To wonder if I look dodgy?

[TheCatOfAthenry]

Flying London to Ireland. Every time I go through airport security I seem to get frisked. Also happened in France, Czech Republic and Spain.

For a few years, I really thought it was just luck, but am beginning to wonder if I just look like a shady character.

Share my woes, please. Or tell me how to de-dodge myself.

I get it alot too. Usually me or dh get picked up for it.

I always get the extra bag search when we fly to the US at the gate. Which is great because dh has to get the kids settled on the plane and i get 5 minutes peace

Not sure why. Doesnt bother me though.

This year I've flown to Ireland and Greece.

The ONLY black guy on our flight to Ireland got pulled over, refrisked, and had bag searched.

In Greece, one of the two Black guys on our flight was pulled up by passport security and given a thorough vetting. The rest of us white Europeans just sailed through without a glance at our passports.

I was both times.

It happens to my dh every time ... He has a metal cheekbone and often sets off the alarms. Sometimes when they realise I'm with him, they think he's just the decoy and frisk me too. We just roll with it now.

DH is a six foot plus biker with beard and long hair.

He is the only person I know who was frisked (very thoroughly) going INTO Amsterdam!

He doesn't even smoke....

Happens to me too. No idea why. I'm used to the searches now - always me rather than my luggage . I've had my shoes and hands swabbed twice this year when I've travelled alone. Obviously middle aged women travelling alone are drug mules.

For years I was pulled for extra bag check every time I traveled, which was a lot. Then one day I asked if there was a reason for it. Turned out that the organic wet wipes I always carried looked suspicious on the xrays ascend that was why I was pulled. Stopped carrying them and am rarely stopped now.

Might be worth (politely) asking if there's a particular reason for it. Obviously they might not be able to say, or it could just be luck, but you never know!

DH has a metal plate in his arm so always gets frisked. Mind you, he always used sans plate as he looks a bit bank robber ish

It's always after I walk through the gate. No metal picked up (except maybe in my unfortunately large bra).

It's always (bar once) been by a female guard too.

Always polite and respectful, but maybe I travel with a "come hither" look?

poppy12, I wonder if you might have a point there? I mostly travel alone, and seem to get searched at airports more often than not. Recently, flying Manchester to Chicago, it happened again. I was curious about this, so asked the officer what they were looking for, her reply was - "Anything!". I must look like shifty character.

I always get frisked too - I always wear a silver bracelet that doesn't come off without pliers and it sets the scanners off.
Although... the last couple of times I've fowm I've also been swabbed for explosives, no idea what that's about!
I'm also very ticklish... think it makes it worse when you giggle as you get felt up!

I'm pretty sure they have to give you a same-sex-as-you guard??!!
last time I went I ended up in a little queue of 3 woman waiting to be frisked...

I always get this, but I have horrendous airport anxiety so they probably feel the waves from anxiety from outside the airport and suspect I'm just a shite drugs mules

I do Very frequently. Probably less so now I have small children but previously I was always getting patted down.

I am a complete innocent and look it as well. I am the sort to smiles and gives a cheery hello to coppers. I obviously look too innocent to be believed

@IHeartDodo the one time it was a man I was asked if I wanted to wait for a woman. I totally understand why some might prefer to wait, but I was ok with it.

I don't particularly mind it, but I'm a tad baffled..

I used to always get followed by security guards in shops, it became a bit of a running joke. Not nice to feel that you inadvertently meet some kind of criteria of criminal appearance.

I went through security once with an older woman who commented that she once got pulled over and taken for interview because she had recently fertilised her garden and it set off the explosives trigger when her bag was pulled over and she also set it off when they frisked her. She said "I hope I'm not pulled over this time, I forgot about it and I've just popped fertiliser all over the garden ..." and you can guess the rest.

OP this happens to me in pretty much every airport but I definitely don't look dodgy and I bet you don't either. In fact, I reckon we probably look decidedly non dodgy but I figure they are probably required to check X number of people and go for someone they figure looks a safe enough bet. After all, who wants to be the security officer who doescome across something scary while frisking a passenger? That's my view and I'm sticking to it

i always get frisked too...too much bling...several bangles that won't come off, and I usually wear heels...not that that matters so much now it's "shoes off" but some have a spike in them for support, so the scanner would bleep

dh almost always gets frisked on his own, but rarely when with me...go figure! ...he is/was a copper too, although people rarely believed it when told for some reason!

@CantSleepClownsWillEatMe I like the way you think.

I'm ok at Airports but if I do self scan at Tesco ( about twice a year as I usually go to Sainsbury's) I always get a rescan and they NEVER find anything I haven't paid for

I get frisked all the time too. I'm a mother with kids. I travel all the time and it's a pain as my child is special needs who goes nuts every time. Sigh... nothing I can do.

I always get frisked! The middle eastern complexion and beard don't help though..... they always seem surprised that they never find anything! On my current passport I look like Albanian mafia as well.

I just resign my self to it now.

DH always gets stopped. He has a massive deep scar right round his neck - looks like he has been garrotted. He also has huge stitch marks which add an air of drug-running criminality to his overall 'look'. A result of sepsis, rather than nefarious deeds.
He has a lovely smiley face with crinkly kind eyes.

Dps a big 6ft bald man, soft as shit but looks scary to people who don't know him. Whenever we fly, me and both kids get searched and he's just allowed to wander on through

My Mum used to travel alone to Holland fairly regularly, and frequently got her car searched. One time they even removed internal panels/fittings :o it used to take her ages to get through.