Finally! CPAP rates near laptops with signs in airports!

[guest21]

I travel with business associates and would like to keep my medical issues private. There is no respect for this concern. Frequently TSA yells out, "Cpap!" I feel that my rights are being violated.

[roster]

Here's my experience:

JFK - Jet Blue - you need to bring it out for inspection.

JFK - American - no signs, no questions, it was in my carry-on.

London Eurostar - I mentioned that I had a CPAP but they didn't ask to visually inspect it but did acknowledge seeing it in the X-Ray.

Paris - CDG - American - no signs, no questions, I mentioned that it was there and they acknowledged seeing it.

........

You have provided good instructions to the terrorists on this board on how to get a bomb onto a plane.

[sburke91]

I travel with business associates and would like to keep my medical issues private. There is no respect for this concern. Frequently TSA yells out, "Cpap!" I feel that my rights are being violated.

Then don't fly.

While I disagree with the overall inconsistency the TSA shows in policies and procedures between airports and even between stations in the same airport, your right to keep your cpap private should NOT overrun everyone else's right to a safe flight.

If you're that concerned, approach the TSA agent out front quietly and ask for a private inspection.

[sburke91]

Exactly what is it that they are looking for in a CPAP that they consider could be a risk.

Exactly what/where are they swabbing? Surface? humidifier tank? Hose? Mask?

Did any of you ask that they use clean gloves?

I've never had the chance to see my bipap on the x-ray, but I'd guess that the compressor section and the humidifier look like a great place to conceal explosives.

All they've ever done with mine is swap the surface in a few places.

Since it's sitting in a bin that's been used by thousands of people and never washed, the gloves don't really matter. My mask travels in a plastic bag, the rest I'm personally not all that concerned about. The bugs that bite me usually die anyway

[Hose_Head]

I'm confused by all of this.

Exactly what is it that they are looking for in a CPAP that they consider could be a risk.

Like zorrro13 said, a BOMB or any potential weapon(s).

Ok. But why single out CPAPs? They don't appear to be swabbing everything. Why are they not also swabbing whatever else might be in your carry-on luggage? I agree they might be able to differentiate some of these items using xray techniques, but I would guess that a camera, for example, should be as suspicious as a CPAP machine.

Is this a case of them targeting whatever is unusual and dare I say, OBVIOUS ?

[Hose_Head]

[quote="guest21"]I travel with business associates and would like to keep my medical issues private. There is no respect for this concern. Frequently TSA yells out, "Cpap!" I feel that my rights are being violated.

[Pineapple]

Here's my experience:

JFK - Jet Blue - you need to bring it out for inspection.

JFK - American - no signs, no questions, it was in my carry-on.

London Eurostar - I mentioned that I had a CPAP but they didn't ask to visually inspect it but did acknowledge seeing it in the X-Ray.

Paris - CDG - American - no signs, no questions, I mentioned that it was there and they acknowledged seeing it.

........

You have provided good instructions to the terrorists on this board on how to get a bomb onto a plane.

Rooster,

I think they already know.

[jeanc]

I just flew from Detroit to NY recently. In Detroit I sent my cpap through in its case and was pulled over as usual, only this time they said "it beeped" so in addition to swabbing and inspecting my machine, I was subject to a pat down search. My understanding is that there is something that they can't see with the xray machine that makes them inspect it. The interesting part is that on my return trip through Laguardia they did have the sign - please remove the following from their cases and it listed laptops and a couple other items and CPAP on the bottom of the list. I thought this was great, so I took my machine out of the case and set the case on top of it, like I would a laptop and I did not get pulled over and inspected. I'm all for taking it out of the case if it keeps me from having to be pulled over and inspected!

[Treesap]

The swabbing is testing for residue for explosive materials. I was told by one person swabbing my CPAP that if people walk on the golf course after it has been fertilized and put those shoes in the same bag as your cpap, fertilizer and other chemical used on lawns can come back as explosives.

I guess it just like eating poppy seed muffins before getting a drug test??

[roster]

.....if people walk on the golf course after it has been fertilized and put those shoes in the same bag as your cpap, fertilizer and other chemical used on lawns can come back as explosives.

........

The primary ingredient in most synthetic fertilizers is ammonium nitrate which is an explosive. Timothy McVeigh used a small truckload of fertilizer to commit the Oklahoma City bombing. .

[bookwyrm]

The only problem I had was that the plane going down was a small one, and even though allowed to take 2 carryons thru the gate, they were taking the larger of the carryons to stow in the baggage area of the plane. I had my CPAP in one of those small carryon size suitcases. I fussed about giving it over to be thrown into the baggage hold, saying it was fragile medical equipment. The attendant agreed to put it in her closet on the plane.
Trice

Just a FYI....I've done a lot of flying lately...some on really bargain flights that restrict carry-ons severely. Flying regulations do NOT include medical equipment as part of your carry-on allowance. You do NOT have to surrender it or have it count against your total bags. I do label my case with a medical equipment tag. Haven't had problems so far.

Hope that helps next time around!

[gasp]

... I do label my case with a medical equipment tag. Haven't had problems so far.

Where can I find a tag like yours to use on my bag?

Thanks : )

[bookwyrm]

Here's a link to a medical id tag sold through cpap.com. That's where I got mine. You can probably find them other places too.

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

You're welcome!

[DreamDiver]

Atlanta (ATL) expects you to have the cpap out just like your laptop. I don't know whether they swab. I only saw the sign when dropping off a friend.

[BarryKaraoke]

I do find it interesting that two different locations in the same airport (JFK) handle the process differently.

The extends far beyond CPAP. The carnival we call the TSA has zero consistency from lane to lane and more often than not the employees do not even know their own rules & procedures (which are all posted on the TSA web site). I would like to think this is intentional to keep the bad guys off guard, but unfortunately that would be wishful thinking. While Grandpa's shoes are scanned for explosives, 95% of the cargo loaded in your planes belly goes unscreened.

Ok. But why single out CPAPs? They don't appear to be swabbing everything.

Actually they will act this way towards any large piece of electronic equipment. I often have to hand carry audio/computer gear when traveling on business and after many "BAG CHECK!" exclamations, now just remove it and send it through in a bin alone like a laptop. Sometimes it is swabbed, sometimes not.