Despite "Opt Out" Threat, Crowds Are Moving At MIA
MIAMI (CBS4) - No major delays are being reported at Miami International Airport as thousands of people line up to catch flights out of town for the Thanksgiving holiday.
"Things are moving beautifully," said airport spokesman Greg Chin. "Things are running smooth, as you can see from the checkpoints and ticket counters. People are moving through very well."
Wednesday morning kicked off one of the biggest travel days of the year and this year presented a new challenge thanks to a change in guidelines from the Transportation Security Administration. If selected passengers refuse to pass through a new scanner system, whose images have been called an invasion of privacy, they must then undergo a very detailed, and personal, pat down.
Critics of the scanners and invasive pat down procedures have called for a boycott on Wednesday of the computer scanners. TSA workers fear that if passengers take part in the nation "Opt Out Day" it could translate into extremely long lines of travelers.
Families traveling through MIA had mixed reactions to the full body scanners.
"I'm all about security so anything that needs to be done to make sure we're safe is fine with me," said Sharon Freedman.
"I think it is a little excessive," said Juan Remirez. "I'm not comfortable with it. I don't think it's necessary."
Travel experts say if even just a few people participate and opt out, dozens of airports could experience huge delays.
One of the organizers of the "Opt Out Day," Brian Sodergran, said the number of travelers on the day before Thanksgiving makes it a really good day to make a point.
"If you are trying to educate people, you want to reach them at a time when their ears are perked up and they're paying attention," said Sodergran.
"I guess our biggest concern is the exposure to the radiation for the children," said Yvette Katz, mother of three.
The TSA said that at most, only three percent of travelers would be selected for the specialized scanning; about 60 people out of about two million travelers.
A new CBS poll found that 81 percent said they support the use of the full body x-ray scanners.
