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Showing 131 results | ||||||
| Status | Airline | Checkpoint | Date | Notes | Time | Wait |
| UA | 2013-04-16 | |||||
| AS | N/D | 2013-04-12 | Everyone through metal detector; scanner blocked off. | 540a | ||
| AS | D/N | 2013-03-22 | Far left line used to be WTMD only -- line roped off and most people put through BKSX, with some randomly picked to go through alternative WTMD next to it. | 500a | ||
| Int'l | South Satellite | 2013-03-09 | WTMD between international arrivals and the rest of the airport. | |||
| AS | 3 (central), precheck | 2013-03-07 | line 1 is precheck; with Global Entry pass is WTMD only | 730p | 0 | |
| WN | Center | 2013-02-22 | Far left checkpoint to avoid body scanners | 10 | ||
| AS | Checkpoint 4 | 2013-02-09 | Far left lane had option of WTMD or BKSX. Walked right up to WTMD and got waved through. All other lanes at checkpoint were BKSX. One lane at Checkpoint 3 appeared to be WTMD only as BSKX was taped off. Line was way longer at 3 so we went through at 4. | 10a | 5 | |
| Int'l | southern most | 2013-02-06 | As far as I could tell no one was given the option for a pat down, appeared that the metal detector machine was shut down, everyone was directed to be scanned | 1000p | 5 | |
| DL | Checkpoint 2 | 2012-12-23 | Alternating between BKSX NOS and WTMD. Got lucky, but they were typically angry and abusive with the woman who opted out behind me. SEA is just terrible, it's shameful for our region. | 800p | 10 | |
| UA | 5 (D/N gates, premier line) | 2012-12-20 | Random backscatter. I got lucky. There is no longer a WTMD only line on the far left. Staff were warm and friendly. | 500a | 7 | |
| AS | D/N gates | 2012-12-20 | No longer any WTMD only line on the far left, I got lucky and went through WTMD. | 1020a | ||
| Int'l | South Satellite Terminal | 2012-12-16 | WTMD after you've cleared immigration/customs and before you continue to the rest of the airport. | |||
| AS | 3 | 2012-11-29 | All BKS except pre-check which was WTMD | 520a | 5 | |
| All | All | 2012-11-21 | 100% Backscatter for everyone except PreCheck | 510a | ||
| UA | northernmost/rightmost | 2012-11-19 | Leftmost lane of this checkpoint still has no backscatter (appears to be a space issue); you can drift off to the left at this checkpoint. Other checkpoints seem to have backscatter for everyone, but they all go to the same place. | 1050a | 10 | |
| AS | northernmost/rightmost | 2012-11-10 | Leftmost lane (which has just metal detector) was closed; at first they were doing every-other for backscatter vs metal detector, but both partner and I went through metal detector after they made it more random. | 830a | 10 | |
| B6 | 2 | 2012-11-07 | Three baggage lanes open, two feeding alternating WTMD/BKSX line, third had only the WMTD open. strangely, that had a longer line. TSA staff seemed unusually pleasant and friendly tonight. | 1000p | 10 | |
| AS | Chk point 3 Pre-check line | 2012-10-25 | Went thru WTMD (only one in Pre-check line. Very fast | 200a | 2 | |
| DL | Center | 2012-10-13 | I don't think anyone in the center checkpoint was going through scanners, but not entirely sure | 1020a | 10 | |
| UA | Middle checkpoint | 2012-10-13 | Far left lane still is WTMD, and you can pick your lanes. Easy-peasy SDOO. Gal behind me got a random hand swab, though. | 600a | 10 | |
| All | Middle | 2012-09-30 | The line crawled until they got a second checker to help the slowest checker ever; by which point the line had ballooned. Rapiscan was down for maintenance, however, so SDOO was easy. | 950p | 10 | |
| AS | A | 2012-09-27 | At each check in point, there was a preimer line at the far left. Once you got pass the initial scan of your ID and boarding pass, then try to go all the way to the far left. That is where the premier line is and it is a WTMD no NOS. All other lines had blue cancer boxes using BKSX | 900p | 5 | |
| UA | Far south checkpoint by B gates | 2012-09-20 | Barking TSAs were ordering elites out of checkpoint 5 and insisting that the far south checkpoint had no line. Untrue, the line took 25 minutes, and elites were funneled into the Nos. I waited till two people were in line for the NoS and innocently walked through the WTMD. Didn't get stopped, but almost everyone was getting the cancer box this am. | 630a | 25 | |
| UA | 5 | 2012-09-11 | Elite lane next to Precheck lane led to WTMD, the scanner was blocked off today. Guy behind me picked for random shoe swab. | 930a | 10 | |
| AS | 5 | 2012-08-26 | SDOO -- far left lane goes to WTMD. However, after I got in line, TSA was directing others into the scanner line. | 600p | ||
| US | SC 3 | 2012-08-13 | Scanners blocked off on far right lanes. Far left lanes going through backscatter. Keep head up and you'll be fine. Took a red eye on a Monday. | 800p | 20+ | |
| US | 2 | 2012-08-09 | PreCheck closed. Only WTMD for first/premier line on far right. Back scatter in other lines. Most laptops pulled for swabbing, hence long waits at x-ray. Staff were quiet. | 810p | 15 | |
| All | Checkpoint 3 | 2012-08-05 | Long wait late night at SEA, but no machines in use. | 1120p | 30 | |
| AA | 5 | 2012-07-22 | Easy SDOO. Long line in regular lanes, no line in PreCheck/elite/military lane. | 5a | ||
| AS | D/N gates | 2012-07-15 | Still easy SDOO by staying left through doc checker stations in regular lanes. Bear left after doc checker to access a WTMD only lane. All gates are accessible from this checkpoint. | 710a | 25 | |
| UA | 4 | 2012-07-14 | Choose your own adventure in the left and right lanes; most passengers in center lane sent through back scatter. | 500a | 10 | |
| UA | 5 (N gates) | 2012-07-11 | Lines moved very slowly today, not sure why. Lady TSA was checking boarding passes at head of line, and was sending some people off to other gates, I was headed to N gate, so she let me through, not sure what she'd have done if I was not ticketed on UA and not headed to d/n gates. I was able to SDOO by staying to left where WTMD is located. Lady behind me was picked for random search. | 540p | 15 | |
| UA | Checkpoint 3 | 2012-07-06 | The previous safe checkpoint (#5, where the left lane was safe) is closed for renovation, and all other checkpoints have backscatter in use for all passengers. Opting out was fairly easy though the screener was brusque. No harrassment. | 930p | 15 | |
| UA | 5 | 2012-06-30 | Backscatters roped off in the Elite line (not PreCheck). Very long wait time, very crowded, but TSA staff were cheerful and pleasant. Many random swabbings of electronics. | 650a | 25 | |
| Int'l | 2 | 2012-06-28 | Several international flights all going out at around the same time meant long lines. But the far right was WTMD only, and passengers can choose their own advenure. | 12p | 15 | |
| AA | 2 | 2012-06-20 | Most Xrays were roped off at this time. Easy SDOO. | 710a | 10 | |
| UA | 3 | 2012-06-15 | PreCheck closed; only checkpoint 3 open. Some Backscatters roped off; I got lucky. Staff was snippy. | 840p | 10 | |
| 5 | 2012-06-14 | WTMDs at the far right and far left; everyone else got irradiated. SDOO followed by a supposedly random laptop swab. | 1100a | 10 | ||
| UA | North | 2012-06-14 | usually this checkpoint is fast but it was a long wait! got randomed on the wtmd again. they were swabbling random people's hands at ID check. got bag swabbed on random wtmd alarm. at least no longer a glass holding box. looked like the radiation booth was shutdown due to long waits and everyone was sent through a wtmd, but not quite 100% certain of this. chose far left lane, which has traditionally been wtmd only | 520a | 20 | |
| AS | Checkpoint 5 | 2012-06-04 | Far left lane still WTMD only, and scanner free! | 800a | 5 | |
| VX | 5 | 2012-05-13 | Stay in the far left lane -- it's WTMD. The TSA person was confused because she'd never seen a Virgin boarding pass before, but cleared that up. Access to all gates. Random ID checks at the gate itself, but no groping whatsoever! | 620p | 5 | |
| B6 | 2 | 2012-05-12 | Far right lane was WTMD only - backscatter was roped off for this lane. | 530p | 5 | |
| All | Checkpoint 5 (North) | 2012-05-10 | Left lane is WTMD only. Easy SDOO. Access to all gates. | 850a | 4 | |
| US | Checkpoint 2 | 2012-04-29 | X-ray operational for most passengers in center lane; xray roped off in far right lane, WTMD only. Xray in use for all lanes at checkpoint 3;, for probably 80% of travelers. Did not check north/5. | 1000a | 15 | |
| All | A, N, S | 2012-03-15 | The left hand lane is still almost always open only to the WTMD. SDOO a breeze most days. | 700a | 10 | |
| AS | A, N, S | 2012-02-11 | had to opt out | 12 | ||
| DL | S | 2012-02-04 | Courteous and professional TSA staff. We are a family with small children We had already decided that none of us would submit to pat down or nude-O-scope, we planned to miss our flight if either was required. We were very glad just WTMD so we could fly that day. | 1130p | 10 | |
| WN | North | 2012-01-30 | Rightmost lane was 100% scanner, had to opt out | 1100a | 15 | |
| VX | D/N (farthest North) | 2012-01-29 | far left lane wtmd only, but it went off on me at random (tsa announced it as "random"); i only got a swab of one of my items (no "pat down") | 5a | ||
| DL | Checkpoint 5 | 2012-01-27 | WTMD in far left lane is still open. Our gate was at the opposite end of the terminal, but once through security we could walk or take the tram to get there. | 1130a | ||
| AA | A | 2012-01-26 | Back scatter infuse | 720a | ||
| DL | A, N, S (South end of main terminal) | 2012-01-20 | Rapiscan X-rays in place; far left lane (of 3-4 open) had WTMD. TSO's were urging passengers to go to the screening points at the north end of the terminal because of 'long waits' even though the line was not long and was moving efficiently. I mentioned that due to recent surgery, I'd rather not walk across the whole airport, TSO sarcastically asked 'so you'd rather stand?' | 1200p | 7 | |
| UA | 5 (D/N) | 2012-01-05 | I was all prepared to do the rare and glorious double-opt-out, but thanks to TSA Status, I knew to take the far left lane in Checkpoint 5, so I didn't even have to do anything special. Just walked through WTMD no problem. It doesn't matter what your gate is. You can reach everything from inside security, so just pick Checkpoint 5 (the checkpoint closest to the D and N gates), pick the far left lane, pass through the WTMD, and find the way to your gate afterwards." | 410a | 5 | |
| UA | Checkpoint 5 (N/S gates, northmost) | 2012-01-03 | Halfway through the ID line wait, line splits into thirds; stay in the left third. Middle lane is 50/50, left lane is safe (doesn't appear to have enough space to put in a scanner). | 600a | 10 | |
| AS | North | 2012-01-03 | Left lane still has wtmd only. Easy sdoo. | 300p | 1 | |
| AS | North (D/N) | 2012-01-03 | Reports of the self directed metal detector lane on the far left were accurate. All other checkpoints (A, B) were scan city | 700p | ||
| UA | North checkpoint | 2012-01-02 | Elite line 100% scanner, had to opt out, WTMTblocked | 710a | 15 | |
| AS | N | 2011-12-30 | I was very glad to see this site, and followed the advice to stay in the left lane. Just went through the WTMD, there was no problem. I did get chosen for "random screening", which was a breeze. Thanks to all who posted before. | 430p | ||
| B | 2011-12-26 | p | ||||
| UA | Checkpoint 5 D/N | 2011-12-22 | Longer wait time, but very friendly. SDOO for Elite/First/Crew line if you stay to the far right side. BKSK at all other lines. | 630a | 10 | |
| WN | Main | 2011-12-20 | WTMD and BKSX in use, possible to select your own lane after the document checker. | 840a | ||
| AS | D/N | 2011-12-19 | The far left lane is still safe, HOWEVER, this checkpoint closes early in the evening. If you arrive at the airport after 7 PM, this checkpoint may not be an option. | |||
| UA | Checkpoint 5 (D/N) | 2011-12-12 | SEA is now mostly safe for elites at this checkpoint. Use the elite lane and you'll walk straight into a metal detector-only lane. Just don't veer left at all after the ID check- stay right against the wall. Far left lane still works for non-elites to SDOO. | 700a | ||
| WN | Main | 2011-12-05 | Choose your own adventure by going to the rightmost (elite / A-list) even after going through the general queue | |||
| UA | Checkpoint 5 | 2011-12-01 | Left lane has no BKSX. Easy SDOO at ckpt 5. | 1p | ||
| AS | C&D gates | 2011-11-30 | random chance, got lucky with goon pointer (that means I did NOT get groped, used WTMD) | 1000p | 5 | |
| Main | 2011-11-24 | 100% backscatter | ||||
| Main | 2011-11-24 | 100% backscatter at central checkpoint; no WTMD option. Self-directed WTMD on far right (elite/first/crew) at D/N checkpoint. | ||||
| UA | 2011-11-22 | |||||
| All | Checkpoint 4 | 2011-11-19 | Scanner shut down in one line. If you can't SDOO at other checkpoints, use the far left lane at Checkpoint 5 (North) for a metal detector-only lane. | |||
| AS | International | 2011-11-06 | Its beyond me why they have a checkpoint in the middle of a sterile area, but I guess I should remember this is the TSA. Fortunately, no cancer machines and one of the guys was friendly. | |||
| UA | D | 2011-10-19 | left lane had no scanner. also, noted that over at c/d the scanners were not in use | |||
| CO | Checkpoint 3 | 2011-10-06 | Mandatory backscatter at 11:00 pm with profoundly invasive pat down for opt-outs. Many staff, only one lane open. Many passengers complaining. | |||
| UA | D/N (North Checkpoint "5") | 2011-09-22 | The reports of the far left lane being scanner-free are totally accurate. There is new construction at this checkpoint, so the scanner-free right lane is not currently accessible. It is choose-your-own-adventure after the ID check stations, so the elite line can be used -just make a hard left immediately after. | |||
| UA | 4 | 2011-09-19 | All lanes were tsa choice, but I found one understaffed lane with only wtmd. | |||
| UA | D/N | 2011-09-19 | I succumbed to the temptation of using the premier lane to avoid the wait. I was presented with a WTMD next to (left of) a BKSX. I was using the left x-ray belt, and I couldn't tell if I got lucky on the timing or if everyone on the left was going through the WTMD and everyone on the right through the BKSX, and I didn't stick around long enough to figure it out. Next time I'll use the regular line and bear to the left; most people seem to have good luck with that. | |||
| DL | S | 2011-09-14 | Most lines have both scanners and WTMD, if you have your wits about you, you can select the WTMD like. | |||
| AS | D/N | 2011-09-11 | Premium security lane led straight to the WTMD (at the far right). | |||
| DL | Ckpt 2 | 2011-09-08 | Furthest ckpt at the end backscatter is off | |||
| UA | North, N and S Gates | 2011-09-01 | Veer to the left to self-select, no backscatter in that lane. Entered at 9:30 a.m. The guy ahead of me got a random swab of his hands. Screener at WTMD yelled "Random 1-2" for him. | |||
| AS | All | 2011-08-31 | A - All WTMD except the far left (but all had BKSX); B, all BKSX except the far right; C, all BKSX. Use the left lane at the D N gates for WTMD. | |||
| AS | All | 2011-08-31 | A - All WTMD except the far left (but all had BKSX); B, all BKSX except the far right; C, all BKSX. Use the left lane at the D N gates for WTMD. | |||
| All | central | 2011-08-28 | 11pm. minimal use of BKSX, possibly only on secondary screening. wtmd as primary for both lines. one particularly rude tsa agent this time around. | |||
| UA | CDN | 2011-08-16 | I needed a patdown due to artificial hip. Was kept waiting in "isolation booth" for almost 20 minutes waiting for a female assist, while I watched a female assistant talk it up with a lady carrying her baby in a forward pack having a pat down. This took a long time due to the joking around, laughing, etc. Then the assistant helped the lady gather all of her belongings and strap up her luggage. | |||
| UA | C/D | 2011-08-10 | The WTMD only line was roped off, but this morning the far right lane was NoS free. | |||
| UA | D/N | 2011-08-04 | went to the leftmost line and was scat and grope free! thanks, tsastatus! | |||
| AS | Central | 2011-07-31 | I was not scanned, instead was directed through the metal detector. Others in my party were scanned. | |||
| FL | SC 3 / A terminal | 2011-07-31 | Random but nearly 50% selection rate. Got selected but opted out of backscatter radiation. Instead patted down. All I can say is I am glad I wear a padded bra and loose fitting pants. Please be careful they are out to scan as many as possible no real chance to choose adventure. | |||
| All | North-most | 2011-07-28 | Use the left-most lane to avoid backscatter machines | |||
| B6 | Checkpoint 2 | 2011-07-16 | Backscatter in use at most lanes, but one had it blocked off, so I chose that one and went right through. | |||
| UA | C/D | 2011-07-08 | The premier/first line leads to the backscatter, but you can make your way to the far left (WTMD) line once you pass the TDC. The WTMD has random selection for pat-downs, about every 4th or 5th passenger. Lines were very long at 5:30 pm. | |||
| AS | D | 2011-07-07 | Checkpoint to the RIGHT of Alaska check-in. After the doors beyond the TDCs, easy self selection among three WTMDs. The rightmost lane had an X-ray backscatter machine; I did not observe how often it was used. | |||
| FL | Main / security gate 3 | 2011-06-30 | Far left lane backscatter was shut off, easy to avoid if you pick correct lane. Far right lane was sending ALL passengers through the backscatter. Security checkpoint 1 wad FAR worse. All lanes thru backscatters. Proceed with caution and you should be ok. | |||
| Other | C/D | 2011-06-22 | Two X-ray backscatter machines observed -- both roped off at about 10:30 am, one (right side) in use around 5 pm. Middle metal detector is safe from the scanners. | |||
| All | C gate checkpoint | 2011-06-20 | Far left line only has WTMD, but TSOs will shunt some unlucky ones off to the NoS. Too bad, because that line used to be safe. | |||
| All | C checkpoint | 2011-06-19 | Middle backscatter at the small C checkpoint is inoperative. Has sign on back saying equipment out of service. Won't last long but enjoy while you can. Elite line dumps out right in front of it. | |||
| UA | central | 2011-06-15 | 1030pm, they were closing down a bank of NoS but lanes 1-3 were WTMD only. | |||
| UA | Main/North | 2011-06-05 | Far RIGHT lane (down the hallway from the premium pax line) has no NoS | |||
| All | Middle screening area near C gates | 2011-05-16 | Backed up lines, they stopped directing people to scanners. | |||
| All | Middle screening area near C gates | 2011-05-16 | Backed up lines, they stopped directing people to scanners. | |||
© 2010-2011, Ari Ofsevit / tsastatus.net