they are going and why. Then every suitcase and every carryon was opened and hand inspected (after having already been xrayed), anything leather was swabbed, and this was the surprising part to me: anybody who had chunky heels on their shoes had to take their shoes off and the guards stuck a thing that looked like an icepick into the thick heels! I later asked my friends in Ecuador about this, apparently those thick heels were a popular place for drugs to be hidden.

I was astounded by all this, but soon, we had enhanced security here. I'm not surprised that we've gone down the path of the pat down/grope, but I think it's all for show more than anything.

 

[BriarfoxinWA]

I've had one - didn't think it was a big deal. My personal opinion is that they should pat down, xray, and racially profile anybody getting on the plane with me. I have no problem with that as it is done to keep us safe.

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

What are the rules? Except for being told that we must submit to a search everytime we fly and that the search may include a patdown, the government has publisshed no rules to tell us what to expect, what the TSAers are and are not permitted to do.

The government created the TSA and gave them the right to do searches with the Aviation and Transportation Security Act (ATSA) of 2001. This act pretty much lets them decide what they think is necessary in order to keep air travel safe. As does Title 49 U.S.C. Chapters 401-501.

Both of which can be found on the TSA website http://www.tsa.gov/research/laws/law_regulation_rule_0010.shtm

The TSA rules can be found on their website as well, so yes they have published the rules.

You don't have to like the law or the rules but until they have been overturned you do have to follow them if you want to fly.