singularity's Journal: My email to TSA

To: [e-mail]
Subject: Shoe requirements in passenger screening
CC: [e-mail], [e-mail]

I regularly fly between the Chicago area (using both Midway and O'Hare airports) and Louisville, KY (SDF).

Every time I have flown out of SDF in the last six months or so, I was asked to remove my shoes before going through the metal detectors. Having checked the TSA website, I know that I am not required to do so. Every time I go through with my shoes on, however, I am immediately pulled aside for additional screenings. Let me note that I never once set off the metal detector when I went through it.

Every time.

The first few times I took off my shoes when they asked. After a while I researched on the TSA website since not every airport seemed to require it.

The first time the screener argued that I was required to remove my shoes before going through the metal detector. We went back and forth for a couple of minutes, and when he finally conceded, he pulled me aside to be wanded and removed my shoes to be put through the x-ray machine.

The second time when I refused to take off my shoes (after the screener "suggested" it), I was simply wanded down, including a swab rubbed on my shoes.

Today I was pulled aside for additional screening and my shoes were again sent through the X-ray machine.

When I finally asked the "supervisor" about this, she said that removing my shoes was only a suggestion and not a requirement. When I pointed out that each time I came to SDF I ended up having additional screenings when I refused, this amounted to a de facto policy of having all passengers remove their shoes. She then said that I was always required to remove my shoes because the soles on my shoes were over an inch thick. While the shoes I had on today were over an inch thick, shoes worn previous did not meet this "requirement".

In addition, I went through metal detectors at both O'Hare and Midway (among other airports I have travelled to in the last six months or so) and was never *required* to remove my shoes.

My questions:
1) No where on the TSA site, from what I have seen, does it say anything about this "one inch sole" requirement. Is this actually a policy or just something unofficial done at SDF?

2) Can an airport in fact have a de facto requirement that all passengers remove their shoes as part of the screening process? Can additional screenings be called for simply because a passenger refuses to removes their shoes?

I suppose this comes down to something I have talked with my friends about when we talk about our TSA screening experiences - every airport, in fact every screener, seems to have a different policy. This comes despite TSA listing general policies on the web site.

I feel like each time I travel I need to carry print-outs of the web site with me and argue with the screeners about things they are doing that contradict what the TSA seems to be saying. This is obviously not what the TSA wants and is not what I want, either.

References:
From http://www.tsa.gov/public/display?theme=1:
Shoe Screening Policy

TSA has instructed all Screeners that passengers are NOT required to remove their shoes. However, if your shoes alarm while proceeding through the metal detector, you will be subjected to a secondary screening.

If you know your shoes alarm every time you go through the metal detector, we recommend that you wear other shoes or you may choose to remove them prior to screening and place them in the TSA supplied bins so they can be sent through the x-ray machine.

[Edit: It seems a better page to link to on TSA's web site is here: http://www.tsa.gov/public/display?content=090005198003cc08 and here: http://www.tsa.gov/public/display?content=09000519800684ed]