Recent travelers, what has your airport security experience been like?

[Linda&Vern]

In answer to the OP's question, we just flew 10 days ago... from IND, (which I'm guessing is your airport) to Florida. Same as always, no big deal. My DH had knee repalcements (both knees) 2 years ago. We fly A LOT. I take the carry-ons while he goes through the more thorough scanning. I do wait until I see all our bags going through without being backed up, but I don't mind at all if someone else goes around me to go through...I simply step aside until I'm ready to go through. (Is that really difficult to let others go ahead?) I think the whole process would be simpler if people didn't make a big deal out of it. We are ones who never arrived at the airport very early, but we've adjusted and allow a little extra time now.

It IS a big deal to me when I'm on one side of the security walk-thru and my purse is on the other side because it has already gone thru the x-ray machine! Anyone could pick it up and walk off.

[room010]

I wouldn't mind these intrusive, excessive (and pointless?) security proceedures quite so much if they were applied consistantly so at least travellers know exactly that they can expect if they go "beep" for some reason. Modern "terrorists" are highly trained, ingenius, intelligent and sophisticated operatives (unlike most airport security personnel) and they are way too smart to try to walk onto a plane with a bomb or a gun strapped to their leg. But the important thing is that the Govt is being SEEN to be doing something I guess :rolleyes:

 

I still fly because I have no choice, but the process is becoming increasingly aggravating so I can foresee a time when I won't bother unless it's absolutely essential.

[cruz chic]

Scanners and patdowns and carry-on restrictions don't make me feel safe - They make me feel annoyed, violated and nervous.

 

I'm with you on this. I constantly hear people saying "well if it makes us safe". They brainwash people into thinking this when it's just not true. When Canadians were not allowed to take any carry on earlier this year all I kept hearing "well, if it keeps us safe". I remember asking people "how is that keeping us safe" and not one person could answers this. Maybe TSA should stop harrassing little children and grandmas and keep their eyes on people that have been flagged as dangerous.....

[DizzyDallasDi]

I had seen a similar experience online today, but it was from a really conservative site and I wondered how truthful the original report I saw was. Your experience is almost exactly what was reported. I am all for security and also I was a firefighter when 9/11 happened (still mad), but somehow I recall there is something called a 4th amendment to the constitution.

 

"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

 

Those forefathers of ours were indeed very cleaver....using the word "unreasonable" gives way to a very broad interpretation. They've got us on this one. :(

[kent4489]

It IS a big deal to me when I'm on one side of the security walk-thru and my purse is on the other side because it has already gone thru the x-ray machine! Anyone could pick it up and walk off.

 

I was only trying to answer the OP and not directing my answer to anyone else. Typically, I put one carry-on, then put my purse in the bin with my shoes and then another carry-on behind. I walk through as my purse goes through. I watch as best I can. Anyway, I've never had a problem and I don't have the option of carrying my purse through, so what choice is there. I'm not going to stop flying because there are rules to follow. Do the rules make me feel safer? No, but I can't change them.

[tangerinebunny]

When we flew after November 1st, TSA teams were randomly (?) checking boarding passes and ID's at the gates as people boarded.

We saw this at both Burbank and Las Vegas.

[NoWhiners]

I fly a lot for business and I am a security system designer. Trust me-Brian, Ted, Lorekauf and others have it right--airport security is a Public Relations illusion. That's why journalists and terrorists can get through. Think about it--we are all presumed guilty when all we are trying to do is get from point A to point B, often with small children, elderly parents, people with permanent or temporary disabilities, etc. We call these nuisance alarms--lots of things cause an alarm but rarely are they due to an actual threat. We aren't any safer, and the government knows it--they have plenty of reports/analysis done by competent security professionals (not TSA) that show this. And we continue to blow billions of dollars on technology and procedures that can't/don't work...

 

They don't call them Thousands Standing Around for no reason.

 

Good luck on your trip and be prepared to wait. You might get through all the hoops just fine, but you can't plan on it. As for me, I am retiring next month and will be driving the places i want to go--tired of being subjected to these invasive and useless procedures.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

................. As for me, I am retiring next month and will be driving the places i want to go--tired of being subjected to these invasive and useless procedures.

 

Amen. Former flight attendant here (Pan American). I will drive or take the train before I ever set foot on an airplane again. I'm tired of being herded like cattle, and treated like criminals, while terrorists like the Lockerbie bomber are essentially permitted to go scot-free. No more. What happened to fatcat's 9-year-old son as she described above is unconscionable.

[NoWhiners]

Amen. Former flight attendant here (Pan American). I will drive or take the train before I ever set foot on an airplane again. I'm tired of being herded like cattle, and treated like criminals, while terrorists like the Lockerbie bomber are essentially permitted to go scot-free. No more. What happened to fatcat's 9-year-old son as she described above is unconscionable.

 

Wow--being a flight attendant would be much more frustrating. I agree that 9 year olds shouldn't be subjected to this treatment, especially the "new improved" pat downs. I agree with the poster who speculated they must be perverts/pedophiles:D. Could you imagine taking a job where your goal is to suspect and haras fellow (innocent) citizens??

[josephone]

when I flew last week I was patted down. It was incredible! They pushed up both of my legs until they hit my pubic bone and then squeezed my foot until I screamed! I'm afraid to ask for private screening cuz who knows what they will do. It is really crazy as it is totally inconsistent!

[overthesea]

Been on 3 trips the last couple of months and security experience has been great. The wait time has really decreased and now I think that travelers know what to expect and have everything ready for inspection and this helps the procedure greatly. Enjoy your trip.

[bob brown]

Personally, I could care less about going thru the xray or whatever they call that scanner. If they wanted, I would strip naked.

But I would absolutely not allow anyone to put their hands on me. That is where I would draw the line. If they said, either go along or you won't be allowed thru, so be it. I'd cancel the flight.

That is why, I will cruise from my homeport mostly now.

[Lard Greystoke]

Modern "terrorists" are highly trained, ingenius, intelligent and sophisticated operatives...and they are way too smart to try to walk onto a plane with a bomb or a gun strapped to their leg.

 

Strongly disagree with this. The underwear bomber and the shoe bomber were both idiots. Both stopped by passengers after getting through our foolproof security - of course maybe the screeners were busy groping children.

[Karennella]

I like the system in Hong Kong where you are given a number for your box before going through the scanners.

My husband, who is of Italian heritage, has copped a lot of extra attention since Sept 11th, being not quite of Anglo appearance, and it was nice being in Italy recently where he looked like most everyone else. Also he had fun there when he told some young people, in Italian, not to queue jump. They were shocked as we'd been chatting in English, but everyone around us thanked him!

American security is really scary. I carried an Australian apple into Canada and was asked nicely to bin it, which I happily did. I am used to very strict quarantine laws. But when leaving to go to New York, I did not realise we would go through American customs in Vancouver, and reported carrying a New Zealand labelled apple which I'd intended to eat on the plane. The process of telling me to bin it was quite frightening.

[sapper1]

We always stop just before entering the security area and I take both of our jackets and place them in the carry-on bag. I keep a little baggie for my husband to toss his coins into and that goes in the carry-on as well, along with his cell phone, glasses case, comb and whatever else he has stashed in his bottomless pockets. Anything I have that is loose goes into my purse, including both of our watches. I always go through first because no matter how thorough I have been, my husband always has some issue which holds up the line. It has become a running joke. Since I am ahead of him I usually have the bags sorted out, moved away and am ready to roll once he is "released".

[parrotfeathers]

I flew from Philly then through Atlanta yesterday. Other than the lines at security in Philly being very long, everything went well. I had 2 pet birds with me. TSA screened my carry-ons and then took me to a small room with 2 agents. One agent opened the pet taxi, I scooped the birds out and put them on a chair. He took the pet taxi, got it scanned and returned it to me. The birds whistled the whole time. I did not see anyone get patted down but did see them using the wand on some people. I always wear the simplest shoes I can and virtually no jewelry. I was amazed at the women who had those knee high tight boots on and had to take them off.

[mamaofami]

I will be flying in January for the first time in many years. My new hips will surely set off the alarms and I fully expect to be pulled out and patted down and I'm not a happy camper at all. Besides the possibility of an intrusive pat down, is the worry of someone taking my things. If this is a bad experience, I may have to limit cruising to those ships that leave out of NYC or NJ. That eliminates HAL in the winter.

[bepsf]

We always stop just before entering the security area and I take both of our jackets and place them in the carry-on bag. I keep a little baggie for my husband to toss his coins into and that goes in the carry-on as well, along with his cell phone, glasses case, comb and whatever else he has stashed in his bottomless pockets. Anything I have that is loose goes into my purse, including both of our watches. I always go through first because no matter how thorough I have been, my husband always has some issue which holds up the line. It has become a running joke. Since I am ahead of him I usually have the bags sorted out, moved away and am ready to roll once he is "released".

 

This is why I always wear a blazer or coat when I fly - It's so much simpler and faster to keep everything in the pockets (wallet, phone, keys, iPod, etc) and place the coat in the bin rather than emptying pants pockets all over the place.

I also typically wear driving moccassins or loafers so that it's faster & easier to remove shoes - I've also learned that your driver's license makes for a handy impromptu shoe-horn.

[CowPrincess]

We have recently been "randomly selected" for "additional screening" several times. Me in particular -- not sure why. Could the US still be annoyed at me for marching in protests about the Vietnam war?

 

IMHO the randomness is ridiculous. If a terrorist is successfully "randomly" selected, does anyone TRULY think he or she would hesitate to blow himself/herself up, along with a bunch of innocent bystanders?

 

Again IMHO (and politically incorrect opinion, too) -- use the resources where they have the most chance of being successful. Let people know that they are part of a group that WILL be subject to additional screening. Stop the threat before the airport -- so that terrorists stop seeing the randomness as being in their favor, as something that gives them a greater chance of success.

 

Flame away. I'm sick of being selected randomly :rolleyes: every stinking time I fly. And being shrieked at by the screening agent patting me down "Look in MY EYES, LOOK IN MY EYES" while I'm trying to watch my handbag and carryon, which are now sitting alone, unguarded, 30 or 40 feet from me :(

[K&RCurt]

We flew to our cruise last week from PHL to FLL and then back at the end of the cruise.

 

I have been traveling quite a bit lately on business so I have the TSA Security Theater drill down pretty well for PHL. I breezed through as did my 16yo son, 24 yo Daughter and her fiance. My wife, however, got pulled aside for "additional screening" which entailed the new "enhanced Pat-Down" as previously described in this thread. She was told it was because she was wearing a "large flowing skirt". After the pat-down she asked the TSA woman if she would like to share a cigarette, but she didn't get the joke.

 

In the meantime, three men dressed in flowing muslim robes walked right through the scanners without garnering any extra attention for their attire.

 

She wore a more form fitting dress for the flight home and we had no issue whatsoever.

[Sue from Canada]

It IS a big deal to me when I'm on one side of the security walk-thru and my purse is on the other side because it has already gone thru the x-ray machine! Anyone could pick it up and walk off.

 

I travel solo and take a very small purse that fits into my carry-on. My larger purse to use at destination I pack in checked luggage. This way I don't have to worry about where my purse is during security check. Wearing clogs also helps. Getting back to security, OMG:eek: I'm flying to Fort Myers in January and although I'm no stranger to "pat downs" due to knee replacement and setting off alarms (the worst was in MSP), some of the comments I've just read are totally outrageous. I'm going to have to bite my tongue in January.

[hmp2z]

We've got the new whole-body scanners and "enhanced" pat-downs here in Orlando airport now, too (just installed the scanners last week). I have several big problems with this. It baffles me that we as a country spend so much money fighting terrorists, when there are many more clear and present dangers like cancer and heart disease. I'm a teacher, and we were just discussing the Patriot Act as part of our curriculum this week, and the students read an article about these new scanners. They were very upset, and pointed out that it used to be illegal for anyone to photograph a child under the age of 18 naked. Now, apparently, anything goes.

 

Anyone who believes those TSA workers are as professional and clinical as doctors are kidding themselves - ask what hiring criteria are used. Why do parents now have two options only: that of having their children photographed naked, or having their children full-on groped by the TSA agents? I'm just wondering why there isn't more public outrage about this. Surely there are other, just as effective ways, to stop all of these terrorists.

 

If we as a people are willing to let the TSA photograph ourselves and our children naked, I'm wondering where we will draw the line. I personally can't imagine what I would baulk at, if I found this acceptable.

 

Thoughts?

Heather W

[ODECCIT]

We were returning from a Walt Disney World vacation in Orlando and our 9-year old grandson was patted down. I was furious but you have to pretend like everything is fine, right, because you're too scared you might be pulled aside if you say anything. Also, I wear a neck scarf to keep my neck warm as I get severe muscle spasms from the cold air in the airplanes and I had to remove the scarf and security felt the scarf up and down for what exactly? I have not been on a plane since and really do not look forward to flying anymore. I find going through airport security very stressful.

 

Returning from Europe through Heathrow my 77-year old mom was patted down for no reason. No beepers going off or anything, they just took her aside randomly and had her spread-eagle for a pat down. What was odd was this was getting off the plane!!! What's the point of patting down senior citizens after the plane has landed?

You can have a long needle in your scarf that bents and made out of plastic. It won't beep and can be used a weapon. Let's not make big deal out of them checking your scarf.

[ODECCIT]

I'm with you on this. I constantly hear people saying "well if it makes us safe". They brainwash people into thinking this when it's just not true. When Canadians were not allowed to take any carry on earlier this year all I kept hearing "well, if it keeps us safe". I remember asking people "how is that keeping us safe" and not one person could answers this. Maybe TSA should stop harrassing little children and grandmas and keep their eyes on people that have been flagged as dangerous.....

Remember terrorist has no face. It could be grandma or 9 years old kid.

[ODECCIT]

We've got the new whole-body scanners and "enhanced" pat-downs here in Orlando airport now, too (just installed the scanners last week). I have several big problems with this. It baffles me that we as a country spend so much money fighting terrorists, when there are many more clear and present dangers like cancer and heart disease. I'm a teacher, and we were just discussing the Patriot Act as part of our curriculum this week, and the students read an article about these new scanners. They were very upset, and pointed out that it used to be illegal for anyone to photograph a child under the age of 18 naked. Now, apparently, anything goes.

 

Anyone who believes those TSA workers are as professional and clinical as doctors are kidding themselves - ask what hiring criteria are used. Why do parents now have two options only: that of having their children photographed naked, or having their children full-on groped by the TSA agents? I'm just wondering why there isn't more public outrage about this. Surely there are other, just as effective ways, to stop all of these terrorists.

 

If we as a people are willing to let the TSA photograph ourselves and our children naked, I'm wondering where we will draw the line. I personally can't imagine what I would baulk at, if I found this acceptable.

 

Thoughts?

Heather W

Please stop with rumors. They are not taking pictures of anybody. The image isn't store at all.