MikePNW wrote:This is a timely topic for me, as I will be flying for a business trip in less than three weeks. It is a very short trip (2 days, 1 night), so I will have only a carry-on suitcase (the largest size allowed by the airline) and a personal item (laptop bag). Spare diapers, wipes, and baby powder will be in the suitcase.
It is fairly apparent that they do not have any specific procedures to apply when screening passengers with specific medical conditions such as incontinence. That being said, it appears that some of the screeners ("PSS") have additional training (customer service) but no specifics were provided by the TSA.
I have decided to use the Notification Card. If additional screening (bag opening and/or pat-down) is triggered, I will request that it be done in a private room. I'm not particularly interested in my diapers and supplies being laid out on a table for everyone else in the airport to see. After I return, I'll post a follow up to let everyone know how it went.
Mike
Just a quick follow up on this. My trip went very well. I used the notification card at both airports (PDX and MDW). No manual search of my carry-on baggage (which contained 8 Seni Super Quatro diapers, wipes, and powder) was triggered at either airport. On the outgoing flight from PDX, the notification card elicited no comment or reaction. I was sent through a metal detector rather than the body scanner, as the checkpoint was very busy at 4:40 a.m. and the line was starting to back up. On the return flight from MDW, the screener looked at the card and said that "it shouldn't make any difference" in the scanner. Sure enough, the body scan didn't trigger a pat-down, even though my diaper was somewhat wet. TSA was professional and efficient at both airports. This trip made me feel much more comfortable about future trips, as I have at least one, and possibly three, more later this year.
Airplane flights seem to make my urge incontinence worse. During both flights, I had several small wettings, followed by a large "urge" flooding after getting off the plane that necessitated immediate diaper changes. (I used the restroom twice before boarding each flight; beverage consumption during the flight was moderate.) One thing I noticed is that turbulent "bumps" that involve a sharp drop in altitude seemed to trigger a bladder release. The return flight was very turbulent...there were several half-hour stretches where everyone, including the flight attendants, had to stay seated with seatbelts fastened.
One thing I learned...if I travel for longer than one night, I will definitely need to check a bigger suitcase. One pack of Seni Super Quatro (there are 8 per pack) took up about half of my carry-on suitcase. I ended up going through 6 diapers on this trip (3 each day).