New TSA procedure at airports

I fly quite frequently and have every time that I have flown since 911, My CPAP has been removed from the case.
You guys that are not being checked must be flying secondary airports

girlsaylor - thanks. I always ask them to move my stuff by me but they never do. I will try asking them to screen it before I go through and see if that helps. I am also considering (suggested by a friend) that I go ahead and pay a skycap to help me through security. I don't need pushing because of the battery chair but maybe he/she would help keep track of my belongings. (I used a regular chair to transfer between planes once and the little girl pushing me weighed maybe 100 lbs soaking wet to my 230 lbs, I was SO embarassed that I have always traveled with my scooter since.)

And remember, the bacterial wipes probably need to go into the ziploc that contains liquids. If they are for medical purposes, they can go into a separate ziploc, but still have to be presented.

Another thing I do, being encumbered with mobility and breathing issues, if I'm going somewhere I feel comfortable in having my bags shipped, is just box and ship the items I would pack in a suitcase, and have UPS deliver them to wherever I'm going. Believe me, they lose alot less than the airlines do! (sorry to offend any airline employees here who are doing their jobs correctly!). When you consider hiring skycaps, tipping, or the increased chance of baggage loss if you can't fly direct to where you're going, it isn't a whole lot more $$ to just send them UPS. (And no, I am not a UPS employee, stockholder, or affiliate, lol). This eliminates curbside check-in, tips, lines at individual airline counters, etc. You can just go straight to the screening line. Or ask the employee at curbside check-in to telephone for wheelchair assistance (arrange ahead with your airline when you book your flight). Each airport has different ways of handling handicap assistance, but it can be done. These days I wouldn't dream of going without it. Easier to keep my possessions under my own control when somebody else is doing the navigation. We're easy enough targets for thieves when we've got disabilities. Why not minimize that?

girlsaylor

girlsaylor wrote:Another thing I do, being encumbered with mobility and breathing issues, if I'm going somewhere I feel comfortable in having my bags shipped, is just box and ship the items I would pack in a suitcase, and have UPS deliver them to wherever I'm going. Believe me, they lose alot less than the airlines do! (sorry to offend any airline employees here who are doing their jobs correctly!). When you consider hiring skycaps, tipping, or the increased chance of baggage loss if you can't fly direct to where you're going, it isn't a whole lot more $$ to just send them UPS. (And no, I am not a UPS employee, stockholder, or affiliate, lol). This eliminates curbside check-in, tips, lines at individual airline counters, etc. You can just go straight to the screening line. Or ask the employee at curbside check-in to telephone for wheelchair assistance (arrange ahead with your airline when you book your flight). Each airport has different ways of handling handicap assistance, but it can be done. These days I wouldn't dream of going without it. Easier to keep my possessions under my own control when somebody else is doing the navigation. We're easy enough targets for thieves when we've got disabilities. Why not minimize that?

girlsaylor

Good idea!
My wife flies to Dayton every other week and the layover is so short that her luggage doesn't make the transfer about half the time. Then it's wait for the luggage to be delivered to the hotel or drive back to the airport to pick it up.

Next time I fly, I'm walking through security naked, carrying a sign that says "SEARCH ME!" and no luggage.

LOL,
B.

Rosemary-excellent idea about the drawstring cloth bag. I have many-from Coach and Dooney Bourke purses-my CPAP would fit perfectly. See honey,all of my purses do serve a higher purpose!!

[quote="lvwildcat"]Rosemary-excellent idea about the drawstring cloth bag. I have many-from Coach and Dooney Bourke purses-my CPAP would fit perfectly. See honey,all of my purses do serve a higher purpose!!

Next time I fly, I'm walking through security naked, carrying a sign that says "SEARCH ME!" and no luggage.

Eventually, I'm betting it will actually get to this point.
I don't mind flying. It's just everything up to actually getting on the plane that I hate. Now that I have to carry my CPAP machine, I'm dreading it. Going through security is the worst part of air travel, IMO. Case in point:

In fact, the one time I tried to help the TSA person remove it (he was digging down under it to lift instead of using the handle, and was ripping the foam) I got barked at. "Back off! You do NOT touch this until I am finished with it!" Jeeze! I mean, 'Yes, SIR!'

Hmm, this wasn't at LAX, was it? I think I might have dealt with the same guy. After going through 50 zillion other security checkpoints, there was some dude wearing fatigues and with some kind of rifle strapped to his back that was pulling people out of line before they could board the plane. He seemed to think he was Jack Bauer or something. He practically yanked my purse and backpack away from me and barked "I need to inspect these," and basically treated me like I was an inmate at Guantanamo Bay.
Seriously. You all can see my picture... do I look threatening?

Compare his power-crazed attitude to the nice, laid back people at Honolulu International: "Excuse me miss, may I inspect your bag?...OK, Mahalo."
See? TSA people can do their jobs and not treat passengers worse than cattle headed for slaughter. The a--hole with the gun single-handedly made LAX my least favorite airport in the world.

Ok, that turned into a slightly OT rant. Sorry.
Anyway, for my next trip I'm thinking of investing in this item from our friends at cpap.com:

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/CPAP-M ... t-Tag.html

[quote="oceanpearl"]I fly quite frequently and have every time that I have flown since 911, My CPAP has been removed from the case.
You guys that are not being checked must be flying secondary airports

Yeah, I bought one of those. And I laminated a copy of my prescription to put prominently inside the bag. Like, the machine comes out, the scrip is sitting in the bottom of the bag facing up.

I did take my pants off at the screening in the Kentucky airport because I was so peeved at TSA. I was wearing black bicycle shorts underneath, but it was an "incident" nonethless.....

LOL,
B.

Babette wrote:I did take my pants off at the screening in the Kentucky airport because I was so peeved at TSA. I was wearing black bicycle shorts underneath, but it was an "incident" nonethless.....

lol!

Geez, I want to fly somethere really bad.. but after reading all this it makes me dread the prospect of getting through security! With being a white cane traveler and having to take my APAP as well as my growth hormone injection meds with me, I'd better get there a half a day ahead of time just to make the flight!

Babette wrote:I did take my pants off at the screening in the Kentucky airport because I was so peeved at TSA. I was wearing black bicycle shorts underneath, but it was an "incident" nonethless.....

You owe me a new keyboard for that one. Fer real and all seriously like? Were there any arrests? Did it make the local papers? (I'd love to see that clipping.)

Doug.

[quote="Babette"]Next time I fly, I'm walking through security naked, carrying a sign that says "SEARCH ME!" and no luggage.

LOL,
B.[/quotePleas email me your itenerrary.