My TSA experience

[jo-jo]

Coming home from disney, I had a whopper of a TSA experience.

First a little background......I wear my hair in a braid with a elastic band at the bottom. Some have metal piece, some don't.

Coming home we had TSA precheck. I go through the metal detector, wearing jeans with whatever metal is part of their construction and the elastic band. My eyeglasses and my watch have some metal. But those are things I have had every time we fly. That's it, no other metal. The machine beeps. Oh, you have to go to the other machine......you know the hold your hands above your head machine.........ok.......I had hot spots all over. The top of my head.......please, my hair is so thin, new born babies have more, what could I be hiding on top of my head? My thigh.........yes, it's chunky, but nothing there is removable. Both ankles.........who doesn't leave disney without swollen ankles between all the walking and the salt in foods. Checked the bottom of my feet, took my shoes and sent them through the xray and they patted down more than my dr does. ok, you can go............ Doesn't it make you wonder if it showed all those hot spots on me and I had nothing, does it error in the other direction too?????

By the way my DH is wearing a belt , goes through the xray and no beeps.

 

[AngiTN]

Had you used any lotion maybe? I forget what it is now but there is a lotion that leaves a residue that can be picked up as "explosive residue" or something like that. I've had my bra set them off sometimes. It is annoying when one machine will set them off and the other won't. You'd think they be calibrated the same but I guess not (same thing happens at Disney)

We had fun coming home on Monday.
Me, DD and DGD head through security. We all have PreCheck. We all have a back pack. Put them on the belt, all go through but for DGD, hers sets off flags for extra screening. She's got her bag with her AG doll, clothes and books. They agent really starts to have a lot of fun with her and her bag, quizing her is it dangerous, etc. He was very nice. Turns out our little dingbat left her bottle of soda in the bottom of the bag! Sent us on our way and were very nice about it the whole time. Thank goodness.

 

[Funfire240]

We didn't come across any problems going thru - but I did get home and find a note in one of our suitcases that it was opened and checked for additional screening. I had to laugh because for the 4 of us we had 3 checked bags. I did laundry a few days before coming home but the suitcase they checked was the one with all the stinky dirty clothes! couldn't be one of the two with the nice clean clothes. I'm just glad I wasn't standing there to watch and see their reactions!

 

[Alesia]

If you used a lotion with glycerin in it it can set off the explosive detector.

 

[AngiTN]

We didn't come across any problems going thru - but I did get home and find a note in one of our suitcases that it was opened and checked for additional screening. I had to laugh because for the 4 of us we had 3 checked bags. I did laundry a few days before coming home but the suitcase they checked was the one with all the stinky dirty clothes! couldn't be one of the two with the nice clean clothes. I'm just glad I wasn't standing there to watch and see their reactions!

We always have at least one bag with one of those notes in it. This trip it was DGD again. Usually it's DH. We think it's because he packs his laptop in his checked bag

If you used a lotion with glycerin in it it can set off the explosive detector.

That's it! Thanks, I knew someone with better memory than me would know what it was

 

[pooch]

I fly down to visit my DD who lives in Kissimmee frequently and I always bring tons of toiletries for her (I'm a coupon fanatic and get the stuff for practically nothing). I can only imagine the TSA's reaction to 20 bottles of shampoo/conditioner/body wash, couple tubes of toothpaste, makeup remover, etc. They open my bag EVERY time!!!

 

[bumbershoot]

Do either of the walkthrough machines check for explosive residue, though? Thought that was the swab test.


OP I've had my little Goody brand barrette set off a metal detector. I was just about to be sent off to be wanded (speaking of that, why weren't you just wanded and patted down rather than being sent to the other machine?), which would have been a problem since DH was already being wanded and they were rushing me away from our little kid, when the lady behind me mentioned my barrette. Took it off, put it in a little bucket to go through the machine, and I was fine.

The metal detector was set to "11" that day at LAX. And DH was being wanded because of his shorts zipper. Seriously. They just turned that "volume" knob up that day LOL.

 

[AngiTN]

I'm not sure what the machines check for. But with a bunch of hot spots I thought maybe that was it

 

[FCDub]

We always have at least one bag with one of those notes in it. This trip it was DGD again. Usually it's DH. We think it's because he packs his laptop in his checked bag

You're very trusting! My electronics do not leave my sight, let alone go in a bag that other people have access to.

 

[supersnoop]

Doesn't it make you wonder if it showed all those hot spots on me and I had nothing, does it error in the other direction too?????

No, not really. I think the machines err on the side of caution. The fact that it has false-positives makes me think that failing to sense something is less likely, not more likely.

 

[anonymousegirl]

For some reason, I have a hot spot behind my right knee. Sets over the back scatter xray machine every time. TSA always pats me down and asks if I have an implant there. Nope, just my knee!

 

[bookbabe626]

I got told by a TSA agent that the hot spots they were seeing were due to my hair still being damp and tied back in a ponytail. No idea if there's any truth to that explanation.

 

[jo-jo]

I got told by a TSA agent that the hot spots they were seeing were due to my hair still being damp and tied back in a ponytail. No idea if there's any truth to that explanation.

My hair was dry and all she did was pat the top of my head....nothing with the thicker part where the braid starts.

 

[jo-jo]

Do either of the walkthrough machines check for explosive residue, though? Thought that was the swab test.


OP I've had my little Goody brand barrette set off a metal detector. I was just about to be sent off to be wanded (speaking of that, why weren't you just wanded and patted down rather than being sent to the other machine?), which would have been a problem since DH was already being wanded and they were rushing me away from our little kid, when the lady behind me mentioned my barrette. Took it off, put it in a little bucket to go through the machine, and I was fine.

Nope, no question of do you have?????, just go stand over there to go thru the other machine.

 

[AngiTN]

You're very trusting! My electronics do not leave my sight, let alone go in a bag that other people have access to.

It's not my laptop, it's DH's. He gets to do with it as he wishes.

 

[rwdavis2]

"explosive residue" is only detected by swabbing the spot and placing the sample in a small machine. Not by the scanners you stand in.

 

[AngiTN]

"explosive residue" is only detected by swabbing the spot and placing the sample in a small machine. Not by the scanners you stand in.

Any guesses as to what does cause those spots to set off scanners? When there is no metal involved for certain? Like in a joint than has never had surgery or anything like that

 

[rwdavis2]

Any guesses as to what does cause those spots to set off scanners? When there is no metal involved for certain? Like in a joint than has never had surgery or anything like that

The xray scanners detect more than just metal. They detect differences, for lack of a better word, textures. They will show extra cloth (handkerchief), boarding pass in a pocket, a belt. That's why if you go through one they tell you to empty your pockets and hold the item over your head.

 

[Chirple]

Sweat will produce those hot spots as well. It's embarrassing how I know this.

 

[rwdavis2]

Sweat will produce those hot spots as well. It's embarrassing how I know this.

I'll have to remember that one. Some days I feel like a walking sprinkler system.