TSA screenings: What protections do you have?

9. Passengers with special needs will be accommodated.

John Nordell / The Christian Science Monitor
Barbara Butler from Braintree, Mass., is pushed in a wheelchair by airport employee Robert Federico at Logan Airport in this 2003 file photo.

“For passengers who use a wheelchair or scooter, the screening process depends on the level of mobility,” says Horowitz. If you can stand unaided for 10 seconds, you will be directed to the scanners, but have the same rights as any other passenger to opt out and receive a pat-down, she says. “Passengers who can neither walk nor stand are ineligible for advanced imaging technology screening and receive alternative screening using a pat-down procedure while passengers remain in the wheelchair. Regardless of the degree of mobility, passenger’s wheelchairs are thoroughly inspected and any removable items are required to undergo X-ray screening. As with all passengers, travelers with special needs, or their caregivers, can request private screening at any point during the screening process.”

9 of 10
You've read 3 of 3 free articles. Subscribe to continue.
CSM logo

Why is Christian Science in our name?

Our name is about honesty. The Monitor is owned by The Christian Science Church, and we’ve always been transparent about that.

The Church publishes the Monitor because it sees good journalism as vital to progress in the world. Since 1908, we’ve aimed “to injure no man, but to bless all mankind,” as our founder, Mary Baker Eddy, put it.

Here, you’ll find award-winning journalism not driven by commercial influences – a news organization that takes seriously its mission to uplift the world by seeking solutions and finding reasons for credible hope.

Explore values journalism About us