You read it here first. I just experienced my first enhanced patdown by TSA. The screener was very polite and professional, but that doesn’t mean I enjoyed the wait. That said, it wasn’t quite as horrid as some in the media and elsewhere make it out to be. More details to follow in my trip summary.
Breaking News: I Just Had My First Enhanced Patdown
More Posts by: MJ on Travel
17 Years: Remembering 9/11
Originally posted on September 11, 2009. Eight years ago today, my morning began much like any other early…
Summer Travel Tips From an Ex-Airline Guy
Memorial Day weekend has come and gone and the unofficial start of the summer travel season is upon…
Finding Affordable Airfares for a Weekly Commute
In this post Hide A Tale of Living in Two CitiesAbility to Work Remotely (Sometimes) is Key to…
A Final Thought for Now: Miles, Points, and Change
Where in the world is MJ? Actually, I’m typing this from San Francisco, but have no idea where…
Protecting Your Financial Information on the Road
There are many things that travelers need to be aware of on the road. One of the most…
Summer Travel Tips Work When Airline Computers Attack Too
Well, the last few weeks have been interesting from an information technology perspective. One could be forgiven for…
The unfortunate reality is that the patdowns are not consistent in this manner. Just because this instance was less invasive than others have experienced doesn’t absolve the TSA of guilt. Your experience and many others may have been okay, but the TSA maintains the capacity to be ever more invasive. And anyone who resists can be subject to fines, detention, and generally punitive responses from the TSA.
Perhaps it wasn’t the fully monty if you thought it was so okay … I was horrified by the first real one I got (HNL opt-out was the old style) by some TSO that was likely very proud of her high marks in the how-to class I’m sure they were sent through.
It was more thorough than any patdown I’ve seen a cop make as part of an arrest (not that I’ve seen a ton of those, mind you).