Wheelchair-bound woman in hour search
The United States extreme airport security measures have been exposed again when it emerged that a 52-year-old wheelchair-bound woman was hand-searched for more than an hour, even though she was already stripped to her bra and underwear.
The passenger missed her flight from Oklahoma City airport because of the lengthy ordeal.
Tammy Banovac arrived at the airport for a flight to Phoenix dressed only in a trench coat, which she removed for security, over her black undergarments, Britain's Daily Mail reported.
Ms Banovac said she knew her wheelchair would be a problem and set off airport sensors. That, combined with an uncomfortable airport search two weeks ago which she said left her feeling violated, had prompted her to take the extraordinary step of attempting to beat the airport pat downs.
She said that the previous pat-down would have been considered sexual assault if had occurred anywhere but at an airport.
An airport spokesman said Ms Banovac was searched because she refused to go through the metal detector.
The situation became more serious for Ms Banovac when security officers found traces of nitrates, which can be used to make explosives, on her wheelchair.
She said that could have been as a result of a recent hunting trip.
But the mere hint of the potentially explosive material sparked an hour of hand searches and questioning from officers, the Daily Mail reported.
She went home and then repeated the security process and pat-down on Wednesday, again in just her underwear. This time, after no explosive traces were found, she was able to board her plane.
Travellers in the US are becoming increasingly angry at the pat-down searches and invasive scanners which have recently been introduced.
In one case as woman reported she was humiliated after a body scanner showed her sanitary liner and led to a very personal underwear search by an officer.