It is time for a reality check when it comes to a proposed whole-body scanner opt-out campaign being organized by some grassroots activists for the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Any such action will be counterproductive to efforts to get TSA to curtail the use of the machines and may create chaos with the air transportation system on the busiest travel day of the year.

The Consumer Travel Alliance has been advocating against the introduction of whole-body scanners for almost a year and a half. It was was instrumental in the House of Representatives vote against using these machines as the primary airport screening system back in the spring of 2009 before the underware bomber tried to take down a transatlantic flight. But, the consumer group can not support a disruption of the air transport system next Wednesday.

Though the alliance is clearly on the record as being against the deployment of whole-body scanners and has consistently taken stands against the invasion of personal privacy and the enhanced pat-downs now de rigueur for TSA, the busiest travel day of the year is not the time to launch a protest that may inconvenience millions of travelers trying to reach friends and family.

Unfortunately, Ralph Nader and other groups who conducted a joint press conference with the organizers of the opt-out campaign are not considering the impact that such a protest will have on airline schedules and airport operations when the system will be operating under stress. Should there be a weather event, the effects of a slowdown of TSA’s airport security system will wreak havoc on airline schedules across the country.

Protesters and advocates must realize that the great majority of the traveling public who face the possibility of having their Thanksgiving travel plans destroyed by a concerted slowdown of security will not look kindly on their actions. Right now the greater good is finding a way to work toward making the busiest travel day of the year easier to deal with for passengers, airport staff and airline operators.

The Consumer Travel Alliance has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Transportation and the Air Transport Association to look into formulating a plan to mitigate possible damage caused by the whole-body scanner opt-out protest called for Wednesday, November 24th, should it appear to gain strength in the coming days.

Perhaps it is time for the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration to institute an “Opt-In” whole-body scanner program to counter the “Opt-Out” protest. They can offer holiday passengers more of a carrot and less of a stick to encourage them to move through the new scanners — shorter lines and quicker security checks that mean better security and fewer flight delays.

With four out of five passengers on record in recent surveys as being in favor of these new whole-body scanners and supportive of the security efforts as a necessary part of travel, TSA doesn’t need a heavy hand. A more positive and less-confrontative, opt-in approach might temper air traveler unhappiness and avoid possible problems with the overall air transport system this Thanksgiving.

Tagged as: transportation security administration, TSA, whole-body scanners