My first trip and TSA

bill-e · Post by **bill-e** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 4:30 pm

Just completed my first of what will be 30 or 40 trips a year with my CPAP. I was stopped at both airports and the CPAP swabbed for explosives. Both times (Manchester and Dulles) I heard the dreaded cry from TSA...."Bag Check".

TSA at Dulles informed me that they have to swab every xPAP because TSA caught someone trying to get through by hiding something in it. I didn't ask what it was but it must have been on the explosive chemical list. Anyway, that's just one more aggravation to deal with. It's getting to the point where I think the airlines should pay us to travel.

myboards · Post by **myboards** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 4:58 pm

Mine gets checked about 75% of the time. Only takes an extra couple minutes and they are very careful with the equipment. Lots of nut cases out there, better a quick inconvenience that the potential alternative.
Dave

bill-e · Post by **bill-e** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 5:07 pm

I dont agree that the inconvienence is better, safer, or even always quick, but this isn't the place to discuss it. Feel free to PM or email me if u want to chat about it

Bookbear · Post by **Bookbear** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 8:12 pm

I have traveled twice with my cpap now. In all my travels post 9/11 (a lot), I have NEVER had my carry on bag searched (I only do carry on). My laptop has been swabbed on ocassion. Since carrying a cpap, I have had every item (cpap, carry on bag, laptop) stripped and searched completely... EVERYthing emptied out and gone through. The cpap was swabbed and x-rayed a second time; the case it was in, disassembled. TSA people were unfailingly polite, and used fresh gloves when I requested, and repacked everything in my carry on almost as well as I had originally The people in line behind me were less polite. I finally said to the woman making comments behind me, "You know, I don't use this equipment because I like it, I use it because I have to. I wonder if you would make the same kind of comments to someone in a wheel chair." She shut up but if looks could kill, I'd be pushing up the daisies in Sacramento!

I DO travel with a copy of my prescription, a letter of medical necessity, and a copy of TSA regulations as they apply to medical equipment (the pages that specifically list cpaps), but so far haven't had to use them. I was challenged at the base of the escalator going up to security about my three pieces of 'luggage', I replied that one was medical equipment and exempt from the two item limit, and was waved on through.

mattman · Post by **mattman** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 8:21 pm

Yeah, I get swabbed everytime I take the CPAP through.

Takes like 3 minutes and it's done. Aint nuttin but a thing chickenwing!

mattman

Hambone · Post by **Hambone** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 10:33 pm

4 flights on Northwest in the last 60 days.

Milwaukee Yelled "We got a breathing machine here! Swabbed and on I went.

Nashville just sent it through xray, and no questions asked.

Memphis, swabbed the pap end of story....

No questions about three carryon's by anyone....

Sleep well....

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Dec 16, 2006 1:01 am

I mentioned in another thread that I took about 5 different trips in Oct/Nov. Checked for explosives everytime except SFO. What I didn't say is that for almost every search they didn't even take it out of the bag. Just swabbed it in the bag. I thought that was unusually sensitive of them.

CollegeGirl · Post by **CollegeGirl** » Sat Dec 16, 2006 1:43 am

I just hand it to TSA when I get to the security checkpoint and say "CPAP." They always thank me and go ahead and swab it down, and by the time I'm done with other stuff (carry on, shoes, etc) it's usually done. Much easier that way.

Mine gets done every time - if they AREN'T doing it, there's something wrong, because they're supposed to.

Machine	Mask

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