CI & Airport Security or X-rays

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Johnjoe1011

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Hi gals/guys,

As y'll know I am going for CI on April 3rd. I am a little concern because i do a lot of travel on a weekly basis. My concern is the X-rays machine at airport security. What would happen if i don't take off my CI and go thru security?

Should I omit the scanning machine and carry a letter and have the TSA agent perform a manual scan.

Thanks - JohnJoe
 
I have not travel with my implant yet. I have heard from any people that you just walk through the scanner without a problem. You should have your personal ID card from your doctor stating that you have a implant with that internal serial number and the doctor phone number if here is any question.
 
When I was activated, I was provided a card by Cochlear that explains that I have a CI, and that it may activate airport security metal detectors, and that without the CI equipment I cannot hear. So, if I am to fly again and have to go through the security checkpoint, I just have to show this card to the security people and have them manually wand me. Shouldn't really be a problem.

Oh, and I also wouldn't put my CI coil and BTE through the x-ray machine...I'd ask the security people to hand-inspect it instead.
 
We travelled a lot with planes, and my daughter has bi-lateral CI....
She has never taken it off to be inspected.
She has never triggered a detector....

Good point by Lucy.... do not put it through the machine.... Not worth the risk... (Even is they say there's no risk..)
 
Last year I travelled from Australia to the UK and passed through 4 different international airports. I had no problems whatsoever. I also found that airport staff were well versed on what to do if you have a CI. On the outbound journey I told everyone about it and they just manually scanned/searched me. On the return journey I didn't bother and just walked through the metal detectors with no problems.

If you are concerned then save a copy of your map on an USB compact flash drive and in emergencies you can go to a clinic at the destination to have it remapped back on the processor. That is what I did. I even picked out a clinic near my mother's place in the UK just in case.
 
when I travelled last year, I took along a spare bte processor just in case, I wore one through the metal detector (didn't set it off) and the second one was passed to the inspector along with a letter from my audie stating that it needed to be visually checked and not put through the x-ray machine. They checked it visualy, swabbed the case for the gas-spectrometer test, then handed it back to me, no problem whatsoever!
 
My daughter never set any off any metal detectors either while traveling. I remember the first time traveling with her, waiting for her to set it off as she passed through lol. Never happened though.
 
That's an interesting point about the hand inspection and swabbing - I've never had them do that with my hearing aids, although I suppose my hearing aid is a lot less conspicuous than a CI, even if it's a BTE ... but maybe I should ask next time I go through security (I'm in that lane anyway because of my wheelchair).

OTOH, perhaps the less they pay attention to you, the better. :whistle:
 
After I had the surgery, that night I opened the package where they put my implant in. The packet has serial number and also there were an ID too. So I put my ID in my wallet and rest to save it for serial number. :)

So you'll be just fine!
 
We had an awful time this last September in the Orlando airport. They made my daughter (3 years old) take it off and then they wanded it and swabbed it...then they took it away and put it on a table and told us not to touch it. Poor Emma was in tears and just wanted her "bamp" back...they said it tested positive for something but wouldn't say what...we waited about 20 minutes..which is forever for a child...and they finally gave it back to us. Came to find out that the security personnell who practically grabbed it from her had something on his own gloves that was the cause of the positive test. These people acted like they had never seen one of these even though I provided my card from Cochlear. She never had a problem before or after that , I just think it was bad luck that time.
 
You should complain about that MomtoIsandEm. That was unacceptable treatment and the staff should have been trained on how to deal with cochlear implants, especially in a country like the US where implants are fairly common. The staff I encountered at UK, Singagpore, Germany and Australia all knew what to do and were efficient and fast in doing it.

This is my personal opinion only and that's all it's worth - but I think it is important for Em to see that you consider it to be unacceptable and to challenge it by writing a letter. Otherwise she may feel it's normal to be made to feel that way. My mother was a great mum in many respects but looking back sometimes I wish that she had spoken up in some situations and validated my own feelings.

That is my own personal opinion only and I hope that it's helpful rather than offensive or upsetting in any way.
 
My surgeon gave me a letter following my first surgery which explains the fact that I have CIs and that they may set off airport security detectors. R2 is right when she says that airport security really do need to be more aware of CIs than they are, but I'm wondering if a letter from your surgeon might help? If you'd like to know exactly what my letter says, let me know and I'll be happy to scan it.
 
I haven't traveled by air since receiving my CIs, but I do worry about having to temporarily remove my processors for inspection. I've been told by some CI users that they make no mention of the CI and walk right through the security detectors.

Neecy, the next time I travel a long distance, I'm also going to bring my spare processors just in case.

R2: Excellent advice about saving an old map on a USB compact flash drive.
 
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