TSA and CPAPs

[Guest]

just cause its not required does not mean it is not a good idea to have the tag

A luggage tag is required cuz its a good idea to have your contact info, inside AND outside. It does not have to be a medical tag, so no one needs to get nervous and run out to buy one, it is not needed. I have never seen a TSA reg that requires a medical letter. The airline may ask for one if you want to use it during flight, then again they may not. But its always a good idea to contact your carrier if you want to use anything electronic during flight.

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better to have a tag and letter and not need them

than to not need them and have some agent hassle you about the device
they are not all competent
nor nice

Have it if you want and more if you want. The point is not to stress over it cuz it is not needed or required by TSA.

If you can't provide a link to where it is needed you really should just drop it.

[Guest]

If you can't provide a link to where it is needed you really should just drop it.

Because it just shows that everyone has been right about your advice - you are wrong this time. Please don't ask me to provide a link because everyone knows you can't provide a link to something that is NOT THERE. THAT MEANS YOU ARE WRONG AND STUBBORN TOO.

[zoocrewphoto]

i said a bottle of gatorade i asked to be hand inspected
supervisor runs the belt through and sees it is a bottle of gatorade
they reamed out the tsa idiot
too bad they hire them at all

How long ago was this? Liquids can't be over 3oz and must all fit inside a quart bag. Why on earth would any TSA security let a bottle of gatorade pass? That would get dumped in the trash these days. Even unopened water bottles can't get through.

[Uncle Flapp]

I fly quite often for work - once or twice per month and double-bag my CPAP. My ASV goes in the PRS1 travel bag and that goes inside my Samsonite carry-on. I do not remove it unless asked. That happened only once.

25 of 29 flights this year were pre-check and I had zero issues. The other four flights I did not take advantage of pre-check and stayed in line with family. One of those trips I was asked to remove the CPAP from my carry on but left it in the PRS1 travel bag. After getting x-rayed, the TSA agent told me he needed to inspect it. He removed all the contents including my mask. I was repulsed at seeing the nasal pillows make contact with the dirty steel rollers. Unable to figure out how to repack my machine, he let me take each piece one by one (mask, hose, and machine) and place them back in the bag.

My point of this story is that I have a 100% no hassle record through pre-check and 75% through the normal line. Your mileage may vary.

- Flappy

[chunkyfrog]

Remember, these people are over-worked, under-paid,
and probably subjected to more rudeness than you can imagine.
Another note: The hiring process is generally not very selective.
And, TSA is notorious for inadequate and incorrect TRAINING.
The agent you meet is, in the general food chain, just a piece of meat--like the hapless passenger.
PROFIT is the god of the airlines--which is why we just drive everywhere possible.

[Guest]

i said a bottle of gatorade i asked to be hand inspected
supervisor runs the belt through and sees it is a bottle of gatorade
they reamed out the tsa idiot
too bad they hire them at all

How long ago was this? Liquids can't be over 3oz and must all fit inside a quart bag. Why on earth would any TSA security let a bottle of gatorade pass? That would get dumped in the trash these days. Even unopened water bottles can't get through.

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that was before the limit
but it shows how dumb the security quacks are

does anybody thing they are constantly getting better ?

years after that they claimed my calendar was some sort of knife and was dangerous

afaik - before the tsa there was no limit
afaik - the tsa was established after 911

[chunkyfrog]

AFAIK, you are RIGHT.

[jilliansue]

I have both been asked to take my machine out, and not. Usually, I just put it in a tub, still zipped up in its case. I do place items inside the case (mask, extra mask, tape, chin-up strips, etc.) in a ziploc bag so that they do not have to be touched, hopefully. And I have a copy of my prescription in there and also a copy of my machine settings too. Also I carry an extension cord as it can be hit or miss as far as outlet location in hotels, or even houses.

I often get the TSA-Pre - screening, when I fly United. I do have a United credit card, and since it is the main airline in my town, I fly United a lot. I think that both those things contribute to my TSA-Pre status.

[Sleeping Tiger]

During my last set of flights it varied. On the trip out, I didn't have to do anything other than place the cpap bag in the crate to go through the X-ray. On the flight back they wanted it unzipped, they flipped it open, didn't remove anything, and had me zip it back up.

I do put everything is a ziplock bags, not just for sanitary reasons, but to help make sure I get all my equipment back into the case. Last thing I need is to forget something cause I'm tired catching an early morning flight. I've been really lucky and have never had to take anything out of the case.

[southerndoc]

Thank you Uncle Sam an al Qaeda for another change in our lives. Atlanta-Hartsfield-Jackson and whatever else name they might add to it in the coming weeks frequently makes you unpack your CPAP and they swab for explosives. One of the TSA agents told me they had some evidence that terrorists were trying to use CPAP machines to smuggle chemicals onboard that could cause an explosion. Whether he's telling the truth or not, who knows. I just grumbled to myself, thanked him for not doing a strip search, and off I went.

[Bookbear]

Anyone else been asked by TSA agents at airports to take their CPAP out of its case for x-ray? No idea what more they expect to see and it's far from consistent. Not happening in Europe, just the US in my experience.

I travel a fair amount on business.I am a "Known Traveler" so am always pre-check. It IS wildly inconsistent, not just from airport to airport, but from day to day within the same airport. Before the KT thing, I would be asked to take it out for swabbing maybe 1/3 of my trips. Sometimes it would be run through the x-ray scanner a second time. Since KT, I have not been asked to remove it once.

I think TSA is far more used to seeing cpaps than they used to be.

[Guest]

Security procedures are changed often to keep the bad guys off guard

[Bookbear]

It has probably been about 2 years since I was asked to remove my cpap machine from it's case. If you fly a lot it is probably worth getting "pre-check" $80 for 5 years of quick airport security. I have been getting Pre-Check every time I buy a ticket, but I have NO idea why I get the pre-check designation! My daughter tells me it's my "magic" credit card that I pay an annual fee for, (obtained to accrue travel points that hopefully will make future trips to see her less expensive). Since I'm rather out of touch on travel stuff, could that be why I'm getting the Pre Check designation?

In theory, it is random, used as a way of speeding up the lines by randomly reducing the number of people who go through the more elaborate check. Some airlines (I fly the same one almost all the time) would tag their frequent fliers more often. I haven't heard of a frequent-flier-related credit card getting you consistent pre-check, but it's possible.

(It's all Kabuki security theater anyway, given the utterly dismal record TSA has on random tests: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/0 ... 85558.html ) I know two people who work as TSA agents. They say it's hell, which is why I always try to be polite.

And I LOVE the spinner bags! Happy travels, and good luck to your daughter in med school!

[Sheepish]

I think TSA is far more used to seeing cpaps than they used to be.

Agreed, that was the impression I got, too. But for good measure, as I mentioned earlier, it's a good idea to bring along a copy of your prescription as added insurance to help everything go smoothly.

[Holden4th]

I'm happy to comply with all security measures. The alternative doesn't bear thinking about.