Question about airport screening

[ohiomom28]

I have not flown since 9/11, but I know there are extra screening that they do at the airport. Does every airport Xray every passenger? I am asking because I just found out I am pregnant. What would they do in this case? Has anyone had any experiences with this. I heard that all airports do not Xray. Can someone help me on this?

 

[CleveRocks]

Your person is being scanned for metal. You are not being x-rayed. Luggage and carry-ons are x-rayed, people are not. Hope that helps.

And congratulations!

 

[ohiomom28]

I was reading somewhere that they do a pat down and an xray since 9/11. Maybe it was outdated information? My son would flip out if someone started patting him down..lol

I feel better now. And Thank you!

 

[CleveRocks]

Again, no x-rays of humans.

I think at least one person on every flight is "randomly" selected for a paty-down type search, plus this can happen at any time if you keep "beeping" through the metal detector.

To me, the only real difference between now and pre-9/11 is that at most airports you have to take off your shoes before going through the metal detector.

 

[DebbieB]

I fly all the time for business, 30-40 flights last year. Never had a pat down. However, they do randomly select passengers, you will see a code on your boarding pass (ssss) so there is a slight chance.

 

[disnutt]

I was only pat down once when my original flight was cancelled due to weather and I had to take a flight the next morning on a different airline. I saw the 'ssss' on my boarding pass and wanted to cry.

However, it was not a problem at all. They took me to the side and hand searched my luggage. They had a female agent do the pat down and she was very professional. I was done in less than 3 minutes.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

I was reading somewhere that they do a pat down and an xray since 9/11. Maybe it was outdated information? My son would flip out if someone started patting him down..lol

As CleveRocks wrote, passengers are not x-rayed.

Passengers still walk through a metal detector, just like before 9/11. The big difference now is that the sensitivity is set much higher. A belt buckle or a single quarter can set off the detector. And when the detector goes off, the passenger is given an "additional screening" — which means being hand-wanded and patted down. It's happened to me. It turned out there was a scrunched-up foil candy wrapper in a pocket that I didn't check for coins or keys.

Most US airports ask passengers to remove shoes because so many shoes, even sneakers, have metal in them. Also, at all US airports, you can no longer wear a coat while going through the metal detector; you put your coat in plastic bin which goes through the x-ray machine.

 

[NOLAminnie]

Here are a few airport tips for women...
Wear a bra with no underwire, or better yet, a sports bra (no metal hooks). I've seen this set off the metal detector.
If you must wear jewelry when you travel, take it off before you go through security, put it in a ziplock bag and put it in your purse. You will have to put your purse and other carry on bags in a bin on the conveyor belt so it can be scanned by the machine. After you get through the security area you can put your jewelry back on and you won't be checked again.
Be prepared to take off your shoes, even if you are wearing sandals. I always wear socks no matter what and take off my shoes ahead of time, you will have to put your shoes in a bin and let them pass through the scanner. This makes the process go much faster.
Smile and be nice to the security workers, they have to put up with a lot of bad attitudes and will appreciate the courtesy.

 

[malibuconlee]

Here are a few airport tips for women...
Wear a bra with no underwire, or better yet, a sports bra (no metal hooks). I've seen this set off the metal detector.
QUOTE]

This may be TMI, but I ALWAYS wear an underwire, and I don't have any problems because of it.

 

[DebbieB]

I wear 2 necklaces, pair of earrings, 2 rings (all gold) and a watch and never had the detector go off.

 

[disneyfreakk]

I also wear an underwire with the 3 hooks in the back ( i cant imagine wearing a sports bra, there is just no way. )

In 2003 I was goining though security when I noticed that the scanner person had stopped the conveyor belt and called security over and was pointing at stuff on the screen. I was then asked if the plush Eeyore backpack was mine. Then I was told " would you come with me please". I was shocked to say the least. They asked to search my bag, which of course I had no problems with. I just said " sure go ahead I cant imagine what would set your sensors off.... " Well.... when he pulled 3 knifes out I almost started crying. I had taken my DHs knives to be sharpend about 3 days earlier and had forgotten all about them. I just knew they were going to send me to prision, not to mention ban me from ever flying agian! Even after all of that they still didnt pat me down, strip search me or anything like that. I had the option of putting them in our car or give them to the airport so they could be destroyed. LOL .. when I told them he could keep the knives ( meaning the airport can do whatever they wanted with the darn things. ) he corrected me and told me "no I cant/ will not be keeping the wepons. The airport will destroy them at the end of the day"

I kind of doubt they will search you

 

[lovesdumbo]

You may want to make sure your DS understands that whatever he has with him-backpack-jackect-toy...needs to go through the xray machine. My DS was radomly chosen for extra security. The first security person mentioned that they would likely do the extra check on me too so that DS(4) wouldn't feel like he did something wrong but when we got to the person doing the extra check they took one look at DS and told us we were all set.

When I traveled alone with DD(6) in Oct Logan airport in Boston had this new machine where you stand in box like a shower stall and it blows a puff of air at your entire body. I think they use it to screen for explosives. They asked me if my DD would do it and I said NO WAY. She can be quite timid. They didn't have me do it either.

 

[NotUrsula]

If you must wear jewelry when you travel, take it off before you go through security, put it in a ziplock bag and put it in your purse. You will have to put your purse and other carry on bags in a bin on the conveyor belt so it can be scanned by the machine. After you get through the security area you can put your jewelry back on and you won't be checked again.

This is good advice if what you are wearing is costume jewelry or heavy silver, but it is NOT necessary to remove precious-metal jewelry made of gold or platinum. The detectors are set not to go off for these compounds. In fact, TSA agents tend to prefer that if you have precious-metal jewelry you keep it on, because they don't want to be accused if something happens to it during the screening process.

 

[ohiomom28]

Thanks, you have all set my mind at ease. No X-rays!!! Thanks again!

 

[ferris198]

My recent experience in Orlando was absolutey horrifying and humiliating.
My boarding pass was issued incorrectly, and that apparently deemed me a security risk.
I was seperated from my husband and 5 year old son, and taken to the special line.
I had all of my carry luggage, (son's Madagascar backpack and purse) x-rayed. Then they dumped it so they could go through it all. My shoes were x-rayed then had a wand type thing go over them I guess to check for bombs or drugs.
At the end of that I was frisked.
I am not a very big person, I am 5'4 and way 105lbs. I was wearing rather form fitting clothing so the chances of hiding something were slim.
Also at Orlando the security area is all glass so everyone was able to see what was going on.
Being from Canada it will make me rethink about travelling to the US again

 

[WillCAD]

My recent experience in Orlando was absolutey horrifying and humiliating.
My boarding pass was issued incorrectly, and that apparently deemed me a security risk.
I was seperated from my husband and 5 year old son, and taken to the special line.
I had all of my carry luggage, (son's Madagascar backpack and purse) x-rayed. Then they dumped it so they could go through it all. My shoes were x-rayed then had a wand type thing go over them I guess to check for bombs or drugs.
At the end of that I was frisked.
I am not a very big person, I am 5'4 and way 105lbs. I was wearing rather form fitting clothing so the chances of hiding something were slim.
Also at Orlando the security area is all glass so everyone was able to see what was going on.
Being from Canada it will make me rethink about travelling to the US again

What you describe is often called the "concierge screening" by WDW fans. It is not only done to those who are security risks, but also done randomly throughout the day to average people pulled out of the lines. I have been fortunate enough never to have had to endure it, but I figure that it's only a matter of time.

I'm not thrilled with being forced to jump through all of these extra hoops to get on a plane, either, but I will put up with them, up to a point. If things get any more invasive at US airports, I may just abandon air travel entirely and go back to driving.

 

[salmoneous]

Ferris - Sorry you had a bad experience. If it makes you feel any better, understand that you were probably not singled out as a security risk. Random people are assigned SSSS passes. And if this ever happens again, know that you are allowed to request the baggage search and frisking be done in a private room.

Funny story - one of two times I've gotten an SSSS pass, I was flying out of ORD. Being "smart" travelers, DW and I are there 2 hours before flight time. Waited in one line for 45 minutes, only to be told they couldn't take our bags and we'd have to wait in this other line for 45 minutes. Grrrr. So with 30 minutes before the plane leaves, we get to security and there are 10,000 people in line ahead of us. But, wait, we aren't in *that* line. We have to go over to extra-super security where there was NO line. It look them 10 minutes to search us and go through our stuff, but we able to sprint and catch our plane. Yeah!

 

[goofytime2000]

My advice to anyone flying has been this:

"Do whatever the nice person the automatic weapon says."

Seriously though, it happens, there isn't much you can do about it, and certainly nothing that can be done while at the airport. Grin, bear it, and if it's a truly terrible expreience, complain to TSA once you get home.

 

[dbond]

Just a warning about MCO TSA agents:

Our family of 4, youngest ds (11) were all flagged with SSSS codes on our most recent return flight from MCO/DFW on Air Tran. It was our first and hopefully our last experience with the dreadful code. Horrifying and humiliating are not words that could possible describe the experience.

There were two TSA women officials, yelling at my family, 1 blonde woman yelled at my 11 yo son twice, the same blonde woman called my 18 yo son names. The boys were only trying to collect their things that these people had strewn all over the place. They unpacked everything we had with us on the same table area where other passenger bags were coming through the screening. TheTSA agents did not make any effort at all to make sure our belongings were secure. We're talking about 4 back packs full of stuff, 2 computers, 3 ipods, a Blackberry, watches, wallets, everything! My boys were a little worried about their ipods and DS's brand new laptop computer was just laying out on a table for anyone to come by and pick up. They didn't bother to tell us that our stuff also had to be swiped down before we could have it back. They just yelled at the boys when they tried to pick up their stuff like they always do when they come through the regular screening.

All the while, they had DH and I sequestered in a separate area, we could see and hear how they were talking to the boys and when we asked them to stop treating the boys that way, the same woman that was yelling at them then grabbed me by the arm, physically forced me into a chair, yelled at me to put my head in my lap and proceeded to frisk me.

I was in tears about how we were treated, my youngest ds (11) was scared to death, ds (18) looked like he was about to punch someone and DH was trying to get someone to explain what in the world was going on that warranted this horrifying treatment. I'm sure everyone around thought we must have surely been some kind of drug smuggling family that got caught the way they were carrying on. Talk about an abuse of authority! We were stunned beyond belief that this was happening, we typically fly for family vacations 2-3 times a year, and have flown in and out of MCO at least 20 times. Never has anything like this happened to us nor have we seen it taking place.

We have filed a formal complaint with TSA and Air Tran Airways. This was our first time to fly Air Tran, we've always flown American before. Welcome to discount flights! We'll stick with the regular fares if this is what you have to go through to save a few bucks!

 

[CarolA]

We have filed a formal complaint with TSA and Air Tran Airways. This was our first time to fly Air Tran, we've always flown American before. Welcome to discount flights! We'll stick with the regular fares if this is what you have to go through to save a few bucks!

The airfare you paid has nothing to do with it. I have gotten SSSS most often on FULL Fare Y class tickets on the majors....

THANK YOU FOR FILING THE COMPLAINT! At this point I now complain IMMEDIATELY, but I think that the TSA gets away with this because most folks do NOT complain. If I get the TSA agent with an ATTITUDE, I ask them thier name and I then walk to the back of the screening area and ask for a supervisor. I do NOT care if I miss my plane. I will NOT be abused by IDIOTS who have NO common sense and TOO much power. I then complain in person. I have had TSA folks try to discourage me by telling me how I am going to miss my plane. That's my problem, theirs is that they are in jobs they should NOT be allowed to have. I told one woman that if I missed every plane that day I would, but she was NOT going to treat me the way she just did.... I have been told by TSA supervisors several times that "XYZ does a great job, you are the first complaint" NO they do a lousy job, I am just the only person willing to mess with this.

I travel weekly. I do not think that I am any safer today thanks to the TSA then I was the September 10th!

Something can be done at the airport. Start asking IMMEDIATELY for the shift supervisor. There is one there somewhere (probably doing NOTHING, but there!)

As far as I can tell what happened to Ferris is acceptable. They can wand you, dump your luggage etc. That does NOT give them the right to be RUDE however....If they touch you, start requiring a supervisor IMMEDIATELY. Be polite but firm. THese IDIOTS belive that "MIGHT EQUALS RIGHT" and they are just as wrong as the bullys in the school yard.