Eyelets at the Airport

[Manwariel]

Not really sure where to put this. Will eyelets set off the metal detector at an airport, and is there any chance of them making you take your, say, skirt off, that they're in? :p I want to wear my Ren. skirt when I fly so I don't have to stuff it in my carry-on.

[Noble Dreg]

Possible but unlikely.  I fly often for work.  I have multiple rings on my fingers and have never set off the detector because of them.  Zippers and jean buttons are metal too but pass right through.

Biggest rookie mistakes I see travelers make is too many gels, creams, lotions, liquids, etc.  That and shoes...You need to take off your shoes so find a pair that's easy on/off.  Oh, you have to take off your belt too if you're wearing one...which did lead to a rather unpleasant "view" I saw in Boston.  Warning: hold up your pants!   

[Lady Renee Buchanan]

I've set the metal detector off before by my bra, and no, they didn't make me take it off.  They have a hand held wand, so if something makes it beep, they just wave the wand in front of you and stop it where the beeping starts.  Then they can usually see what exactly it is that set it off.

[Noble Dreg]

Bites tongue...

[Noble Dreg]

Ok, Ok...Was it this one?...


or this one?...



Or maybe...

[Sir Ironhead]

I've set the metal detector off before by my bra, and no, they didn't make me take it off.  They have a hand held wand, so if something makes it beep, they just wave the wand in front of you and stop it where the beeping starts.  Then they can usually see what exactly it is that set it off.

There's a wenchmouth in there somewhere, I know it 

[Welsh Wench]

Yeah...and it wasn't even me!

The last one looks like what happens when you stick foil in a microwave. 

[Lady Christina de Pond]

no kidding

[Elennare]

How many eyelets are on the skirt?  If there's a ton, then you might set it off (side note: 90+ bobby pins will set off the metal detector. .  If it's just a couple, like lacing at the waist line, you should be fine.

No, they won't make you take it off.  If you set it off more than once, they'll wand you, and possibly pat you down.  Also, according to the woman sitting next to me on the plane yesterday, appparently some airports are now patting down anyone in a skirt just because.

The really annoying thing is that every airport is a little bit different in how they run security.  But, if you remove everything but the eyelets that would set it off, you will likely be fine.

[Pascal]

The detectors can be set to varying degrees of sensitivity -- so the experience can differ from airport to airport and even different detectors in the same airport.  The odds are you'll be okay -- but it's possible that it could be set off if you catch one tuned too sensitive (I've had a single straight pin set one off before -- but that only happened once.)

If you set off the sensor, then they'll simply use a hand-wand metal detector and pass it over you.  They will not make you remove any clothing other than external garments like a hat, coat, or shoes.  In very rare circumstances (like when the wand goes off in a place where it shouldn't go off), the agent may ask you if they can touch that area of your body (it'll always be a same-sex agent).  They won't "fondle" or "feel" you -- they'll just press on that area to see if they can detect anything illicit underneath your outer garment.  It's usually just touching around your ankles or at the top snap in a pair of jeans, in any case.