After a nice dinner at Tender Greens, I was taken to LAX for my red-eye flight to Hartford, via Atlanta. I had pre-checked in from home, so I just needed to go through security. There was not much of a line, and after placing my carry-on bag, my laptop bag, my laptop, my jacket, my belt, my wallet, my shoes and my cellphone all through the X-ray machine, I was then directed to go through the new controversial full body backscatter X-ray machine. I don’t have anything to hide, and while there might be some concern from some people about the health risks, I don’t see how it’s really any more volatile than what I subject myself to every day with a cellphone practically glued to my face.
Suffice it to say, I went through with no problems. But I have to wonder – if I’m getting a full-body backscatter X-ray taken of me, why did I have to remove my belt, wallet, keys, cellphone and shoes? Seems a little redundant. Then again, the TSA could probably be a lot more effective if they implemented the approach taken by the El-Al Security Detail, and profiled you. That would probably also be a bit less invasive than the heralded “enhanced pat downs”.