What does TSA do to you if you're wearing a cast?

Isn’t that what X-Ray machines are for ?

I suppose people could try hiding all sorts of things, but I assume their primary concern would be weapons.

I had my arm in a really serious supportive sling (not just the fabric and strap type, the one with a pillow-cushion) and had to fly. After going through all the normal securities, they had to pat down my sling, and brush it with that bomb-testing swab (how the heck does it even work?).

I don’t think you’ll be regarded as an international criminal, but in all cases, I suspect you will get some sort of extra screening (wand, swab, etc.).

I’ve had three different types of casts, one was a plaster, one was fiberglass, and one was a removable cast. The removable cast obviously they could take off and look threw it I’m sure. And the non removable ones, you should bring a doctors note explaining the cast and then they could send you threw the x ray. I would definitely get a doctors note though, they shouldn’t treat you any different, they have a x ray machine/medal detector.

And what about replacement joints, or insulin pumps? Inquiring minds want to know! :D

(slightly off topic, mod it if you like) I have metal pins in my shoulder, and an artificial knee joint, which set off the metal detectors every time. I have a card that explains this. I only had trouble once, at an airport where the security people couldn’t read English; that was resolved quickly once they found a supervisor who could.

Isn’t the purpose of these checks to try and find terrorists and weapons of mass destruction? Given that, don’t they need to treat us all as possible terrorists? How else can this possibly work? I go through this interrogation cheerfully each time, hoping that this process might actually work and prevent the worst.

My question is not philosophical. I have a cast on my foot and I’m flying on Thursday. I want to know how much trouble to expect with it.

@Jeruba If it doesn’t set off the metal or explosives detector, no problem most likely. But you can never tell. TSA employees are unlikely to be candidates for Mensa membership.

I never went through with a non-removable cast, but I did fly with a removable boot more than once. It depends on the airport. Once they made me take off the cast, put it through the x-ray machine, and hop through the metal detector. Another time, they just had me sit down, wanded me all over, and tested the boot for chemical residue. Each time, it didn’t take more than about 3–5 minutes.

They made me put my cane through the x-ray machine, too. I was praying I didn’t take a flying pratfall through the metal detector…

Outcome: it wasn’t too bad. It did cause a little delay. They didn’t make me take the cast off, but I did have to hobble through the scanner gate without my left shoe, so that I was horribly off balance and found it painfully wrenching for my already troubled lumbar. They sat me down on the inside while all my stuff sat exposed on the belt for five minutes or so, until a female agent came and wiped down my cast and my shoe and my hands with some kind of detector substance. Eventually they concluded that I was no threat to security and let me go. The routine was pretty much the same at both ends of the country.

Thanks for all your information and reassurance.