I haven't tried to look it up right now, but I was wondering if anyone knew the official regulations for screenings on passengers age 75 and older? I know they have relaxed the screening requirements in the last couple of months......
The reason I ask.... my mother is 87, has a hard time walking, (uses a cane or walker), and had partial hip replacement surgery last September (Ball and stem only, not the socket). Anyway, she still flies with other family members..... When she flew from Las Vegas to Wichita and from Wichita back to Las Vegas (early June), they did not make her walk through the scanner, but wheeled her around the scanner. They also did not make her take her shoes off. (We always get the skycap assistance for her... it makes it so much easier!)
I flew with her from Las Vegas to Austin 3 weeks ago, and I don't think she had to walk through the scanner that time, either. I was in a different line, and my back was to the area the skycap took her through.
However, when my daughter (and I) went through the airport in Austin just a few hours ago (my daughter flew back to Las Vegas with her), they made her stand in line to go through the scanner.... I don't remember if I told them her age or not.. my daughter did some of the check-in with her... but first, the skycap was going to take her shoes off.... I know one of the changes is that passengers over age 75 do NOT have to take their shoes off anymore... I wasn't that close to her, the skycap had her in a different part of security, but I think a TSA agent said something to the skycap.
Also... she travels with a little cooler with refrigerated gel packs to keep her medication cool.... we've had very few problems with them before.... she flies several times a year with those.... this time, because they were no longer frozen (duh... this type are NEVER frozen... they are refrigerated gel packs, and it says ON the package "Do Not Freeze"), they decided that I had to go through a pat down! (I will say the packs had warmed up... they had been in the car for about 5 hours...oops.)
I've never had that much problem with them before. I'm just glad they did the pat down on me, instead of my mom. I'm sure at one point I said that the pack was for my mom, to keep her medication cool, and she was over there in the wheelchair. I did ask them if they could do the pat-down on me, since I was the one "carrying" the item. (I was just going through security with a non-boarding security pass to help with my mom until they boarded... I go through all the time this way.)
When we flew from Las Vegas to Austin, I forgot to take her little cooler out of the carry-on, and all they did was have me stand in one spot while they opened the carry-on and just took out the cooler.... they didn't even open the cooler.
The pat-down itself was NOT invasive... it was the back of the gloved hand, on top of all clothes... she told me ahead of time exactly where she would be doing it..... she was very polite about the whole thing......
It is just frustrating that it seems the regulations are being interpreted differently in different airports... (I'm sorry, I know they do have to do things to help protect us, and I think I'm just in a bit of a pi**y mood......)
Has anyone else had similar experiences?
sorry, can't help.
the entire TSA subject just.....makes.......my........head.........go.......splodey.
anyone who really thinks that groping the elderly and little kids is 'keeping us safe'....
oh, i just can't........
:PPPPPPPPPPP
khairete
S.
I find TSA to be one of the most bloated, poorly organized govt. agencies we have today. I recently flew round-trip to Los Angeles. Firstly, the terminal that I was going to gave absolutely no option about going through the scanner. I believe that the scanner is invasive. Secondly, I found that TSA agents do this so much of the time that they DO NOT tell the public what they are doing and why before they do it. I went though the scanner and the next thing I know, some agent was patting down my back saying there was an issue on my back. The only thing that I can possibly think is that somehow the hooks from the back of my bra set the alarm off....I had the agent get nasty with me because I was concerned about the work laptop that I had put through the conveyor belt. She responded that they had cameras everywhere. Exactly, how does that help to NOT have someone else pick up my laptop?
I have found that you have absolutely NO recourse with TSA. They do whatever the hell they want and mostly get away with it. Try complaining through their website...all you get is a canned reply from an un-manned email box. You have to put up with their BS because they can arbitrarily make you miss your flight. The rules are not applied consistently, so it really does no good to know them well....their own people do not even follow their own rules.
I don't feel safer based on the job that they do....remember that several TSA agents were just fired for sleeping on the job. I think it is necessary to have a mechanism to screen passengers...I just don't think that TSA does a good job with it.
It would be impossible for all airports to handle security in exactly the same way tho they make an effort to do so. Much depends on the personality and skill of the safety officer as well as local interpretations of the laws.
Your pat down was done on top of the clothes? Boy you got lucky!! Last time I flew, I was flying home from Vegas and they pulled me out of line (after going through the full body scanner) and the woman put her hands inside my pants!
I was standing in front of everyone and her hands went inside my pants, around the waist (fingers against my body). I was beyond pissed! I wanted my husband to be there, but they had pulled him to a separate room to do a full pat down. (That was at his request because of the amount of cash he was carrying on him.) They refused to wait until he was done and threatened to call the police on me!
I still don't understand how they're keeping us "safe"!
The new rules for travellers over 75 are just a pilot program. It's possible that you travelled through airports that are part of the program and some that are not.
My dad works for the TSA (as a baggage screener), and your experience had to do with a lot of different factors. First, the screenings do change from day to day so it stays unpredictable. One habit of anyone planning anything remotely terrorist-ic is that they will try to determine habits, schedules, etc of people and places. Secondly, all airports were on a higher alert because of the July 4th holiday. The alerts go higher in the days before and after a holiday, and with Austin being a capital city, they will take extra precaution. And it will depend on each TSA agent. If they're relatively new, they will probably be more apt to go overboard with the rules.
Even with my dad working for the TSA, I don't always agree with their procedures. Just glad my dad deals with the baggage. He does get to see some really strange stuff, though! And unlike doctors, they can go home and tell everyone about it, LOL. We've had some great laughs over some of the stuff he's seen.
It's total theater. What you experience with different regs at different airports is very common. It may also depend on where you are going TO. They can be twitchy about international flights. We flew to/from Heathrow last summer and England does not have the same jumping jacks as the US and I felt as safe. Safer, even, because they treated us like people (wow, a real FAMILY LINE) vs just cattle.
Leaving Dulles, the five of us were split up (the only two of us who stayed together were me and DD), two of our party went through the nekkid scanners, three of us did not, my husband's hands were swabbed, and they held me up for a good 30 minutes because I had diaper cream for my child. Oh, and they made DD walk by herself through a metal detector (something she does for DH's office all the time). Their attitude made her cry - and then they got annoyed with her. She was TWO. The woman who started scanning our creams was actually friendly and I swear it seemed that her supervisor swooped in and swapped her for a different part of the job because she was being too nice. I had printouts in my purse of what was on their site (not that they always follow their own rules).
So go prepared for jerks and be pleased when someone cares is my opinion. They can say anything they want and I don't believe them. The TSA is why I only fly when I have no option.
Go online and look up the number for the TSA, call them and ask. I flew from Wisconsin to Texas and back again in April. Since I had not flown since 1999, I was concerned about all the new rules. I looked up the contact info for the TSA and called. They couldn't have been nicer or more patient with me.
When I flew down I had my 4 yr old grandson with me --- I was his companion flyer. He is a real trooper and has flown many times. Everyone at the airports was really kind and thoughtful. I was afraid it would be a nightmare.
We fly a lot, personal and business. Each airport is different. I go to some locations and go through the body scanner and still get patted down, others, I simply walk through the simple machine and go on my way.
A lot of it depends on the airport, timing (holiday), etc.
I personally don't get offended by it and yes I have had a royal pat down as well as the body scanner several times. I want security but I also don't feel like TSA is doing a super job at keeping us safe. I see a lot of TSA agents just standing around.
We fly out of DFW and Love Field mostly. Love Field (Southwest) is the best by far that we've been through but that might be because we are on the A-List and have special perks as far as security, I don't know. We are Gold on American and the main perk with them is a no baggage fee and up to 3 free.
I am willing to spend a little extra time in line so that some freak can be weeded out and keep our people safe.
We travel by plane a great deal as a family for vacations and family visits, and my husband flies several times a month for work.
We have always found differences between airports and the way various TSA agents at those airports interpret and enforce their practices.
We just go with the flow since there is really nothing you can do other than try to be as familiar as you can with the regulations and not get too upset when they seem to deviate from what you'd expect.
Wish I had a better answer for you, but on the up side, I think it is great that your 87 year-old mother wants to and can do all of that traveling! That's fantastic!
Each state is different and each state could be on a different alert. There are color codes for the alerts and if a particular airport is within a higher alert, it is likely you will be checked a little more thorough.
TSA are just people and with that you get all sorts of different personalities.
Although it is all very annoying and invasive, it is for our protection. I hate the thought of them patting my little girl down, but I will take that over the scanner...just my choice.
If you find the screening is different for elderly, remind the TSA and kindly ask for a supervisor. However, you better plan on leaving about 20 minutes early in the event it holds you up while they find one.
From what I have been told it varies by airport. In the past two years I have flown four times and not so much as a pat down. Just went through the metal detectors and that was it.
I wish I could be more help.
Every airport is different, every airline is different...heck, every TSA agent is different. Your experience depends on who happens to be there when it's your turn to go through, regardless of age, health, or other circumstance. Go early, pack lots of patience, offer simple explanations, and bring up anything that may be questionable before they have a chance to question it....like metal implants or medications. Be prepared to be inconvenienced and then be pleased when you get the easy way through. The easiest way to get through airport security is to cooperate quietly while hysterically laughing on the inside at the utter ridiculousness of it all.
