Pegontheroad

I generally have to be patted down at airport security, since I have artificial knees which set off the metal detector. Before my May flight to Germany (which began with an Alaska Airlines flight from Spokane to Seattle), the TSA lady patted me down thoroughly, as usual wearing blue gloves. After the pat-down, she took a circular cloth and wiped down the palms of the gloves, then inserted the cloth into a slot in a machine/electronic gadget of some kind.

The cloth set off an alarm, so she called over a supervisor. It seems I tested positive for explosive residue. Me! Explosive residue! They took all my stuff out of my purse and my carry-on bag and x-rayed everything. Needless to say, they found no explosives in my purse or my bag. I asked what in the world would have caused a positive signal for explostives, and I was told that it was probably glycerin in a lotion of some kind.

That made sense, of course, but I carry pretty much the same cosmetics and lotions on all trips, and this reaction has never occurred before.

I"m going to write a sort of trip report for this trip, but I'm still in the grip of jet lag, so will continue later.

elberko

Glad you're OK, Peg. Some of us were concerned and not positive when your trip was.

~Liz

traveller1959

Peg, aren't you a voter?

I do not understand that millions of U.S. citizens let your crazy government do those things to you. Remember that you live in a democracy and act accordingly.

suze

I got that swab test on Alaska in Spokane a few months ago. Never had it done before (fortunately I passed).

Wishing you a wonderful trip ahead of you, Peg.

astein12

I've had it a number of times... a lot of things can set it off including certain cosmetics, having been to a firing range in the recent past, and even having pumped your own gas in some cases!

astein12

another common one is having played with fireworks...

Belinda

Could be garden chemicals.

latedaytraveler

Peg, really looking forward to your trip report...

jaja

My granddaughter got pulled aside in San Antonio Airport. Apparently her crayons looked like bullets and the tangle of wires from her electronics looked like who knows what.

flpab

That is a normal test after you are patted down or a random test that they do on your hands, shoes or wheelchairs for explosives. It is very accurate if you have touch fireworks, gunpowder, explosives, fertilizer, nitro glycerin pills, etc. It does not really do a lot of false positives and is not a big deal. I know they use this machine in baggage and security check points at all airports including ones in other countries. I for one would rather get on a plane that is somewhat secure. I heard last week that TSA took 18 guns in one day at the check points from those nice sweet sane flyers on the plane with you.