Youngest was in an accident that required several surgical pins in his hand. Question is has any one with pins had trouble getting through airport security?
TSA knows that lots of travelers have metal on their bodies for medical reasons and won't have trouble clearing your child. Depending on how things go, he or she may need to go through secondary screening, but it's not invasive and if the child is young then a parent or guardian will be permitted to accompany him or her.
USA Today gives this advice:
People with pacemakers, surgical pins or other metal items inside their bodies should inform airline security of this, before passing through metal detectors. Bringing a doctor’s notification will alleviate boarding difficulties.
I have pins in my leg from an accident in 1990. I never had a problem going through security until last week at O'Hare, when the TSA lady decided to pat down my leg, lol. I told her about the pins and there was no problem.
I've been carrying a doctor's note all these years, just in case. Never needed to show it, though.
Thanks for the responses. He has plans to fly to Vegas this November and this kid is a uber planner and if there is any disruption throws him into a tissie. I will tell him to get a letter from his doc just in case. It is his hand also so not in a clothed area so that should help things.
Tell him to wear short sleeves...it will be rather obvious that there is nothing on his hands. My lower leg gets padded ever so often for some pins in it...never a big deal.
It really depends on how much metal, and hardware in a hand isn't likely to set off a metal detector (I have a few screws in my hand, never has set it off). Should take only a few seconds to get wanded if it does set the detector off, though, and the surgical scars are a give-away, too.
