Just a few weeks after we published our last update on flying with diabetes, the Transport Security Administration (TSA) made a big announcement in response to all the hullaballoo about its agents mistakenly subjecting travelers with health conditions to invasive searches and disregarding their special needs: it launched a program called TSA Cares, “a toll-free helpline for travelers with disabilities and medical needs.”
So what can a helpline really do?
According to the announcement and website materials:
• You can call this line toll free at 1-855-787-2227 prior to traveling with questions about screening policies, procedures and what to expect at the security checkpoint. Helpline hours are Monday through Friday 9am – 9pm EST, excluding federal holidays.
• TSA recommends that we call approximately 72 hours ahead of travel so that they can “coordinate checkpoint support with a TSA Customer Service Manager located at the airport when necessary.” According to an employee who answered when I called, that means the TSA hotline staff can actually alert the TSA Customer Service Manager at the airport you’re headed to about your special needs; the Manager may call or email you to make arrangements if you think you’ll need personalized assistance getting through security.
• After hours (when the hotline is closed) you can find information about traveling with disabilities and medical needs on TSA’s website at: http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/disabilityandmedicalneeds/
• Travelers who are deaf or hard of hearing can use a relay service to contact TSA Cares or can e-mail TSA-ContactCenter@dhs.gov.
What does this all mean for people with diabetes in particular? The the hotline employee I spoke to (John, employee #6137 – they don’t give out last names) says: “All your diabetes supplies are perfectly fine to go through the checkpoint. You just have to have them properly labelled — like if you have syringes preloaded with medication, they need a pharmacy label — or if you have insulin and syringes then the insulin needs to be labelled. You just put your supplies in a separate bin and declare them to the officers at the checkpoint.”
That didn’t sound much different than in the past, but the fact that TSA now has a whole call center service and program dedicated to medical needs must indicate something. We were in touch again with American Diabetes Association (ADA) Legal Advocacy Fellow Katharine Gordon, who cautiously says about TSA Cares: “We will see how it works in practice, (but) this does seem to be a positive development.”
The ADA has actually been instrumental — along with many other disease advocacy groups — in lobbying TSA to get off their butts and create some kind of proactive procedures to assist travelers who wear medical devices and such.
What the ADA’s done now is to consolidate the new information and detailed tips for travelers carrying insulin, and wearing pumps and CGMs, into one easy-to-read Fact Sheet document, which is worth a download, IMHO.
ADA’s new main page on air travel with diabetes also includes an easy link to print out that optional TSA Disability Notification Card that you can carry with you and flash to airport agents in case they start asking questions. It’s no guarantee that you won’t be held up, but in my experience, having the card at the ready made the “swabbing” procedure go quicker, because the agents could see that this scrutiny was old hat for me, and that I was ready and willing to answer any questions about my diabetes gear.
In fact, it might be worth printing out ADA’s 5-page Fact Sheet and carrying that around with you, as it lists EXACTLY what items are permitted through security. This includes, somewhat surprisingly, the following:
- Urine ketone test strips
- a Glucagon emergency kit (despite that gi-normous needle?!)
- Insulin, Symlin, Byetta, and “other liquids and gels” including juice and cake gel
- and an “unlimited number of unused syringes, when accompanied by insulin or other injectable medication”
You can also carry on “an unlimited number of used syringes, when transported in Sharps disposal or other similar hard-surface container.” Although I don’t know why anyone would put a priority on taking their used syringes as carry-on supplies?
The Fact Sheet also explains TSA Cares services, and gives all the details you need to report an incident if you 
don’t think you’ve been treated fairly. If an agent seems to be roughing you up, a great response might be waiving this Fact Sheet in his or her face while calmly stating that you know your rights.
“It will be interesting to find out how (the program) is being used,” Gordon says, “but it really did grow out of the several incidents that many advocacy groups pushed when their constituents were treated poorly.”
Nice to know that someone is working hard on our behalf to ensure that we’re treated fairly.
Unfortunately, you may not be treated as fairly if you happen to be Middle Eastern, or look “ethnic” in any way that brings terrorists to mind. Yikes! I shudder to think about PWDs who fall in both categories… Would their syringes look more suspect than ours?
The reason you carry a sharps container with you is so you have a place to put all your used pointy thingys while visiting a strange place. My milk-carton sized red sharp container fits in the outside pocket of my carryon. What else would I do with it? Mail it home? What if I needed it on the trip? Or I got delayed?
I wish they came in a smaller size though.
Thanks for the updated information.
Interesting, but I’m still skeptical that would be very effective. I also take all my supplies in a carryon, so it doesn’t make sense to put those in a separate bin. I already have my shoes, laptop, phone, etc. Also, if you start opening your carryon when you’re at the bins they tend to freak out.
Amy: Have you run into actual problems? I’ve heard stories, but I travel frequently and have never even had a question about my supplies. Occasionally, I’ve even gon thru security with a random needle in a shirt or pants pocket.
I’ve had a little bit of trouble with this in the past and I’m glad that they’ve decided to at least address the issue. I had the most trouble when I was packing to travel Europe for study abroad and they were seriously blown back by the number of needles, needle tips, etc. Having a doctor’s note was tremendous for me apart from just a prescription. Once they read the note they helped me re-organize my supplies and everything. Apart from that other airports (Iceland, italy, etc.) most are understanding as to what the devices. Then again, they’re not the TSA, so that makes sense haha.
I travel extensively, and never have an issue with my supplies. I try to depart from airports without Nude O Scopes. Before I get in the line, I go in the bathroom and take off all metal objects, like rings and barrettes, and jewelry. I also take the pump (MNMD) out of the case, take the clip off and put it between my boobs. No metal, nothing beeps when I walk through, no problem, I grab my stuff and get out. If I DO beep, I have moral objections to the groping and let them know how offensive I find their abuse…and when they find the pump I pull it out and show them, then it gets swabbed.
If I am at an aiport with the Nude O Scope, I opt out, for one, cuz my pump can’t go through that, and for two, the afore mentioned moral objections, so I get the sexual grope.
There has NEVER been a question about the needles or bottles of insulin or anything else. The BULK of my pump supplies are in my checked baggage anyway.
I screwed up last week at SFO and forgot to take my pump out of the case and hide it in my bra and did it IN the line…the TSA saw me do it and even though I didn’t beep as I walked through the metal detector, she made me go for additional screening. WHY, i griped! I didn’t beep! and she said, you have a medical device we have to check. I said, “you only know that cuz you SAW me take it out of the case.” She said yep. So as always, my policy will remain, If they don’t ask, I ain’t gonna tell, or show.
Really? Traveling as a diabetic is a no-brainer (maybe things are different as someone who travels frequently and picks security lines depending upon profiling the people in line ahead of me for speed). Traveling throughout the US and internationally, security is no issue whatsoever. Not really sure why this is an issue. Pumps are fine. Rx for everything or atleast a reasonable explanation solves every issue. I’ve never had an issue anywhere. The only question I ever received was in the late 90s at Heathrow when I was carrying a few hundred syringes individually for a week long trip. No issue when they saw I was carrying insulin — a quick 30 seconds, drop the word “diabetes” and on my way….
Thanks for this update, Amy. I also haven’t had any serious issues with TSA… actually, the only couple that I have had have been my own self-created problems. But so many stories have been told of problems people have faced, so it’s good to see this initiative to address those issues.
Can anyone tell me specifically about travelling to Morocco. I am going on a long overseas trip (7 weeks there) and just trying to figure out the number of things is driving me crazy. I am also new to using Pump and CGM have had just since February. Has anyone dealt with Royal Air Maroc?