Avoiding a TSA pat-down
February 23, 2019 3:56 PM   Subscribe

My husband had a hip replacement in 2016. Since then, he has had multiple TSA pat-downs at the airport whenever we travel and he really hates the experience. He doesn't want to fly anymore. This could be a problem for me as we both have elderly family members out of state who could need our help at a moments notice. Could he avoid the pat-downs if he obtains a TSA PreCheck or a letter from his hip surgeon? Since I'm the one who will be doing the footwork on his behalf, I'm wondering if anyone on this website has any experience with this.
posted by htm to Travel & Transportation (17 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
TSA says a letter from the doctor won't work.
posted by metahawk at 4:13 PM on February 23, 2019 [1 favorite]


I"m wondering if it is any better if he uses the body scanning/back scatter devices instead of x-ray. My husband has a pacemaker so he always needs to go through the scanner and not the x-ray machines. The good news is that the subsequent pat-down is much simpler since the agent only has to check the specific area - in most cases, just with a wand rather than a pat. (Again this is pacemaker, not a hip so YMMV). By the way, TSA pre-check tends to send people thru x-ray machines because they are much faster, so he will start in the pre-check line then get diverted to do through the scanners.
posted by metahawk at 4:21 PM on February 23, 2019


It really kind of depends on the airport. I have TSA precheck and go through that line probably 30 times a year.

Sometimes it's just the metal detector and sometimes it's the human X-Ray machine thing. Many times (about 1/2) when I go through they ask people if they have metal in their body and I join the line of old people that have to go through the x-ray machine due to some screws in my ankle.

They always spot it and then wand you. Since it is my ankle I sometimes have to take my boot off so they can run that though the baggage x-ray. not much you can do about it. Again, it depends on the airport and the day.
posted by sanka at 5:10 PM on February 23, 2019 [1 favorite]


TSA uses two main kinds of security devices to scan travelers at airports:

* The metal detector. This is the upside-down U shaped device which you walk through, and which beeps if it detects presence of metal anywhere on your body.
* The millimeter-wave imager. This is the cylindrical chamber that you stand in while you're scanned. It compares the scanned image of your body against a model to attempt to pinpoint areas where a weapon may be carried, and displays potential problem areas to the TSA agent.

The TSA no longer uses backscatter x-ray machines to scan people for weapons, those have been gone since 2013.

TSA PreCheck allows the traveler, in most cases, to walk through a metal detector instead of waiting in the longer standard lines for the imagers. For most people, this speeds up the process. However, this is unlikely to help in the case of a hip replacement, where the metal detector is nevertheless likely to detect the metal of the replacement hip.

In fact, PreCheck may make things worse - when the metal detector detects metal, it just beeps, requiring a full patdown. The millimeter-wave imager is more likely to either let the hip replacement pass or to target the specific area where the replacement was installed to allow the TSA employee to wave their wand instead of do a full patdown.

The TSA's official position, per the article linked above, is: “Many passengers with metal implants that regularly alarm a metal detector prefer to be screened by imaging technology in order to reduce the likelihood of a pat-down being necessary. A passenger can request to be screened by imaging technology if it is in use and available at the checkpoint. If a passenger cannot or chooses not to be screened by imaging technology, or the passenger alarms a walk-through metal detector, the passenger will be screened using a thorough pat-down procedure.”

So, the prognosis isn't great. As metahawk mentioned, the letter won't help, and a trip through either of the machines can end up with TSA scrutiny. However, it is likely to be more problematic with PreCheck and the metal detector. The best approach is likely to go through the normal lines, the millimeter-wave imager, and have your husband state to the TSA agent supervising the imager that he has had a hip replacement in the specific leg it's in and hope they just wave their wand.
posted by eschatfische at 5:47 PM on February 23, 2019 [9 favorites]


I have some surgical wire in my femur - since '82 or so, and recently added some staples inside my chest cavity.
The metal detector never picked up on the wire. The imaging system seems to pick them up though, and I can't sort out why, if they are inside me. I get patted down on that femur and my chest/back area now.
posted by rudd135 at 6:22 PM on February 23, 2019 [2 favorites]


when the metal detector detects metal, it just beeps, requiring a full patdown.

At all the airports I've been to (note, not nearly the entire USA), the Pre✓ agents will allow you to voluntarily go through the millimeter wave scanner if you want to. I occasionally do so because one of my surgical implants is just metallic enough to set off the metal detector if I'm also wearing shoes that have any metal in them. Going through the millimeter wave scanner means I don't have to take off my shoes. I've been wanded a couple of times, but only around the surgical implant area. In both times, the agent accepted the explanation of the implant as triggering the machine.
posted by saeculorum at 6:37 PM on February 23, 2019


Response by poster: Thank you, all! I read your responses to my husband. He was very discouraged and said he's not going to fly again unless there's a death in the family and he has to make the trip.

We were hoping PreCheck would be the answer. But according to eschatfische, it might work against him. And there's no guarantee, even if my husband were to tell the TSA agent supervising the imager that he has a hip replacement, that they would, in fact, just wave their wand.

The airports we use most of the time are in California, New York and Washington State: LAX, Long Beach, JFK, Seattle and Yakima.

Again, your feedback was most helpful and I sincerely appreciate it. You have saved me the time and money that applying for PreCheck would have required.
posted by htm at 7:02 PM on February 23, 2019 [1 favorite]


Since this sounds like an important issue, maybe check with official channels, either one or more airlines or TSA itself. They may have a way for you to get an official answer. It might not help, but it might.

Also, raising this issue with them will add your voice to anyone else who's asked or complained about this issue, which will help (a little, maybe) motivate them to come up with a workable answer or solution.

If people just give up and/or don't ask, nothing's ever going to change.

I'm not saying you're giving up -- you never said you would -- but there does seem to be a defeatist trend elsewhere that I'm pushing back against.
posted by amtho at 7:11 PM on February 23, 2019 [1 favorite]


I agree that if people don’t complain about the Testicle Sqeezing Administration and their invasive and ridiculous security theater nothing will change, but I don’t think complaining will have any effect either. I used to call or email both my senators once a year about it, but after getting an email congratulating me for agreeing with the senator’s tough position on security (thanks for the sour persimmons, Amy Klobuchar) I decided there was no point. No one is listening or reading. Maybe if I were a rich contributor, but then I’d be flying on a private jet.

If you are positioned favorably, you might be able to take the train for not much more than a last-minute plane ticket. There is no TSA for that yet.
posted by Gilgamesh's Chauffeur at 8:53 PM on February 23, 2019 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: Thanks much, amtho and Gilgamesh's Chauffeur.
posted by htm at 11:02 PM on February 23, 2019


I have a hip replacement, and while I don't have PreCheck I have been selected for it a few times. The x-ray machine has seemed to be set less sensitively in PreCheck, and I have gone through without setting it off. That said, I'm guessing this might not always be the case.
posted by loop at 12:08 AM on February 24, 2019 [1 favorite]


I have a pretty big pin in my leg and it's not shown up on the hoop or on millimetre wave. A wet ponytail shows up on the mm-wave every time, and involves some unfortunate soul patting down soggy hair, but my testicles are left well alone. There's no hard and fast rule, sorry.

In desperation, you seem to get more of a pass if you ask for wheelchair assistance at the airport.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 12:34 AM on February 24, 2019 [1 favorite]


Wheelchair assistance often leads to less invasive experiences, but not always. My partner recently had an absurdly "thorough" check in SAN (even by usual TSA standards) despite using a wheelchair and us having been routed through the fast lane. The only things that have consistently helped are me staying close to him in line (so he doesn't look like a single male? Idk) and making sure he's carrying only the most innocuous of bags, like the one with everyone's sweaters, instead of the one with electronics and chocolate.
posted by teremala at 6:58 AM on February 24, 2019 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: Thanks much, loop, How much is that froggie in the window, and teremala.
posted by htm at 3:48 PM on February 24, 2019


For what it's worth, I had a frozen shoulder for about a year which limited my range of motion and was extremely painful. I always told the TSA personnel what my limitations were and they abided by them ("Raise your arms", "my right arm only goes this far."). Similarly, when encountering the frustration of having to work with my daughter, who has multiple disabilities and doesn't really "get" what's going on at the checkpoint, we were told last time that we could "call ahead to get different screening." I haven't had the chance to follow up on this, but maybe this is an option?
posted by plinth at 7:23 AM on February 25, 2019


Response by poster: Thank you plinth. Who were you told to "call ahead" to? The TSA or the airline?
posted by htm at 1:39 PM on February 25, 2019


The airline, IIRC.
posted by plinth at 9:20 AM on March 17, 2019


« Older LEGO Assistance   |   the past, it wanted me dead Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.