Taking off one's shoes at the airport security line?

[question everything]

I remember some time ago reading in the local newspaper that the TSA does not mandate removing one's shoes.

I always fly with soft all leather shoes no metal shoes (SAS) that have never triggered any metal detector, not even the eyelets. Was even once congratulated by a screener for wearing these shoes.

Thus, as a matter of principle I will not remove my shoes. Strange tendency, I do not believe in waving my rights... started with letters of reference from college professors..

The other day I flew from MSP to Chicago. No problem at Minneapolis-St. Paul. Walked right through.

Not at O'Hare flying back. The guy standing at the metal detectors kept saying: take off your shoes as the line was moving.

No, I did not. You will have to be moved and "manually" checked, he said.

OK. I moved. Sat aside while eying my carry on and coat coming through the conveyor belt. No, they won't let you touch them while in "protective custody." And if anyone would grab my stuff and run away I suppose it would be my fault.

Anyway, another screener took what looked like a moist toilette and swabbed my shoes, then fed it to a machine and then cleared me.

I suppose it varies from one airport to another.

[Dem Agog]

1. They were checking your shoes for bomb material, not metal...

The x-raying of shoes is stupid. Bombs in shoes can be disguised. You seem to have set off some sort of suspicion because you weren't a lemming like all the others. Like you, I won't remove my shoes unless I know they're a pair of steel-shanked shoes.

Frankly, what they did to your shoes would be far more effective at detecting "shoe bombers" than x-raying a million shoes, IMO.

[question everything]

3. In that case, they should soak the carpet at the metal detectors

with that material and let passengers walk on that

[NVMojo]

2. no matter what, the whole thing has turned into a degrading experience ...

I hate flying now ...

[400Years]

27. that't the point, security really has nothing to do with it

[Richard D]

4. Those swabs . . .

. . . are incredibly sensitive. I once got pulled aside because my computer tested positive for nitro-glycerine. I had to think really hard about as to how that could be possible. Turns out that a friend of mine had used my computer to send an email a few days before. Her husband used nitro for a heart condition.

[question everything]

5. Whoa! I think that I read that some lotion

may contain material that would trigger it.

[pitohui]

15. hand lotion contains glycerine, or many do anyway

don't want to tell ya if you have dry skin :shrug:

[tinrobot]

6. Just wat till someone invents the boxer short bomb

Then it will get REALLY embarassing.

[LisaL]

10. Yack. W e are lucky that guy hid the bomb in his shoes, not

his underwear.

[fortyfeetunder]

7. I have a new solution for that one...

Since my newspapers are now arriving in plastic bags, I am planning to take a few, stuff in my travel bag and then cover my feet with them after I take off my shoes.

I hate the idea of removing my shoes, walking over a dirty floor then putting those dirty socks back in my shoes. That is a hygiene hazard.

[ellenfl]

8. i have begun wearing flip-flops . . .

the old flat kind not the fashionable platform type. i breeze right through the line that way. i also bought a couple of pair of clear plastic heeled shoes. i HATE taking my shoes off in the line. otherwise, i slip on a pair of socks, if i have to remove my shoes.

ellen fl

[question everything]

21. That's a good idea. Can fit them in any carry on

and can remove them once clearing the line. Can be quite cold in the cabin..

[lapislzi]

32. Felt clogs are also good

if you get cold tootsies as I do. I also have a pair of those sneakers that look like a cross between a sneaker and a ballet slipper; you know the ones with all the elastic stringy things? Also good for airport lines.

[Frances]

9. It must vary from airport to airport and day to day

I flew across country and back with 2 plane changes each way a few weeks ago. I was asked to take my shoes off one time.

[LisaL]

11. Everybody in Columbus OH airport is asked to remove shoes.

[Somawas]

12. Airports are training grounds for the compliance to authority

necessary for the complete victory of fascism. Already been moved to the subways. Bus terminals have to be next.

[RagingInMiami]

13. I'm usually too much in a hurry to catch my flight

To start teaching them a lesson on what not and what they're allowed to do to me. I try to wear shoes that I can slip on and off so I can be on my way.

[pitohui]

14. yes it varies

they call it "shoe carnival," msy (new orleans moissant airport) is another that really insists you remove yr shoes, it's no biggie for me, i'm practically a member of the barefooting movement as it is

they do look at you weird in some of the european airports when you pre-emptively remove your shoes tho, a gal can't win, you learn the routine for one airport & another airport will have its own way of doing things

[question everything]

20. Indeed. Flew through Europe twice

since 911, and don't remember having to remove them anywhere.

[gauguin57]

16. Whenever I take my shoes off (just to get through faster!), I wanna say

to the screeners, "Trick or treat, smell my feet!" I make sure I use peppermint or green-tea foot spray before flying. And odor eaters.

[Inland]

17. What I hate is there's never a place to put them back on!

You would think there would be rows of tables and chairs where you could put your carryon down, sit and put your shoes back on.

I can balance, but I was at Ft Myers, where the average age of the traveler is seventy and shoe sole thickness three inches, and the elderly were waiting for the two chairs.

[ellenfl]

26. pbia has chairs lined up outside the security section. eom

[davsand]

18. I asked the guy in Indy who he'd pissed off to get that job.

He was NOT amused, even if I wasn't trying to be a smart ass.

That job has GOT to suck--just stop to think about it...

I really wondered what that poor guy could have possibly done that was so bad he got stuck on the shoe detail. Did he get caught screwing the boss's wife? Did he get busted drinking on the job (or worse yet--fail a drug test?)

Certain lawn fertilizers or plant foods will set those sensors off, along with some drugs (Like Nitro for heart patients.) One lady I know keeps a pair of bunny slippers just for when she travels by air. She flies a lot and swears that her feet feel better and she has fewer problems at the airport. (She also wears a sports bra to fly, so I'm thinking airport fashion is not her big concern.)

I'm personally less worried about getting blown up by some guy with Plastique in his shoe heels than I am about crashing into the ground because the airline screwed over the mechanic's union.

Just my two cents.



Laura

[pitohui]

22. i go the sports bra route also

but i haven't quite taken the step to bunny slippers...yet...

[knitter4democracy]

51. Me too.

No pantyhose in case of fire, handknit wool socks to stay warm and comfy, and a shawl big enough to double as a blanket. I also bag everything separately in ziplocs in my bags so they're easier to go through.

I just pray they won't take my knitting away like they did the Yarn Harlot's that one time. I think I'd go as crazy as she did. ;)

[yankeedem]

19. It is about power

and the government showing us that they can make us do anything they want- in the name of "security".

[pitohui]

23. actually i think it is not that bad a technique

consistency can be a bad thing if it allows the terrorists to identify a consistent action or a consistent weakness, if the terrorist is kept off-guard because he can't be sure where or if his shoes will be checked, he might have to re-think some ideas & put off his attempt for another time

random means random policy & loudly publicized checks of grandmothers w. walkers or babies in diapers keep the terrorist or drug importer from slipping the contraband into yr grandmother's purse or yr baby's diaper

[Metta]

24. I got the same hassle in Frisco but Chi but not in Pittsburgh or Denver.

nt

[SheilaT]

25. Airport security is such a crock.

I've seriously considered letting my personal hygiene deteriorate significantly, so that everyone can share in the experience of my removing my shoes.

And I'm sorry, making elderly or wheelchair bound folks get up and walk through the metal detector flies in the face of reason. And carefully checking out toddlers and baby diapers.

And DON'T carry on about how the next thing will be hijackers will dress up like nuns and bomb airplanes that way.

If they really, really care so much, we should all be forced to fly completely naked. Shudder.

[nini]

50. 'Don't carry on"... so, any dissenting opinion is wrong?

:shrug:



I've yet to see a wheelchair bound person be forced to get up and walk through a detector. I was in a wheelchair at one point and they managed to clear me without me crawlling through the detector. :eyes:


I don't like it but I understand why security is in place. Sorry, but it's a shitty world right now and who the hell knows what the next method used will be - if any.

[shanti]

28. you were red flagged for further security checks

i had to go thru the full check (shoes, wand) because i flew one way to L.A. a couple of years ago.

[question everything]

40. I was surprised that they did not do the wand

when, if I wear a pair of jeans, each grommet causes a beep, and the buckle on my watch wristband... don't remember the surgical screws in my ankle, though..

No, they did not even ask me to remove my shoes so that THEY would pass them through while I was sitting. Just swabbed them.

[Mr_Spock]

29. Yeah, I was told it's just easier than getting pulled aside and checked...

I just assume that I will take them off so it doesn't bother me...

[Catherine Vincent]

30. What if your feet stink?

[tx_dem41]

31. I fly 2-3 times a month and have had no problem with TSA....

The only problem I have noticed is that at times when a lot of non-frequent flyers are traveling (e.g. summer and holidays), they really botch up the lines.

As for "waving" your rights....you do realize that you "wave" some of those rights when you purchase a ticket for a PRIVATE airline? Check the back of your ticket sometimes.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

33. the problem I have is one of consistency

just make the rules the same all over and tell everyone the rules so that some jackass in Denver won't spend five minutes telling me to remove my shoes when the guys in Atlanta don't even notice...

It is a total pain in the ass...just be consistent and I would have no problems with it...

subjektProdigal

[tx_dem41]

36. Ummmm...its not consistent for one very important reason...

goes without saying.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

37. um...the rules for taking off shoes could and should be

if the metal detectors are sensitve enough to pick up the metal shanks in the soles of some shoes then they should be able to make an easy decision...yes shoes on or yes shoes off...making people guess what is going to be required is a crock. Forcing some people to take their shoes off is NOT going to prevent another bombing...we spend too much time looking for weapons and not enough time looking for terrorists. Say what you like, but El Al has not had a terrorist incident in over 30 years...and consistency is part of their gameplan...

subjektProdigal

[question everything]

42. From the TSA web page

Screeners have been given explicit guidance on which shoes require X-ray screening. Loy said screeners are being instructed to encourage passengers to remove their shoes and submit them for X-ray examination. Passengers will not be required to take off their shoes before going through metal detectors, but should understand that their chances of being selected for a more thorough, secondary screening will be lower if they do. In most airports, TSA has found checkpoint lines move faster if people remove their shoes for screening.

While many people do not know if their shoes contain metal, Loy repeated that particularly thick-soled shoes and those with metal shanks or steel toes join other apparel, such as heavy metal jewelry and belts, that require secondary screening.


http://www.tsa.gov/public/display?content=090005198003c6f1

[question everything]

41. Sure. And everyone HAS to go through security and this is fine

But no everyone HAS to remove their shoes, as a TSA official declare (cannot find a link but remember reading about it) and as we can see from different airports and different flights.

Thus, I will not remove my shoes.. too much herd mentality that can really raise the worst objections in me. So this is my own small, personal contribution to individuality.

[tx_dem41]

44. Fine....choose this island to make your stand.

But, if you are front of me and I'm trying to make an flight...you want get my respect, just my derision.

Again, you "waved" your rights when you bought the ticket. Thus, no rights to be "waved". So, please, don't think you're making some great Constitutional stand.

[question everything]

46. Won't affect you at all

I passed through the metal detector and then stepped side while others continued to go through and my carry on was going on the belt too.

No one had to stop for even a second.

Now, if you were behind me and you were pulled aside, too, then you would have to wait until my shoes were swabbed and declared clear before yours were, too.

And... about the ticket, I think that this would refer to the airline and crew... for example once on board one has to obey the commands of the captain and crew (did you see the movie Flightplan?)

I don't know that it says anything about airport security and the TSA.. don't know. I had an e-ticket and is already in the trash.

[wrathofkahn]

34. You were "randomly selected," but ORD is the WORST

At least as far as my experience goes. I took a bunch of pictures (actual film, not digital) in Chicago about a year ago, and when I was on my way home, I asked for a manual inspection of my film. The first two levels of TSA (which seems to stand for "Thousands Standing Around") personnel refused, insisting that my film had to go through the X-ray. I've had too much film fogged that way (despite the repeated claims that it "can't happen" with that equipment), so I stood my ground. Once I got to the third-level supervisor, who started saying that they didn't have to do that, I politely took down everyone's name, and then asked the suit to watch my stuff for a moment, so that I could go copy down the FAA regulation clearly posted at the start of the security line stating that I was entitled to a manual inspection of my film.

Suddenly, they were delighted to keep my film far away from the X-ray machine.



I have a pair of "flying shoes" that I wear: nice, loose loafers that look OK with most everything I wear, and they slip on and off easily. I find them especially handy for trans-Atlantic flights, since I slip my shoes off for those long flights anyway.

[MarsThe Cat]

35. when i flew out of o'hare last month- i didn't have to remove my shoes.

it was the first post-9/11 flight i had taken.

[BiggJawn]

38. What's the sense of wearing clean sox?

I fucking HATE taking my shoes off.
There's no consistency. Some places it's "We can deal with that if they beep? OK." and in other places it's "Take your shoes off if you don't want this Size 11 hand gettin' jiggy with your colon..."

[tammywammy]

39. I've never had a problem with the TSA

I'm not a frequent flyer by any means, but I have flown a dozen or so times since 9/11.

I wear slip on loafers, so they're easy on and off.

What surprises me, is that out of all the time I've flown, only once was I not picked out to be specially screened. The first time, I can understand, I had an open-ended ticket. But, seriously, every other time I've flown I've been pulled out of the line. So, since I figure that I'm going to be pulled out of line, I just always try and get there early. It just does piss me off, when I am in a hurry and I have to wait 5 minutes for the screener to even get over there to look through my bags. Uggh.

[question everything]

43. Perhaps your name is on "the list"

that also includes toddlers and, I think, Senator Kennedy.

Why not ask them? http://www.tsa.gov/public/contactus

[tammywammy]

55. I just like to think that

there's a huge terrorist gang full of 20-something red heads. :)

It really doesn't bother me. And if I'm on a list, well it's been since a few months after 9/11. I've never missed a flight because of it.

[Bombero1956]

47. Flew last week

This was my first time flying post 9/11 and after seeing the guy in front of me start to remove everything but his pants I did the same. I have a big silver belt buckle so I took that off too. I was sure worried the pants would drop while going through the metal detector. Then its a big rush to put the belt back on without missing a loop, put the cell phone back on, put your shoes on and grab your carry on bag. They made the guy behind me sit down and they used the wand on his feet.

[MurrayDelph]

45. I sometimes think about filing an ADA discrimination suit

I used to fly on business about twenty times a year (until I changed jobs six years ago). Since then, my knees have gotten so bad that I wear a brace (with metal supports) on one knee. For a while, I used to tell them about the brace, but it got so bad I started wearing shorts so that they could still SEE the brace. They still ask me
to take it off, and failing that, insist that I take my shoes off,
which means I am sitting over in one of their cubicles while my valuables (often including laptop computer) sit unattended at the
end of the conveyor belt while they make sure the poor cripple isn't
smuggling C14 in his sandals (yes, I even started wearing sandals
as well. My first stop after I go through security is to go to
the men's room to get properly dressed for the flight).

This is why, since I mostly travel for pleasure now, I drive my Prius wherever it is I am going.

[question everything]

49. It would be nice if people like you had some kind of a certificate

or even be in a database detailing this. Why not contact them? http://www.tsa.gov/public/contactus

I would also suggest contacting your Congress representative but if s/he is a rabid patriot who wears the flag on his/her lapel rather then on uniform...

[LittleClarkie]

48. Blame the shoe bomber

I went through that in Cincinatti.

[tjwash]

52. Like it or not, you are going to have to do it.

I travel 40 out of 52 weeks a year by air. I just wear simple shoes like flip flops in the summer, or loafers in the winter that slip on and off, and take an extra 2 seconds to put them in the same bin as my fanny pack. I also do not put anything in my pockets. I just wear a fanny pack that snaps off and snaps back on. I never get a secondary search that way.

Practice makes perfect as they say...

[sbj405]

53. I wear Chaco's (sandals)

At one airport, I was told they "meet the profile" in having "think soles." When I asked what the thickness was to qualify as "thick" I got a dumb look. At least five other airports, I've not been stopped. They have no consistency between screeners, let alone nationwide. An all random process would be more effective.

Then again, I've lost all faith in airport security when returning from a backpacking trip I had a full fuel canister in my backpack. I fully expected that the item would have been seized. When I got my bag back it was in tact. But matches and lighters are a no no.

[ryan_cats]

54. This happened to me in Kauai

This happened to me in Kauai. I was wearing flip,flops figuring they wouldn't ask me to take them off. They did.
Too stupid.

Right about now I think is not the time to fly. Scrub-ya is going to need a diversion after Fitzmas and I'm afraid as to what he and his cabal are capable of.