Next week I will be travelling to Copenhagen from London via air. Unfortunately, I only have a pair of steal toe capped boots available after recently breaking the soles of my normal shoes. I can’t really afford a new pair at the moment so will I be ok with steal toes at the airports or will I set off every alarm imaginable? Should I warn the guards before I go through the scanner, or take them off for inspection perhaps? I don’t really want to cause anyone problems or major scares.
I wore steel-toed boots during my last flight (in the USA). They recognized them before I even went through the metal detector, and told me to take them off and place them in a bin to go through the scanner. That was all. I don’t think it’s that unusual.
I wore steel toed boots flying from Houston to Scotland via Paris about 3 years ago (I was returning from working at a site where toecaps were mandatory and forgot to change my shoes). At the security check in Houston, I set off the metal detector and they patted me down. In Paris (where I stopped over for a few hours, leaving the airport), I removed my boots and put them through the X-ray machine with my hand luggage, without any incident. I certainly agree with Achernar that if you take them off before the metal detector/X ray there won’t be a problem.
I used to wear them all the time, and always set off the bleepers at international airports. I just used to say “steel toecaps” and I’d be scanned and then waved through. Except at Dubai, which was the only airport that made me remove them - and I was grateful that they were that thorough. This was pre-9/11 though.
In Paris a couple of weeks ago, I had to remove my non-steel toecap boots and put them through the X-Ray.
In my last few flights, I’ve noticed it’s become normal for most of the men to take off their shoes before the metal detector. Mainly because setting off the detector is grounds for the full inspection with the shoe removal anyway.
I own a pair of plastic toe Colorados that have been setting off every single airport detector since 9/11. They have a metal plate in the sole and that’s enough with the sensitivity turned up. Basically the same story as everyone else: take them off before going through and put them on the scanner conveyor thingy.
My boyfriend has to deal with the steel toes/metal detectors issue every time he flies, and it’s never been a problem. The guy ahead of me in line at the Orlando airport on Saturday had steel toes, and it wasn’t a problem. Just unlace them while you’re waiting in line, and when you’re about to go through, put them through the scanner with your hand luggage. (If you try to WALK through with them on, THAT’s a problem)
Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but wouldn’t it be simplicity itself to sharpen a metal rod of some kind and insert it into your steel reinforced boots prior to takeoff? The X-ray tech would simply see it as a shoe insert, but you could cleverly craft a way to remove it without being obvious before hand.
Well, that assumes that you could fashion the metal so that it would actually look like a steel insert while going through the X-ray machine. Any sharpened metal points, or edges where the sharp end that you plan on removing meets up with the “regular” insert would be visible. It is also highly likely that the screening personnel will handle your shoes at some point - putting them into or taking them out of a plastic bin. They DO look for things like this, so don’t expect a thick sole with cutouts to go unnoticed.
Since other people have already thought of trying this, the TSA (in the US) is on the lookout for this type of thing. Even if your shoes are completely metal-free, expect to remove them and have them X-rayed if they have thick soles.