This is a repost of my blog from 2011 – almost 12 years ago on a older blogger platform.

Original Post – without any changes below and update at the bottom.

As many of you know, I travel quite a bit almost 150 K miles each year and come across a lot of unexpected events and situations. Lately I have been noticing a trend… especially with the security procedures in US Airports.

In Phoenix airport, Terminal 3 (where Delta flies out of), there is a station for “random” screening for explosive residue between the officer that checks your boarding pass and the actual X-ray screening. This person stands there with a little cloth that they swab you and put it in a machine to check for explosives – you probably heard of it. Now, since there are so many people going through – they only screen one out of may be 10? So what do you think my odds are? 1 in 2? So last couple of times there was an officer at this station, I might as well stop before they signal – because it seems like he/she is ready for random testing when I walk by. 2 weeks ago, when the passenger in front of me got stopped and then she noticed me coming, then she waved her to move on and stopped me – never fails… so I feel lucky to be Randomly chosen 🙂

Then just last week on Wednesday I took a really late flight out of Phoenix for Denver. This is around 8:30 p.m. in Terminal 4 of Phoenix airport. There was only one security gate open since there weren’t many people. They have a regular X-Ray and a Body Scanner next to each other. They also randomly send people through one or the other based on queue – so when I got in the line, there were 4 people – I am the 4th. The 1st one was in the scanner – so 2nd one will go through X-ray, 3rd one through scanner, 4th one me through X-ray… based on how they split them normally. But I somehow knew this is going to be RANDOM again, so I took off my belt and emptied pockets (needed for body scan), just to be safe and sure enough… the officer decides to let #2 and #3 through X-Ray so I can go through the body scanner. So, I am figuring that when it comes to Air Travel, I am Mr. Random (ly) screened passenger.

Now, I don’t mind going through this (often), I am used to it, there are some other interesting stories I will post later.

If TSA decides to profile passengers and spare old people in wheel chairs and infants, I am all for it. But our official policy is that we only do random additional checks on passengers, and somehow it feels like profiling to me… may be it is just me.

Although, these additional screening are nothing compared to the FULL PAT DOWN i received in Amsterdam in 2009 – 2 days after the guy tried to blow up a plane headed to Detroit from Amsterdam – that my friends is a pat down just short of a full cavity search 🙂

If you feeling lucky – let me pick Random numbers and we may win lottery or something!!

2023 Update

Lot changed in last 12 years. I am now a member of Clear, Global Entry, TSA Pre and still get the dreaded “SSSS” on my international boarding passes and random checks at airports. I have a better appreciation and patience for it and no longer think about it. – Mr. Random