Scanner vs Pat Down

Scanner. Absolutely. Non-evasive. Over as fast as she can calmly walk.
No way I would CHOOSE to have a stranger physically search my kid.

I would pick the scanner over the pat down, if I were forced to make that choice for me or for my daughter. Not every person, in every airport, is asked to do either. I've gone through the standard metal detector many times. I've only been scanned once, and I've never been patted down.

I just came back from Amsterdam where you do not have an option as far I could tell, not that I care. You just stand inside the thing with your arms up (mimicking a drawing on the glass enclosure) and the scan takes about 15 seconds. Before you can even think about it they wave you through. A woman did have to check my belt line since I have metal decorative buttons there, but it was all no big deal. I think like another poster said: If you don't make a big deal about your child will follow your mood.

I've travelled my whole life, and have travelled a lot with my son.

Most airports we've gone through, they don't put the kids through the scanner (because parents freak out at the idea of pictures of their child online). it's a super cursory metal detector/ patdown/ done.

Honestly, I really don't care... Superman Scanner, Metal Detector, Patdown... have at.

Here's why:

- The kids don't care. There's no trauma. As a matter of fact, the line is more traumatic... and so is the enforced sitting still. The 3-6 seconds of walking through a scanner or patdown? It's nothing.

- If some pedophile wants to jack off to some picture of my kid... they're going to do it. My kid is photographed. A LOT. School pictures, school plays, my own pictures, family pictures, santa pictures (hey, that's my kid sitting on a stranger's lap for a good 5-10 MINUTES), sporting events, yearbooks. We're out and about a lot. Anyone can snap a pic of my son at any time when we're out in public, and anyone can screenshot one of him from online. What's great about a SCANNER, however, is the complete and total lack of identifying information. Like facial features, school logos, sporting team info. The hundreds of images that are floating out in real life (NOT ones I've taken but schools, teams, bday parties, sporting events, etc.) all make it easy to FIND him. Not to mention the THOUSANDS of CCTV footage of him (banks, stores, streets, London Proper -nearly all of London is being filmed, as are many other places in the world).

An airport scanner? Pshaw. They're just cattle car-ing people through. You only get ID'd if you're suspicious. ID stuff happens elsewhere. An airport scanner is about as anonymous as you can get.

- It's less than 5 seconds with HUNDREDS of other people around, and more importantly, ME around.

Don't get me wrong, I freaked for a day or two when the scanners first came out, and then I blinked twice and laughed at myself.

From what I understand from friends who fly internationally, the US is one of the worst places in the world for these machines. If I'm not mistaken Europe banned the back scatter technology (?).

I'm not sure which option I'd pick.

For those who say "just don't fly" - guess what - TSA is headed for our highways next. They have already been in bus stations. See: http://www.kcci.com/r/28275373/detail.html . There was also a controversial operation in Savannah (screening people who were getting OFF an Amtrak).

How much are we Americans willing to take? That's what I want to know. Our government is out of control, and using our tax dollars to enrich the stake-holders in the companies who build the machines (Michael Chertoff anyone?).

Good luck. I'm so sorry - what a choice. Most of all I'm sorry that we allow our kids to think it's fine for people to touch them. Haven't we spent most of their lives telling them it's not OK unless it's a doctor?

DUH!!!!

The radiation from the scanner is the equivalent to the same radiation you get if your plane spends an extra 3 minutes in the air due to a delay or storm reroute.

The image isn't a PHOTO - so your child won't even be recognizable.

We go through the scanner or just the regular metal detector.

I'm more worried about the germs from walking barefoot if I forget socks than about the radiation or privacy issues from the scanner.

To me, it's a non-issue.

S.:

The scanner is in Austin is a metal detector. Simple as that. I've passed through it twice.

You MUST go through the scanner - if you don't - then you will be forced to a pat down. Do you really want that?

It's simple and the people there were really nice. it was easy and just walked through. It's not an XRAY. It's not like Arnold Schwarzenagger's TOTAL RECALL Movie - at least not yet.

Just put your items in the tray, remove your shoes and proceed through the scanner.

i'm not a fan of this intrusion. I know the government wants us to "feel" safer. But really - it's a scanner.

We've done both. It is not that big of a deal.

If your daughter picks up you making a big deal about it then she will do the same in turn.

It has been blown way out of proportion. We fly out of DFW and Love Field and have never had issues.

when I've traveled with children, I've only had to go through the metal detector. Never had to have the full body scan with them.

And if i did - I don't see the issue with the full body scan. What's the harm in having a digitial image of your child that is then erased?

In this day and age EVERYONE, from all over the world, goes through security, and mostly everyone goes through the scanner/metal detector, hardly anyone has a "pat down."
We travel a lot, my kids are well trained in putting their metal/electronics in the bins and wearing easily removable shoes.
Why are you so concerned? What does your husband mean about "risky?" Have you been watching too much Fox News or something? :)

The scanner, of course (which we do every time we fly, which is 4-6 times per year). I would cancel my trip before I let a stranger touch my child.

I would prefer the scanner over the pat down any day, definitely.

My mom is a world traveller. She goes to Europe/somewhere overseas 3-4 times a year and travels within the US at least once/month. She absolutely refuses to go through the scanner. She has okay experiences with the pat down and bad experiences with the pat down- but, she will continue to opt out of the scanner. I have only flown once since the scanners were put in. I had three of my kids with me. I chose to opt out and my kids were not required to be scanned or patted down. They just went through the metal detector like how it used to be before the scanners. My pat down was very respectful and done by a woman. I have a real problem with the whole scanner/pat down issue. It is a complete invasion of our personal space/property/liberty. Fortunately, flying is not something I do often. However, I would MUCH rather my children have a pat down than be put in the scanner so some pervert could see them naked or they eventually suffer radiation effects in 5 years when they discover how bad they really are for our health.

I have flown internationally twice in the past two years and both times neither me or the person I was traveling with were made to do either the pat down or the scanner. Every time you could wait for the metal detector or walk right through the scanner. Your choice.

I think this whole thing has been blown way the heck out of proportion to when it is actually used.

I would have just used the scanner to get the heck through but by the time I realized that was an option I was the third person in line.

My DH and SD did the scanner. SS, DD and I were chosen for metal detectors only. Had they pointed me at the scanner I would have asked for a pat down. I hate flying because of the TSA. It's all theatre. They treated me like a criminal all the way through (don't get me started). Nowhere else we flew were as arrogant and rude as our own TSA. Just be prepared for them to be a$$holes if you don't want to be zeroxed.

The problem for me is that the scanners are a questionable bill of goods. They're not always erased, I don't trust that they are the strength we are told they are or the clarity we are told they are. Do you think the operators are trained well? Do you think the scanners really catch terrorists? Do you think the scanners are properly maintained?

On the flip side, there are also reports of people not changing gloves between pat downs and being invasive. I really sweated my decision.

The response is "so don't fly" but like cattle we do.

the thing to remember is she's 4. the only drama that will come out of it is what you provide. no matter YOUR feelings on the matter, to a 4 year old it's NO BIG DEAL. unless her mom and dad are freaking out.

We travel a lot and they always wave us and our 2 kids through the regular metal detector. It is like the security people are extra nice to you if you have kids. They have never once made our kids go through a pat down or the scanner. I had to do the scanner once (it was a few years ago). We travel about 4x a year. Most likely your 4 year old will just walk through the regular metal detector so you will not need to make this decision. If for some reason they do the scanner or pat down with her - it is quick and easy and not a big deal.

I'm happy we get options.
It's to keep people safe. It's a pat down, not a body cavity search!
It wouldn't matter a rip to me which I had to do.

Yep, the big, bad TSA is out there making life miserable for all of us I guess. Kinda like being FORCED to make our kids wear seat belts. Oh--the injustice! Please.

I know my husband and I had this same discussion. He is whole heartedly against the scanners, I am really against both (for a child anyway). So this is what happened when we got chosen.

I was holding my daughter (who was cranky at this point and we just wanted to get through the line quickly), and the guy pointed at me and said you two come forward. I handed my daughter to my husband and told him to go on through the metal detectors. The security agent just gave me a funny look, I am sure he meant for both me and my daughter to go through the process, but I think he got the idea that I wasn't too thrilled about it. So he chose to just scan me, maybe he thought there was going to be a scene and didn't want to deal with it. I went through the scan, my husband and daughter through the normal detectors and it was fine.

So that has been the plan from here on out. Usually the agent will point at just one adult, so we have always just handed our daughter to the other person and just went through ourselves. This has worked everytime. I call it playing dumb, like we don't understand they wanted my daughter too.

Of course we may have just been lucky so far, and not gotten a terribly picky agent. I take the stance, better to ask forgiveness than permission. I am sure if I asked them if they meant my daughter too they would say yes. Instead, by handing her off, if we get called out on it I can always say, "Oh I'm sorry I didn't realize you meant her too." Then we will have to make the call.

I don't know what everyone is so paranoid about. If you travel constantly MAYBE I could see it. When we flew to Florida last Dec. they were not patting down or scanning EVERY person. We stopped in Altanta on the way and Memphis on the way back. Only 2 times did 2 different people in our group get scanned. One of them had a "port" in his side (diabetic). The scan does not last long, its a very short time.
I say quit stressing over it and enjoy your trip.

Your worries are unfounded. I and my children have travelled many times, been subject to both the pat down and the scanners (both types). Neither of them are harmful.

Explain to your daughter the purpose of the pat-down and tell her you will be there if she has it. If she sees you anxious, it will cause more damage than if you accept it as nothing more than another layer of protection for your family. I promise you, if they didn't do it and something happened on your flight, you would be livid.

I would rather they check me, my family and everyone else on that plan many times over than to have to worry about that one idiot that wants to do harm.

Me and my family travel a ton (international and domestic). I get in the metal detector line when ever possible. If they want me to do the scan I (and the kids) opt for the pat down. My husband does the scan. 99% of the time I have had no issues with the pat down. I stand right next to my child when they get patted down also (they do a modified one on minors). I have had one very intrusive pat down that involved an sweep/check of my underwear band! It was when the new pat downs started and I think I was being kind of "punished" for opting out of the scan. Honestly I didn't care much because it was me and obviously the TSA agent had something up her butt and if that made he feel all cool and powerful, whatever. But if she would have done that to one of my children... I would have been arrested for punching her! But the kids have been treated great.

On my recent international trip, I opted for the pat-down. I did not want to be unnecessarily radiated, harmful or not. (My husband scanned.) I actually don't care about having a pat-down; do whatcha gotta do. The agent was thorough yet kind. She announced each move before she made it, making sure that I understood what was happening. "I'm going to put my hand right behind your button and slide it along the front of your pants to clear your waistband."

I think that it's important to "search" children and child products. We've all seen the movies and TV shows where people hide stuff in strollers or diapers, etc., just because no one wants to search there. If you explain to your daughter what it's for--and if you get an agent like mine who will explain as she goes along (maybe you can request that?)--then it should be okay.

What makes you think you will have to do one of these? I would do scanner, but that is because I am the bionic woman with many artificial
body parts, tubes etc. Just do not make a big thing of it in front of your
daughter because she will pick up on your feelings!

The newer scanners are more of an x-ray type thing. The older things were metal detectors and are still in use solely in some airports and as another means of screening (potluck on which one gets used) in other airports. Patdowns are either optional or are a secondary scanning if the first was "flunked".

I was concerned about radiation from the scanners, so did some research. The research I was able to find indicated that the radiation of the scanner is MUCH smaller than the amount of radiation a passenger is exposed to when flying in the plane. Thus, if there is a concern about radiation, I would figure the decision should be made to not fly.