Elderly Keep Shoes On

From Yahoo:
"TSA to elderly passengers: Let’s try keeping your shoes on"

One cause of delays at airports could soon be eased: The Transportation Security Administration announced on Wednesday that it will begin testing a program next week that would allow passengers 75 and older to keep their shoes and light jackets on as they pass through security. The TSA will begin testing the program at Chicago's O'Hare, Denver International, Orlando International and Portland (Ore.) International airports on Monday. Older passengers may still be subject to normal screening procedures if the full-body scanners detect any anomalies, the TSA said.

Last year, the TSA instituted a similar program to reduce the time spent getting children 12 and under through security. The new program—which the TSA hopes reduces the number of pat-downs conducted on the elderly—is part of a broader initiative to target riskier passengers and speed up check-ins. If the program proves successful, the TSA said it would consider expanding it.

^ It seems that the TSA is slowly beginning to use their heads when it comes to airport security. First they change their rules about kids 12 and under and now are expanding it to people 75 and older. This makes complete sense if it is standard in EVERY US airport (I remember flying across the country when it wasn't mandatory to take your shoes off at every airport and if you took your shoes off without being asked they would yell at you and if you didn't take them off you would get yelled at.) Having it across the US does away with that chaos. I can see allowing children and the elderly to keep their shoes on and their light jackets and only search them if the metal detector or the full-body scanner shows something. It does seem a little weird to me that everyone who goes through a full-body scanner still has to take off their shoes and belts - doesn't the scanner go underneath clothes? This is a start in the right direction. I just hope the TSA doesn't mess up implementing and expanding the program throughout the country. ^

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/tsa-elderly-passengers-let-try-keeping-shoes-144240872.html