Plan it out in advance. Discuss it with your partner. Who is going to carry what, who is going to go first etc. etc. Review the plan twice before you get to the line to ensure you both understand what you are going to do. This is how we do it:
- Spouse walks behind me, with kids in between. Wheelchairs get priority (usually) at security lines, so this allows us to move quickly to the security area as a family.
- Once at the x-ray scanners, I assist my wife with getting the kids ready: shoes off, coats off, carry-on bags on the belt. She folds the buggy, gets it on the belt, pulls out the little 1-quart baggie with liquids, gels etc. (tow of these – I have one and she has one) until finally my wife and the kids are ready to go through.
- My wife walks through the x-ray first (and again and again until she no longer beeps). I hold the kids back until she is ready at the other side. Then the kids walk through to her, one by one. Then, and only then, I start getting myself through security.
- Often, when going through, security will ask if you are travelling alone. I always say yes. If you don’t, they expect your wife to capture and look after all your stuff after it has gone through the x-ray belt. She has enough to do with her own mountain of stuff (see the section on packing!) and the kids!
For a wheelie, going through security always involves a body search. So the routine is to prepare all my bags, remove laptops etc. just like anyone else. I cannot easily remove my shoes and this is usually okay. Although security will ask, and sometimes try to insist, if you are firm about your needs and abilities they will let you keep your shoes on. I don’t use a back-pack on my chair as it wrecks the upholstery, so instead I use a bag that hangs under the chair to carry bits and pieces. My one (from Adaptable®) can be quickly un-clipped and I bought it specifically for security purposes. I have never had any problem bringing medical necessities through such as catheters (even the pre-lubricated type sealed with their own liquid) or urine bottles (I use standard Rubbermaid® 1-litre liquid “serving saver” bottles).
So once you have all your stuff on the belt, it goes through just like everyone else’s. Then you wait until a security person opens a little gate beside the scanner and waves you through. The body search is pretty thorough and you will be asked to put your arms out to each side, lean forward in your chair, lift yourself if that is possible. Training of personnel varies from place to place, but by and large I have found that the staff are considerate and sensitive to my needs while still doing a thorough job. You are entitled to a private screening if you want one, but I never bother. The staff will also swab your chair, hands, and shoes for traces of explosives. Sometimes they “wand’ you and may ask permission to lift your legs off the foot-rests to do this.
We have had some horrendous experiences. One horrible incident where my toddler fell off my lap because I was trying to get my bags done (without assistance) and no one would help him or let my wife back out to pick him up and tend to his bleeding lip. Only fellow passengers came to our assistance. That’s what I mean when I say assume the worst. Staff in some locations are notoriously rude and unhelpful (Dulles International for example, although it seems to be improving over the last six months) while in other locations they are a pleasure to deal with (Baltimore/Washington International for example). My advice about all this is to just do what you can to make their job easier. It is no fun for anyone, and the person you are dealing with doesn’t make the rules. Your goal is to get safely through with minimum stress.
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