Diapers when Flying.

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trekkyfrom21st

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30
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  1. Diaper Lover
  2. Incontinent
While I have generally had a good experience with TSA and it accepting that I have a physical disability (a slight limp, speech issues, and now a cane and leg brace). I have recently read articles of the TSA having issues with people wearing diapers. I have gone though with diapers in my bag because of night incontinence and have worn Depends though the body scanners. But, now that I have little to no control during the day I wear regular diapers instead of a pull-up. Does anyone have experience with wearing diapers though a body scanner? Would it just be safe to put it on my TSA Disability Notification Card?
 
it's not a big deal...done it several times for business trips. TSA doesn't care.
 
(<---Works for TSA) It will most likely show up on the body scanner. The leg brace will definitely show up. The purpose of the disability notification card is to allow you to communicate with the officers a need that you wish to not voice publicly. The current standard operating procedures dictate that all areas must be cleared before you can enter the sterile area of the airport. My recommendation is to use the notification card to explain the "groin anomaly" that will most likely be detected by the scanner. This will require a resolution pat down of the alarmed area and trace detection done on the hands and brace. This can be done in private screening just by requesting it. You also have the option to opt out for a full body pat down.

My ultimate recommendation (if you travel enough to justify it) is to apply for the pre-check program. If the leg brace contains no metal you can walk through the metal detector. If it does, you can opt out for a "modified" pat down in which the officer will conduct a pat down that does not include the inner/upper thigh. This option of course is only available to pre-check passengers that will alarm a walk through metal detector (such as those with knee, hip, and heart implants).

You can also contact the TSA through the TSA Cares portion of the website and pre-alert them to your needs. When you do this you can request a passenger support specialist certified officer and they can escort and assist you through the entire screening process from the curb-side to the gate. This will give you more of a one on one experience while maintaining top level dignity.

Let me know if I can help in anyway.
 
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Thank you so much this really helps. I will look in to the pre-check program. Thanks agin.
 
trekkyfrom21st said:
Thank you so much this really helps. I will look in to the pre-check program. Thanks agin.

You can start the process at tsa.gov Once you have put in your information you can schedule the fingerprints and 5 minute interview at one of your bigger local airports. If you travel internationally you can do global entry card from customs and border protection which once issued will give you access to the TSA Pre Check program by using your CBP number as your known traveler number when you book your tickets.
 
babyblueblanket said:
You can start the process at tsa.gov Once you have put in your information you can schedule the fingerprints and 5 minute interview at one of your bigger local airports. If you travel internationally you can do global entry card from customs and border protection which once issued will give you access to the TSA Pre Check program by using your CBP number as your known traveler number when you book your tickets.

I will have to think hard about it as I only fly once or twice a year, $85 for 5 to 10 flights, and I haven't been overseas in years.
 
babyblueblanket said:
(<---Works for TSA) It will most likely show up on the body scanner. The leg brace will definitely show up. The purpose of the disability notification card is to allow you to communicate with the officers a need that you wish to not voice publicly. The current standard operating procedures dictate that all areas must be cleared before you can enter the sterile area of the airport. My recommendation is to use the notification card to explain the "groin anomaly" that will most likely be detected by the scanner. This will require a resolution pat down of the alarmed area and trace detection done on the hands and brace. This can be done in private screening just by requesting it. You also have the option to opt out for a full body pat down.

My ultimate recommendation (if you travel enough to justify it) is to apply for the pre-check program. If the leg brace contains no metal you can walk through the metal detector. If it does, you can opt out for a "modified" pat down in which the officer will conduct a pat down that does not include the inner/upper thigh. This option of course is only available to pre-check passengers that will alarm a walk through metal detector (such as those with knee, hip, and heart implants).

You can also contact the TSA through the TSA Cares portion of the website and pre-alert them to your needs. When you do this you can request a passenger support specialist certified officer and they can escort and assist you through the entire screening process from the curb-side to the gate. This will give you more of a one on one experience while maintaining top level dignity.

Let me know if I can help in anyway.

How often do you encounter passengers wearing diapers? I have to imagine it's common enough that most TSA officers are aware of the issue and can recognize an adult diaper on the scanner and realize it's not an underwear bomb.
 
I haven't bothered with the pre-check, but still fly often enough. Most times I get waived through to the head of the line anyways (i walk with a cane). Just give yourself extra time for the line anyways and there's no need to fork out the extra money.

And as I mentioned before, I've gone through the body scanner with an absolutely soaked diaper. Nothing was said, I had a quick pat down right there, and I was on, my way in less than a minute.
 
INTrePid said:
How often do you encounter passengers wearing diapers? I have to imagine it's common enough that most TSA officers are aware of the issue and can recognize an adult diaper on the scanner and realize it's not an underwear bomb.

With how busy our airport is I encounter at least one a day during a shift. Its pretty obvious that its a diaper but HQ routinely tests the officers to try to expose weakness in the system. Officers have failed because what they detected they thought was a diaper when in turn it was test. This unfortunately has caused officers to use less common sense and not ask the appropriate questions or to follow the in place protocol and be a little harsh to the passenger who is just trying to get through. Testers aren't supposed to "socially engineer" their way through the checkpoint but they frequently do in an attempt to be successful in their mission.

If you tell me its a diaper and I can reasonably articulate that to my supervisors it's usually no problem and the process goes very fast.
 
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babyblueblanket said:
With how busy our airport is I encounter at least one a day during a shift. Its pretty obvious that its a diaper but HQ routinely tests the officers to try to expose weakness in the system. Officers have failed because what they detected they thought was a diaper when in turn it was test. This unfortunately has caused officers to use less common sense and not ask the appropriate questions or to follow the in place protocol and be a little harsh to the passenger who is just trying to get through. Testers aren't supposed to "socially engineer" their way through the checkpoint but they frequently do in an attempt to be successful in their mission.

If you tell me its a diaper and I can reasonably articulate that to my supervisors it's usually no problem and the process goes very fast.

Wait, how do they make a person wearing a diaper into a test? At no point has anyone been able to turn a wet diaper into a weapon of mass destruction (in spite of the bad smell).
 
Slomo said:
Wait, how do they make a person wearing a diaper into a test? At no point has anyone been able to turn a wet diaper into a weapon of mass destruction (in spite of the bad smell).

The tester isn't wearing a diaper but a simulated device. The testers have said that it's an incontinence aid, medical device, or something similar in an attempt to get the officer to just say okay and wave em on. They call it social engineering. So when a passenger is wearing a diaper the officer may believe they are being tested and distrust the passenger. The testers aren't supposed to socially engineer but they do since they get paid to be successful.

Simply put it's the officers job to determine if the alarmed area has the potential to be an explosive or other prohibited item. Unfortunately since the testers like to hide things in the groin, under shoes, etc, and the officers are aware there is the potential that they are being tested it creates a distrust/trust but verify scenario. This can lead to passenger discomfort when they have no ill will at all.

- - - Updated - - -

Also worth mentioning. The TSA works on intelligence driven security (or lack there of, haha). So if they know what the bad guys are doing they usually test the checkpoint heavier further increasing the above relation problem. I.E. If they know underwear bombs are being manufactured, they increase groin alarm testing across the airports. They call it checkpoint preparation for potential threats.
 
babyblueblanket said:
The tester isn't wearing a diaper but a simulated device. The testers have said that it's an incontinence aid, medical device, or something similar in an attempt to get the officer to just say okay and wave em on. They call it social engineering. So when a passenger is wearing a diaper the officer may believe they are being tested and distrust the passenger. The testers aren't supposed to socially engineer but they do since they get paid to be successful.

Simply put it's the officers job to determine if the alarmed area has the potential to be an explosive or other prohibited item. Unfortunately since the testers like to hide things in the groin, under shoes, etc, and the officers are aware there is the potential that they are being tested it creates a distrust/trust but verify scenario. This can lead to passenger discomfort when they have no ill will at all.

- - - Updated - - -

Also worth mentioning. The TSA works on intelligence driven security (or lack there of, haha). So if they know what the bad guys are doing they usually test the checkpoint heavier further increasing the above relation problem. I.E. If they know underwear bombs are being manufactured, they increase groin alarm testing across the airports. They call it checkpoint preparation for potential threats.

Aah, that makes more sense. So not a diaper, but actually something else in the same area. I still don't fully understand it though, don't those scanners and sniffers have bomb detection capabilities? I mean a diaper and underwear bombs aren't even made of the same material and would show up on any scan as being two distinctly different things. It seems like it would be kind of obvious to me.
 
Slomo said:
Aah, that makes more sense. So not a diaper, but actually something else in the same area. I still don't fully understand it though, don't those scanners and sniffers have bomb detection capabilities? I mean a diaper and underwear bombs aren't even made of the same material and would show up on any scan as being two distinctly different things. It seems like it would be kind of obvious to me.

The body scanner doesn't detect explosive material. It uses a series of algorithms to determine "one of these things is not like the other". Back in the day an operator used to be able to see what was underneath the clothing and it was easier to eliminate possible threats. Now the computer does it by itself. When the scanner returns the image to the computer it will look at a body and determine if something is not right. Plastic has a much different density than jeans do, so it doesn't fit the scenario, and the scanner will then alarm that area. Prime example is when somebody leaves there wallet in their pocket. Even though it doesn't have metal in it it will alarm since that area is "not like the others".

I call it the "whats in your pocket" detector. The ETD machines which requires swabbing a surface (hands, shoes, etc) with a test strip is what detects for the presence of explosives. The machines are so sensitive that if you filled yankee stadium with white golf balls and 1 red golf ball, it would find the red one. Alarmed areas in the groin or the feet require ETD screening to detect any possible traces.

Its a PITA when it rains or a pax has glitter in their clothing. The rain drops or glitter on the clothing reflect the millimeter waves back in a non-uniform pattern and the scanner determines these to be alarmed areas.
 
babyblueblanket said:
Testers aren't supposed to "socially engineer" their way through the checkpoint

Sounds like an incomplete "test" to me.
 
If you fly privately, TSA isn't a factor... :) One of the planes I fly, "security" is knowing how to start it (there's no key, just two switches for the mags and a starter button).
 
babyblueblanket said:
The tester isn't wearing a diaper but a simulated device. The testers have said that it's an incontinence aid, medical device, or something similar in an attempt to get the officer to just say okay and wave em on. They call it social engineering. So when a passenger is wearing a diaper the officer may believe they are being tested and distrust the passenger. The testers aren't supposed to socially engineer but they do since they get paid to be successful.

Simply put it's the officers job to determine if the alarmed area has the potential to be an explosive or other prohibited item. Unfortunately since the testers like to hide things in the groin, under shoes, etc, and the officers are aware there is the potential that they are being tested it creates a distrust/trust but verify scenario. This can lead to passenger discomfort when they have no ill will at all.

- - - Updated - - -

Also worth mentioning. The TSA works on intelligence driven security (or lack there of, haha). So if they know what the bad guys are doing they usually test the checkpoint heavier further increasing the above relation problem. I.E. If they know underwear bombs are being manufactured, they increase groin alarm testing across the airports. They call it checkpoint preparation for potential threats.

TSA is 100% for show. Absolute nonsense "security theater". Testers get through with such regularity that it's astounding the TSA hasn't been shut down yet. That and they employ thieves and sex offenders who steal so much shit from passengers' luggage.

No offense, not all TSA workers are like that but....
 
babyblueblanket said:
The tester isn't wearing a diaper but a simulated device. The testers have said that it's an incontinence aid, medical device, or something similar in an attempt to get the officer to just say okay and wave em on. They call it social engineering. So when a passenger is wearing a diaper the officer may believe they are being tested and distrust the passenger. The testers aren't supposed to socially engineer but they do since they get paid to be successful.

Simply put it's the officers job to determine if the alarmed area has the potential to be an explosive or other prohibited item. Unfortunately since the testers like to hide things in the groin, under shoes, etc, and the officers are aware there is the potential that they are being tested it creates a distrust/trust but verify scenario. This can lead to passenger discomfort when they have no ill will at all.

- - - Updated - - -

Also worth mentioning. The TSA works on intelligence driven security (or lack there of, haha). So if they know what the bad guys are doing they usually test the checkpoint heavier further increasing the above relation problem. I.E. If they know underwear bombs are being manufactured, they increase groin alarm testing across the airports. They call it checkpoint preparation for potential threats.

Absolutely fascinating. Thanks so much for sharing your experience from on the inside.

In a way, (and I realize this is probably overstating it) it sounds like a given TSA agent might be more worried about getting in trouble for failing a "test" than actually snagging a real threat. So when a passenger gets shaken down a little more roughly than seems normal, it might be in part because the agent feels he/she is being tested and wants to be very thorough so as to not be reprimanded. Super interesting. I can totally see it.
Of course a real threat is the point of it all - but they are so rare that I can imagine an agent getting hyper focused down on the narrow nitty gritty and policy and personal threats to job and convenience.


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I've flown dozens of times since 2001 and I wear 24/7. Never had much of an issue with TSA. Never been patted down or anything like that. They've checked my carry on bag which, of course, has diapers in it. One time an agent took out my baby powder and tested it and then told me the container was too large and I should use a smaller one. I do appreciate the inside scoop on airport security. I've thought about pre-check, but then found out it cost money. No thanks. I don't travel that frequently.
 
Baby powder will always be fine to go as long as it doesn't alarm testing. The size limitations apply to liquids, gels, and aerosols. Oddly enough powder under x-ray is very hard to distinguish from a liquid since they have similar density and behaviors. Baby powder will almost likely get pulled aside as it does appear a large organic mass. Once it clears the test, its good to go. If it alarms, then that's a whole separate matter and it won't be permitted through the checkpoint.
 
What more can I say than I have said before....

If you are wearing diapers while flying and have no other obvious reasons why you might need them... Well, be prepared as you may find yourself in a situation that you may be uncomfortable explaining why you are wearing them.

I have had such an experience and posted numerous times about this, as this is a very common thread here.

Rather than explaining it all again, here is the link to a very similar thread and where I share the very embarrasing and unfortunate experience I had while going through TSA and being diapered.

http://www.adisc.org/forum/showthread.php/106498-Red-faced-at-the-airport

My advice yet again... If you are not willing to accept the possibility of being questioned or even an actual having to "drop your drawers and show your diaper", then just don't do it. Whether the probabilities of this happening are great or small, I had it happen to me, and as such have to share that it could happen to you. If you are willing to accept this happening, then you have no reason to fear. There is nothing illegal about wearing diapers while traveling. But just know that you may arouse suspicion and that others who you are traveling with or simply fellow passengers and the TSA agents themselves will know of this "secret".

:detective3

TeddyBearCowboy
 
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