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At one point, lot of people, myself included, chose to opt out of going through full-body scanner machines.
At the risk of this turning into a polarized topic, which is not my intention, am asking if people still do this, or, if TSA practices have changed.
Please don't be that person to compare it to the same amount of radiation as blah blah blag and kindly do not attack one side or the other for their personal choice.
I don't travel as much as before, and much of my travel was outside the US, but I have noticed in some cases that fewer people have had to go through the scanners, it seems to be random or selective at least who they make go through them, and when. Also I think I had heard that the scanner tech has changed since first introduced.
I don't visit this forum much, if there is a thread on this please point me to it and happy to take it from there.
Yes. I opt out. Always. I've never gone through a scanner, except once, by accident.
But what do you mean, fewer people "have had to"? No one has to. Anyone can opt out.
The funny thing is that sometimes people say that it wastes too much time opting out. Really? And you really need that time to sit waiting by the gate?
Yes. I opt out. Always. I've never gone through a scanner, except once, by accident.
But what do you mean, fewer people "have had to"? No one has to. Anyone can opt out.
The funny thing is that sometimes people say that it wastes too much time opting out. Really? And you really need that time to sit waiting by the gate?
Depends on how early you get to the airport. I have Pre, so I rarely go through those machines anyway, but the oddball time I do, I just go through it. I'm not worried about it, I don't particularly care what they see and it's faster than waiting around to get wanded or find a different machine. Then again, I'm 100% not getting to the airport the 2+ hours early they tell you to. Depending on the airport and what time my flight is, I'll get there at best an hour early, especially for an early morning flight. Drop the car, self serve check in, drop my bag and off I go. Through security in 5-10 minutes, grab a bottle of water and a snack and head for my gate. I might wait half an hour or so, if that?
I’ve never gone through a backscatter type machine, and don’t intend to do so. But I have had Global Entry for a good while now, so that’s not an issue.
I’ve never gone through a backscatter type machine, and don’t intend to do so. But I have had Global Entry for a good while now, so that’s not an issue.
Well, no one goes through backscatter, because they aren't in use anymore. TSA now uses millimeter wave scanners.
And even with PreCheck, you can still be required to go through the millimeter wave scanner. Most everyone goes through the metal detector, but those are set up to randomly select passengers for additional screening.
Yes anyone can opt out, but since there's no sign anywhere saying that people can, only the knowledgeable are aware.
What a great point! Yes!
I wonder what would happen if there were big signs saying something like:
"Our security checkpoint uses a standard scanning machine. However, you are welcome to instead opt out and choose a personal search, for health reasons, privacy reasons, or anything else."
Quote:
Originally Posted by ReblTeen84
Depends on how early you get to the airport. I have Pre, so I rarely go through those machines anyway, but the oddball time I do, I just go through it. I'm not worried about it, I don't particularly care what they see and it's faster than waiting around to get wanded or find a different machine. Then again, I'm 100% not getting to the airport the 2+ hours early they tell you to. Depending on the airport and what time my flight is, I'll get there at best an hour early, especially for an early morning flight. Drop the car, self serve check in, drop my bag and off I go. Through security in 5-10 minutes, grab a bottle of water and a snack and head for my gate. I might wait half an hour or so, if that?
I don't get there particularly early. I get there maybe an hour and a half early - but that's not because of the scanning, but because I'm wary about traffic. I find that opting out of the scanning takes an additional 10-20 minutes, and that's time that I'd just be sitting waiting anyway.
I wonder what would happen if there were big signs saying something like:
"Our security checkpoint uses a standard scanning machine. However, you are welcome to instead opt out and choose a personal search, for health reasons, privacy reasons, or anything else."
It would be nice to have signs like that. I bet they don't put them up because they're concerned that more people would choose to opt out and it would take even longer.
I bet they don't put them up because they're concerned that more people would choose to opt out and it would take even longer.
I suspect the vocal minority that are paranoid about scanners are exactly that... an insignificant percentage that makes the loudest noise about it (and probably everything else in their lives), so they greatly overestimate how much anyone else really cares.
I suspect the vocal minority that are paranoid about backscatter devices are exactly that... an insignificant percentage that makes the loudest noise about it (and probably everything else in their lives), so they greatly overestimate how much anyone else really cares.
If they're paranoid about backscatter devices they're also uninformed, since backscatter scanners haven't been used by TSA since 2013.
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