Airport passengers in US to be subject to a more rigorous "pat down".

A 2015 audit found that screenings at airports showed some safety vulnerability. As a result, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has decided to use a more rigorous and through screening during "pat-downs"

The new screening procedure will include "more intimate contact" than previously. The procedure will also apply to pilots and flight attendants. The TSA noted that there used to be five search options when a pat-down was being conducted. The 2015 audit revealed that small handguns and others weapons passed screening without being discovered.

One day last week security screeners found 21 firearms in carry-on bags more than ever before. The previous record was 18 set in 2014. During the whole week the TSA confiscated 79 firearms nationwide of which 68 were loaded.

TSA spokesperson Bruce Anderson said that people patted-down previously will find that the new measures are "more involved". The new measures are not expected to increase airport delays, except for the person being patted down. About two million people go through TSA screening every day.

The former five options for screening are now eliminated and there is now just one process. Denver International Airport notified employees that the "more rigorous" searches "will be more thorough and may involve an officer making more intimate contact than before." There have already been complaints of excessive intimate contact, including an article for CNN last December by Angela Rye, a CNN commentator. A video on the search is appended. The new procedures had been tested in smaller airports and are being phased in within the next two weeks. The TSA does not track the number of those subject to "pat-downs". Anyone who refuses to go through the screening machines is subject to a pat-down. A "managed inclusion" program that allowed some everyday travelers to use Pre-Check lanes to speed things up during peak times has also been eliminated. Pat-downs are always conducted by officers of the same sex as the person being patted-down. You can request a private area for the pat-down if you desire and even have a witness present. Alternatively, you can demand that the pat-down be held in public view.

The TSA conducts random searches of pilots and crew members. The number of such checks will remain the same. However, airport employees may face more random checks. TSA officials did not immediately answer an inquiry as to whether the new protocol will allow touching of passengers' genital area as happened to Angela Rye.

Man and wife banned from boarding plane because of T-shirt satirizing TSA

A man and his wife were not allowed to board a Delta Airlines flight from Buffalo-Niagara airport because their satirical T-shirts supposedly made crew and passengers very uncomfortable.

Arijit Guha 31 is a doctoral student at Arizona State University. He has advanced colon cancer and has undergone extensive surgery and chemotherapy which ended up costing $118,000 more than the $300,000 cap on his student health plan, expenses that his insurer Aetna would not cover.

Guha managed to draw the CEO of Aetna Mark T. Bertolini into a heated exchange on Twitter and as the video appended shows Guha won out in the end and even won a victory for the student health plan. The usually caustic and sarcastic Guha in the end had nothing but praise for Mr. Bertolini. Guha is no stranger to controversy and he seems to enjoy being provocative. He has no praise for the TSA(Transportation Security Agency)

Guha and his wife were about to board a plane at the Buffalo-Niagara airport. They passed through security with no problem. However, he was then approached by a Delta agent who told him that his T-shirt was making passengers nervous. The offending T-shirt has a TSA logo together with text that satirizes what Guha considers the agencies paranoid and overbearing security stance.

TSA agents questioned Guha about the significance of his T-shirt. He explained that it was mocking the manner in which the TSA approached security and over-reaction by them and the public to the threat of terrorism. Ironically what was happening to Guha and his wife was a perfect exemplification of his point!

Guha was then informed that if he took off the offending shirt and again had their belongings searched they could board the flight. Guha agreed. Just as they were about to board the plane he was pulled aside again by not only a Delta supervisor but three TSA agents and several Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority police as well. There was no SWAT team however.

He and his wife were questioned again. Their bags were searched anew, the offending shirt was photographed, and they were asked multiple questions. This was all to no avail as the pilot of the plane insisted that the presence of Guha and his wife would cause discomfort to other passengers. The T-shirt text was obviously not really a satire just the plain truth.

Guha and his wife were subject to even further interrogation. Some of the questions were quite inappropriate. There is much more detail on Guha's own blog. Guha and his wife had to find overnight accommodations at their own expense and flew out the next morning at 7 AM. The TSA was kind enough not to put them on the no-fly list. Yet!

Does TSA fear diaper bombers?

An 18 month old little girl Ryanna the daughter of Middle Eastern descent Americans from New Jersey was prevented from boarding a flight from Florida. TSA agents boarded the plane just as it was about to depart. The parents who wished to remain anonymous called the whole incident absurd.

An airline employee approached the mother and told her that TSA agents were waiting to speak with the family back at the terminal. The mother asked why and the employee said: 'Well, it's not you or your husband. Your daughter was flagged as no fly.’”

The couple think that the TSA actually wanted to question them. Riyannas father said:"It's absurd," "It made no sense. Why would an 18-month-old child be on a no-fly list?" The wife wears a hijab.

The couple were humiliated and embarrassed when after the questioning they were cleared for boarding and went back to be seated in the plane that had been delayed for half an hour.

The TSA said it was a mistake by the airline that identified the little girl as on the no fly list. However, the airline said it was an issue for the TSA. It is not that uncommon for people to be interrogated because they have the same name as someone on the no fly list. No doubt this is what may have happened. However, one would think common sense would tell employees there had been some error given the age of the daughter. But maybe they fear diaper bombers. For more see this article,