No big airport protest here.

[eliza61]

Any word of TSA meltdowns?

Here in Philly things are going super smoothly so far. most people taking the new security procedures in stride.

This was just at the Philadelphia International airport, haven't heard from other parts of the country. Philly has only 1 scanner and it was in operation.

any horror stories?

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/national_world&id=7807558

The big Opt-Out looked like a big bust Wednesday as Thanksgiving travelers around the country patiently submitted to full-body scans and pat-down searches rather than create havoc on one of the busiest flying days of the year.


In fact, in some parts of the country, bad weather was shaping up as a bigger threat to travelers' hopes of getting to their destinations on time.

For days, activists had waged a loosely organized campaign on the Internet to encourage airline passengers to refuse full-body scans and insist on a pat-down in what was dubbed National Opt-Out Day. But as of Wednesday afternoon, the cascading delays and monumental lines that many feared would result had not materialized.

"It was a day at the beach, a box of chocolates," said Greg Hancock, 61, who breezed through security at the Phoenix airport on the way to a vacation in California. He was sent through a body scanner after a golf ball marker set off the metal detector.

maybe now concerns can be addressed in a serious manner without the fear tatics. one can only hope.

 

[DebbieB]

No problems at PIT:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10328/1105860-455.stm

People who were interviewed on the evening news preferred to go through the scanner rather than the pat down.

 

[Dan Murphy]

A yawner also here at O'Hare.

 

[DVC-Don]

From what I have heard, no protesters (no body scanners here yet anyway) but the news (TV, radio & newspaper) folks were there waiting for something to happen. Nothing happened.

 

[CPT Tripss]

Passenger traffic was 10% (or more) lower than an average day at PHL. Apparently the same at most other airports.

Low number of passengers = short waits

 

[PSUGuy]

Sheep are incapable of protest.

Bill From PA

 

[kaytieeldr]

Sheep are incapable of protest.

Bill From PA

But people who feel something is worth protesting are absolutely capable of taking action. I've been there a few times myself .

This one isn't worth my time. Something is going to kill me eventually. If it's four to eight extra shots of radiation annually, so be it.

If the TSA decides I need to be patted down, this time with the palm of someone's hand instead of all the times in the past with the backs of the hands, so be it.

As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing worth protesting at this time.

 

[skiingfast]

There is a fundamental problem why this was a dumb idea. A protest requires a lot of people to form a mass. Who can afford a plane ticket, which is need to get into the security area, and go to the airport for a few hours?

Almost anyone can stage a sit in at thier local McDs or not buy gas for a couple days.

 

[chamonix]

Sheep are incapable of protest.

Bill From PA

I so want to "Like" this post! I agree, Bill. (unfortunate as it is)

I did not fly today and so far have managed to avoid the nudie scanners and the new "enhanced" pat-down.....which involves someone groping my ****** (can I say that on the Dis? Interesting if you can't say it, but folks think it's fine and dandy for it to happen on a daily basis as standard operating procedure). Thankfully I fly out of a po-dunk airport that doesn't have a nudie scope yet. I fly a couple times a month and have no desire for more accumulating radiation (I've already had cancer, thanks) or to have the open handed grope on a regular basis. In my tiny airport (8 or less passengers per flight) Im already on a first name basis with the TSA and although they are all very nice folks, I really don't want to know them any better.

My 13 year old autistic daughter sure isn't thrilled about a stranger grabbing her privates either.

Edited to add, yep, apparently you can't say the clinical term for va-jay jay here.

 

[npcougar]

Sheep are incapable of protest.

Bill From PA

And tinfoil hat people worry too much.

 

[chamonix]

There is a fundamental problem why this was a dumb idea. A protest requires a lot of people to form a mass. Who can afford a plane ticket, which is need to get into the security area, and go to the airport for a few hours?

Almost anyone can stage a sit in at thier local McDs or not buy gas for a couple days.

If you are motivated enough to protest in this manner, heres how to access airside of security without it costing you a dime:
Purchase a fully refundable ticket. Go through security with your boarding pass. Before the flight takes off, call or go online and cancel your ticket. Your money is refunded back to your credit card.

Obviously you need a credit card and the know-how and the motivation to do this, but it can be done. People do this to accompany someone else to their gate, for example. You might also need a high credit limit because fully refundable tickets are the pricey first class or other full fare tickets. BUT--that being said, i totally understand your point. It takes a certain person to go out of their way to protest something. Just thought i would let you know there is a way to go through security for free.

 

[chamonix]

And tinfoil hat people worry too much.

I don't care what kind of hat you wear while you stand up to protect our constitutional rights.

If the wolf is there, put on your hat and cry wolf. The hat will make folks ignore you, but the wolf might still, actually be there, so I will still look around carefully.