this post was submitted on 26 Jul 2025
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I'm sorry but I cannot understand what you're trying to say. The xray they use to scan your bags are not the same as the one you go through.
In case you were unaware. "Richard shoe bomber" did not have metal or electronics in his shoe. He had simply put explosives in the sole of the shoe with a fuse attached.
He was caught and restrained when he tried to light the fuse on the airplane.
So what your saying is scanning the shoes would have made no difference?
I'm saying the exact opposite.
The scanner you put your bags, electronics, jackets, and shoes on. Are different than the scanner you walk through.
That's why they ask you to put your shoes there.
They are... But not really. The machine will flag you if you are going through with your shoes on and something is off about them. The only thing that's different is it is easier to swab them if they think something may be off about them.
Which if you went through the body scanner and they thought something was off, they are going to ask you to step aside and remove them to be swabbed.
(Hence why anyone who applies for TSA pre check, could already keep their shoes on)
The thing you walk through detects metal.
The thing your personal items go through is an x-ray machine.
The little metal detector wands are to find a more precise hit on what is setting the first metal detector off, in case you are trying to hide something on your person.
Both are x-ray machines
Edit. Sorry not always x-rays. Millimeter waves that can even see tumors... It isn't just metal
My guy. The type of xray they scan your bags with are not what they scan you with.
The reason they swab shoes is not to detect explosives. It's to detect drugs. If you take hard drugs, or swallow bags, they can often see traces of it in your sweat. And shoes are a fantastic source of sweat.
This is contrary to every article you can find online. They swab shoes, hands, laptops, etc. It's for glycerin and other substances found from explosives. They couldn't give a shit if you were on drugs. You can't get a DUI for being drunk/high and going through a TSA check point obviously. And they aren't arresting people for being on anything at the airport unless they are harassing someone else.
They 100% swab your feet and inside of the shoe for drugs.
Hands and close personal items, such as wallets and electronics are for multiple reasons. Including explosives.
The machine they put the swabs in can detect multiple substances, explosive compounds, precursors, drugs.
They don't care if you got traces of drugs in your system. But they do care about you trying to smuggle it. That's why they test for Traces, externally and internally.
Do you have a source for these claims? Because if you think businessmen never do coke and fly on planes within 24 hours that's crazy. They aren't getting pulled aside and tested and put on lists to see if they are trafficking cocaine.
(Not to mention Adderall would likely trigger the same tests as meth, so that rules out meth trafficking as well. Because we are swabbing shoes remember)
According to Australian Border control. They specifically swab feet and shoes, to test for traces of drugs on people they think look suspicious. Or people flying in from high risk areas.
And the times where I've flown to the US from Amsterdam, Munich, Frankfurt, and Copenhagen. I was always put in a room where they swabbed my stuff, hands, feet, phone, laptop (at the gate). And I asked them why and what they're looking for. They gave me the answer that they are mostly looking for drugs.
As drug smuggling is something they deal with every. Single. Day. where as people trying to board with explosives is extreamly rare.
I did not say they care if you have drugs in your system. I specifically said the opposite.
They just want to make sure you're not carrying drugs on you. Those who have drugs in their system, are far more likely to smuggle drugs than those who don't.
Ah, I guess they'll need to stop flights coming in from the U.S. then, because DHS removed the shoe requirement from the TSA check points this month, which is what I presume was the inspiration for this post.
(Or check them when they get there rather)
Regardless, someone did try to blow up a plane with explosives hidden in their shoe. It's a very well documented incident.
After that incident. Security was stepped up globally, we had to start putting shoes to be xrayed, and we never saw a single case of anyone trying to smuggle explosives on board in their shoe ever again.
If it's removed completely, it's because they have other methods that make it obsolete.
Aviation rarely make the same mistake twice (Boeing goes hold my beer).
When I was a kid, I got to step inside the cockpit and say hello to the pilots and look at all the instruments, mid flight. After my grandmother asked if that was ok. Fat chance of that ever happening again after 9-11
Yeah the method was the newer scanners they are using. Most of them are like this:
https://mdtsecurity.cc/solutions-products/l3-security-detection-systems/provision2/
It does a 360 degree scan of you like a CT machine (but using mm waves, instead of X-rays and such)
Automatic Target Detection (ATD)
Quickly screens passengers for a broad variety of aviation targets both metallic and non-metallic: weapons, standard and home-made explosives (sheet and bulk), liquids, gels, plastics, powders, metals, ceramics, and other objects
And unless I keep my legs spread while waiting in line, it nearly always triggers my groin because to much warmth. So they do a nice personal check with their hands just in case feeling the creases (Has happened to me 3 times out of 5) I run hotter than most people though
Yeah I've seen those. I think.... I know I've seen what looks like that. But if the technology inside is updated I can't say I know. Never had a problem with my balls being too warm in them. And I can't recall ever having my shoes on inside. Always had to put them aside. But that could easily just be airport policy at the time.
Anyhow... what irked me was the post acting like scanning shoes was some fake phony security scam. Almost every single airline and airport policy is there for a reason.
E.g. after the Lockerby tragedy. Airlines had to make sure that every single bag has a passenger that is on board the plane. As someone had checked in a bag with explosives, and then never boarded himself.
That's what changed here, is you can wear the shoes into these machines now basically. Because they know the machines are already scanning for w.e, and it is coming up on their screens that they are reviewing, so the only question for them was does an organic foot in the shoe cause any interference, which I presume it did not.
That and if you applied for TSA pre check.. you could skip taking your shoes off. And that started in 2013. So if you could pass a basic background check before you got to the airport, they allowed you to bypass it. Which made people wonder .. well why is anyone doing it
I don't know exactly how TSA works, I have not flown that much within the US. But I agree that's pretty bullshit.