Keep your shoes on says TSA

Oh joy. This means that when I take my shoes off, I will be receiving even more abuse from people who know all about the TSA rules.

I have two pairs of shoes that have metal stays. One of these also has zippers on the side. They will set off the metal screen.

Every time I take them off at the airport Mr. helpful tells me how I’m doing it all wrong because I’m in pre-check. I ignore Mr. helpful but 90% of the time after Mr. helpful has told me how I was supposed to be doing it when they go through the screener, they set the alarm off because the $40 in coins in their pocket and they’re two cell phones weren’t considered metal in their mind. I always just smile at them knowingly after they make their second trip through the scanner. I feel certain they know what I’m thinking.

Ha ha, Carol, my thoughts exactly! I've decided there are three kinds of people in the line: Mr Helpful, me, and Mr. "I brought my entire wardrobe in this suitcase but I better repack it on the conveyer belt right before it goes through the screening cameras."

There is a fourth type.....the "I'm going to wear every bit of clothing I have with lots of metal and lots and lots of metal jewelry."

Or the woman I was behind in the security line at CDG a couple years ago. She was surprised that she had to pull out her liquids even though there were several signs while waiting in line. I had to wait 10 minutes while she rummaged through her carry-on bag, 2 oversized tote bags and her purse pulling things out. The security guy wouldn't let any of us pass her.

This should be interesting for me. I have two metal hips, a metal shoulder, a cervical plate, and pacemaker/defibrillator. I have been choosing the scanning tube for years due to the metal, and invariably after the first scan I have to send the shoes down the conveyor belt separately because of all the hot spots showing.

Larry, don’t you feel like just climbing onto the belt yourself and lying down to send yourself through the scanner!? I feel like that occasionally….it would save time!
However, I am glad that the agents do carry out their jobs properly.
It can’t be fun for them sometimes.

In Terminal E at Boston Logan (I think...if I misremember it was London) in April, I did not have to take my shoes off. However, once I went through the box, I had to put my feet/shoes up on a machine for review. That was a new experience. So, has anyone seen this in the US?

In Terminal E at Boston Logan (I think...if I misremember it was London) in April, I did not have to take my shoes off. However, once I went through the box, I had to put my feet/shoes up on a machine for review. That was a new experience. So, has anyone seen this in the US?

Wray, I flew from Terminal E about three weeks ago. I did not have to take my shoes off because I have Global Entry/TSA PreCheck. But I did not have to put my feet/shoes on a machine. I wonder if that additional step is for those who do not have TSA PreCheck.

Wray, that was London.

Frank II, Thanks. Sometimes it all runs together!

Mary, I have Global Entry/TSA Pre, but my morning flight is so early that it sometimes doesn't exist at that hour...I do recall there were no lines. I remember it was quick, but that is the extent of my memory...I was distracted by the great expansion at terminal E.

However, once I went through the box, I had to put my feet/shoes up on a machine for review. That was a new experience. So, has anyone seen this in the US?

I experienced this at FCO upon departing from Rome in November 2023. My shoes had set off an alarm when going through Pre-Check at LAX, so at FCO I asked while in line - they said to just walk through and then asked me to step into the shoe scanner. I've been wondering when/if this technology would make its way to the States.