Despite a barrage of complaints, the Transportation Security Administration will continue to require physical pat-downs for some passengers at security checkpoints.
The agency's top officials said security precautions prevent them from eliminating the procedures put in place in September after female terrorists brought down two Russian planes by apparently smuggling explosives under their clothing. The TSA has spent billions of dollars on high-tech equipment to improve security, but passenger screening still largely relies on low-tech methods, including screeners running their hands up and down travelers' bodies. A few airports have machines that can detect explosives on a body but most don't, highlighting that airline security remains a patchwork of procedures.
Lucy Hawkins, a former drill sergeant and physical trainer who lives in Alexandria, said she was pulled aside for screening last month at Dulles International Airport. The screeners explained what they needed to do before touching her, but she said she still felt uncomfortable.
"I understand there has to be a level of security, but as human beings we need to have some privacy . . . especially women who are large-breasted," she said. Underwire bras are a problem because the metal sets off the magnetometer, subjecting large numbers of women to a pat-down that involves examining under and between the breasts to search for explosives.
In reaction to the 300 complaints it has received, the TSA is taking steps to better prepare passengers for physical inspection. The agency will place signs in security lines warning of the possibility of physical inspection and will install placards inside the screening areas that explain that pat-down procedures call for screeners to touch the body. Officials said they have already directed screeners to offer fuller explanations of what the pat-downs will entail and why they are necessary. Screeners also must now tell passengers they have the option to move to a private area for the procedure.
"The majority of complaints appear to be from a lack of communication" with the passenger about the pat-down procedures, said Jonathan J. Fleming, the TSA's chief operating officer. "We're looking at ways we can improve those interactions."
Earlier this week, the agency convened a meeting of top officials from its ombudsman's office and the offices of civil rights and training to discuss ways to improve screening procedures for women, who make up the majority of those who complained.
TSA officials said they are considering letting women put their arms down as soon as the screener is finished inspecting the upper torso to reduce the time passengers must stand in a compromised "spread eagle" position, said two people familiar with the meeting, who spoke on condition of anonymity because rule changes aren't final. Another possibility, these sources said, is to allow women screened in a private area to assist in their own screening.
TSA's policy requires that female screeners inspect female passengers, except in rare cases when a female screener is not available, such as at a small airport.
The TSA estimates that 15 percent of the traveling public, or nearly 2 million passengers per week, are selected for pat-downs. The procedure occurs if a passenger sets off the walk-through metal detector or is preselected by a computer system. Screeners may also use their discretion in selecting a passenger for additional screening, for instance, if a passenger is wearing bulky clothing that could conceal explosives.
Agency officials said they have examined the complaints and studied security videos to examine why some women felt violated during the procedure. So far, they said, there is no evidence that any screener acted inappropriately.
"The issue is training," said TSA spokesman Mark Hatfield. He admits the agency could have done better to ensure that airports trained screeners quickly and identically.
At Reagan National Airport this week, women had mixed reactions to the pat-downs. "It didn't bother me," said Christy Leach, who was visiting Washington from Raleigh, N.C. Carrie Clayton, who has an artificial hip and always receives a more thorough search, said she was impressed by the security screeners. "They are very polite when they do it," she said. "I don't feel humiliated. They always explain what they're doing."
For their part, screeners said that they don't particularly enjoy this aspect of their job but that they think it is necessary to combat the threat of hidden explosives. "The concerns of passengers are valid, but their frustration is being misdirected," said Mark Arsenault, who runs the Web site TSA-Screeners.com. Screeners are "getting the fallout," he said.
Tiffany Field, director of the Touch Research Institutes at the University of Miami School of Medicine, said there are several reasons some passengers react more strongly than others. The procedure is new and surprising to many passengers, even those who have become accustomed to the security rules. Other people are simply "touch averse" and particularly don't like being touched by strangers. Some women might react quite strongly, she said.
"I can see how some women get insulted by it. . . . A lot of people are averse to touch that is unpredictable," Fields said. She said the number of complaints will probably go down over time "as this becomes more familiar."
