Sweat too much at the airport? You might get flagged by security

Hot summer temperatures in the U.S. may see more passengers than usual earn themselves a pat-down by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials as they go through airport security.

Sweaty passengers “may need to undergo additional screening”

A TSA spokesperson has explained to CNN that the agency’s passenger screening technology can be triggered by a particularly sweaty traveler.

“Added moisture from a person’s body can alter the density of clothing, so it is possible perspiration may cause our Advanced Imaging Technology machines to alarm,” the TSA official told the media outlet.

“If this occurs, the passenger may need to undergo additional screening, such as a pat-down in the area of the body where the AIT alarmed, to ensure there is no threat.”

The U.S. is enduring a sweltering summer, with the country’s National Weather Service (NWS) warning that hot conditions will endure throughout the season.

Indeed, the NWS’s ‘seasonal temperature outlook’, which offers three-month forecasts for the U.S., says July, August and September will all be characterized by above-normal temperatures nationwide.

DHS ditches ‘Shoes-Off’ policy

Meanwhile, passengers in the U.S. no longer have to remove their footwear when negotiating airport security, after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the end of the ‘Shoes-Off’ policy.

“The new policy will increase hospitality for travelers and streamline the TSA security checkpoint process, leading to lower wait times,” the DHS said in a statement this month.

The homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, said: “Thanks to our cutting-edge technological advancements and multi-layered security approach, we are confident we can implement this change while maintaining the highest security standards.”

Noem has also suggested that the DHS may scrap the 3.4-ounce limit on liquid containers in passengers’ carry-on luggage. “The liquids, I’m questioning,” she told a press conference hosted by the media outlet The Hill this week.

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