X-ray backscatter security scanners

[channlluv]

Do you suppose these machines and the aggressive patdowns will be gone by summer? I really want to go to Hawaii, and I get motion sick on the stationary Blood Mobile, so a cruise really isn't an option.

Roxy

[snapdragen]

Do you suppose these machines and the aggressive patdowns will be gone by summer? I really want to go to Hawaii, and I get motion sick on the stationary Blood Mobile, so a cruise really isn't an option.

Roxy

Well, most big cruise ships have stabilizers, so chances are you wouldn't have too much of a sea sick problem. My mom took ginger on her cruise, it helps.

It's starting to sound like not everyone has to go through the machine or the pat down, some just go through the regular metal detector. Or am I reading it wrong?

[PamNY]

It's starting to sound like not everyone has to go through the machine or the pat down, some just go through the regular metal detector. Or am I reading it wrong?

That's what it sounds like to me, but I don't think you get to choose. I assume you'd need to be prepared to deal with the machine or the pat down.

[Trek420]

More info on the x'ray medical issue, a pretty good article:

http://myhelicaltryst.blogspot.com/2...y-scanner.html

[Fredwina]

I flew "home" to visit Family
At LAX(Los Angeles International) , They were just using the metal detector (They did have the Backscatter machines there)
Lil'old Cape Girardeau doesn't have the Nude-o-Scopes yet. I did have a note in my checked luggage that it had been searched by the TSA.

[Bluetree]

I've been through various airports eight times in the last ten weeks, crossed the U.S, the Pacific and the Atlantic, with and without my bike. I haven't come across anyone or anything that I considered rude, annoying or violating. I only got a pat down twice, and both times, they were non-obtrusive and the agent was extremely polite.

The only annoyances were people who did not know of the TSA carry-on regulations, thus holding up the lines.

[KnottedYet]

Did the TSA thing yesterday.

The pat-down was no problem at all. Standard pat-down just with a lot more detailed verbal explanation before each touch, and attention to the legs than usual.

The poopy part was the "Opt Out" 3-ring circus.

I was directed to the x-ray backscatter, and politely said I couldn't do it. (I did not offer to display my collection of cancer scars, but I was ready to.)

Dude running the metal detector and backscatter in my lane hollered out "WE HAVE AN OPT OUT" and that got repeated up and down the 5 lanes that were running. "SHUT DOWN THE BELT. WE HAVE AN OPT OUT."

They directed me to stand right where I was, shut down the x-ray belt my stuff was on, the TSA folks on the lanes either side of me made all the passengers pick up their stuff from my lane and duck under the lane dividers and get into new lanes, all the while saying "I'm sorry, we have to start you over because there's an Opt Out in your lane." One woman glared at me as she struggled to carry 2 bins of stuff and fold over double to duck under the divider. I told her I was sorry.

I felt like sh*t.

It took a couple minutes before a female TSA agent could come get me. She removed my stuff from the stopped belt (wouldn't let me carry it) and brought me over to the pat-down area. Once I was removed from the lane, they started the belt up and let passengers enter the lane again.

After the pat-down, I asked her what I could do in the future to prevent an entire lane from being shut-down and other passengers behind me having to pick up their stuff and move to new lanes. She told me there really wasn't anything else, and that I was fine.

Some airports I've been in have the special needs lanes/slow lanes at the TSA check point. I think in future I'll just go straight to that lane (if there is one) to avoid the total lane shut-down I cause just by asking for the frisking option.