Pursuits
U.S. Airport Pat-Downs Are About to Get More Invasive
The TSA reacts to a study that found weapons making it past security.
Travelers, at Denver International Airport, make their way through security lines on May 26, 2016.
Photographer: RJ Sangosti/Denver Post via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
While few have noticed, U.S. airport security workers long had the option of using five different types of physical pat-downs at the screening line. Now those options have been eliminated and replaced with a single universal approach. This time, you will notice.
The new physical touching—for those selected to have a pat-down—will be be what the federal agency officially describes as a more “comprehensive” physical screening, according to a Transportation Security Administration spokesman.