@t sounds about right, see also https://takingsenseaway.wordpress.com/ blog written by a former TSA employee, debunks a lot of TSA practise as nonsense. I’ve found European airports to vary, e.g. some want shoes off, every electronic device in it’s own tray, some don’t care. When traveling with the gurdy I’ve had reactions ranging from highly suspicious with swabs being taken, to people not caring, or wanting to hear it played purely out of curiosity.
↪
Tantek Çelik:
Japan airport security is basically pre-2001 (sans theater)
* keep shoes & jacket on
* metal detector
Unlike:
American airport security
* remove hoodie, jacket, etc.
* slower and more radiative millimeter/backscatter
I went through both Tokyo/Haneda and Chitose airport security this week. Haneda's security was also ok with using a single tray for liquids, devices, laptop, coins etc. for their x-ray machiens, in contrast to U.S. airport security requiring separate trays for each laptop, and any liquids or anything else.
I can only conclude that the TSA's extra procedures and expensive radar devices are a waste of time & resources, no more than a perpetuation of a culture of fear since 2001.
I remain hopeful that the TSA will eventually adopt measures similar to Japanese airports and return to just using metal detectors.