The new norm

Pat downs. Learn to love them. This will be one nasty holiday travel season. 

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2010/10/29/pat-downs-may-soon-become-norm-at-airports/

Comments

[Paula S]

I've been used to them for years. For some reason Malaga airport metal detectors always beep at me, yet Toronto, Heathrow and Gatwick never do. I always get a pat down as a leaving present.

[Monte]

My wife says, "Okay, if I get to pick the guy". Of course it will happen that way.

Several years ago I was going through the Guangzhou airport on the way back to the land of milk and honey. All passenger, in turn, had to step up on a round platform about a foot high and eightteen inches in diameter for a pat down. That pat down might be better described as a felt up, which indeed it was. Wearing white gloves, the young woman left nothing to a second guess as to pocket contents or body parts. Upon finding nothing except Cuban cigars in my shirt pocket she bid me dismount and begone. All very businesslike and it didn't cost me a cent.

[Paula S]

Mrs Monte sounds like a fun gal (my type of humour)!

If I had the nerve and a perfect figure, I would wear a skintight catsuit on my next trip.......I'd like to see how they'd deal with that. Being skintight it wouldn't leave anything to the imagination and would very obviously show I wasn't smuggling anything dangerous. ;-)

[Jim]

Farewell US - I've enjoyed spending my holidays visiting so many different places and wonderful friends - but this is the end for me. On my last trip I endured pat downs at every security check (even despite being bombarded by radiation in the 'stripper' machine). I endured being singled out for 20 minutes of questioning by some 'roving' agents only because I had arrived too early to check-in and was simply going for a walk around the terminal to pass time. I have endured too many times the rudeness of an ill informed immigration agents at LAX. I can see that really the US doesn't want tourists, nor our dollars. Fine. I'll take the disinterested approach of the Italian officials or the friendliness of most of Asia (that even the Vietnamese officials have) anyday over this nasty circus.
Sigh - just when the aussie hit parity.