The morning fish wrap says that our local airport is getting a security device you walk thru and it sends puffs of air on you - to dislodge and detect any explosives that may be on your clothes or body. Apparently the puffs are loud and can blow hair around - so expect a bad hair day when flying!

I've been through puff security devices and they aren't bad. They blow my hair around a bit, but it isn't anything that would cause a bad hair day.

I've been "puffed" several times over the last year in Boston. No hair problems. The puffs didn't seem strong enough to mess hair or clothing.

One of the women quoted in the paper complained - not complained really because everyone thought that anything to increase security was swell, but said it messed her hair up - so this may seem to be overblown i guess.

"....so this may seem to be overblown..."
No pun intended, right, PalQ???? <G>

I work at nuclear powerplant. I have to walk through one every day. It takes about 17 seconds and hits you with 6 puffs of air. I think of Marilyn Monroe and her publicity stunt every time. No big deal really. Having to take your shoes off is a worse ordeal.

We've also done the puffs and they aren't a big deal, except for the poor 5 year old who wasn't heavy enough to register on the machine. Security was not as child-friendly as a mom would like and the boy got very distressed trying to decipher their orders to step off / step on / step off...finally they decided that he didn't need to be puffed.

Do amusement parks still have funhouses with "puffers" in the floor? They'd blow a strong puff of air when a woman with a skirt or dress walked by.

Always wear clean underwear to the funhouse.

Experienced this at SFO's international terminal last April. A little startling but nothing to get excited about.

The skirt puffer, Betsy?

So my Marilyn Munroe dress is out for flying now?


I would worry more about dust etc being puffed into my eyes while this is going on than my hair.
Anyone experience that?

Rufe, I was wearing the pink satin sweat suit that I reserve for European travel so can't speak to the skirt issue.

So first, I'm all in favor of such devices.

But I'm curious: What does this mean for people such as police officers, miners, sporting goods store clerks, demolition workers, hunters etc., who legitimately use ammunition and explosives?

Anybody know how long you'd have to be out of contact with the dangerous substance before you'd puff clean? Or whether some proof of employment would get you a pass? (I'd hope it would be WAY more than a business card or a note on company letterhead!)

In my work, I deal with police officers regularly. And my husband is a hunter, so it made me wonder.

I'm surprised somebody has not complained about some perceived civil rights violation.

No, just wondering about the logistics for people in those lines of work/recreation. It would be easier to know whether you're running a risk of being considered a terrorist at the airport so you could plan for extra time, have some way to really, really prove your line of work (or for hunters to just not do it for a while before a flight).

On the other hand, if cops and hunters and such can "get clean," I guess the bad guys could, too.

Are these things so sensitive, for instance, that I could be tagged for handling my luggage (which is stored in the same room as DH's hunting guns and such?)

I'm more than willing to cooperate - flying is a privilege, not a right - I just wonder what police officers, etc., should expect.

Be aware that ingredients in some women's cosmetics can set this off. I was told this by the nice lady who wanded me after I got pulled aside. as I stood there a few more women got pulled aside too (and didn't see any guys come to think of it). have no idea which ingredients though. it sure is sensitive if it can sense something that minimal though, wow.

omigod, what kind of cosmetic would set off an alarm for explosives LOL
This obviously means that women who smoke should NOT wear make-up

The puffers are no big deal, to my skirts or my hairdo. As to the question about people who might innocently have explosive residue, I travel frequently with the head of our local bomb disposal unit. He has never, ever made it through security without a separate wanding. He just accomodates the inevitable in his planning.

I got puffed for the first time at JFK a couple of years ago -- it was something of a surprise, but now that I know what it is, I'll go in with my hair wet so it can dry it too. LOL

Jules

what's funny is, you'd think your cosmetic bag would make the machines scream red. weird.

have no idea which cosmetic!! I use Cle de Peau, Clinique and Chanel. they mix up some mighty potent stuff apparently.