New Rules: Travelers May Refuse To Remove Their Turbans
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
WASHINGTON — Air passengers will no longer have to remove bulky headwear such as turbans at screening checkpoints if doing so makes them uncomfortable.
A revised federal guideline, effective October 27, gives airport screeners the option to pat down headwear at the metal detector if a passenger does not want to remove it for personal reasons.
In August, the Transportation Security Administration changed its guidelines and subjected travelers to secondary screening at security checkpoints if they were wearing head coverings. The screenings could have included a pat-down search of the head covering, but some organizations were outraged at the new rule and felt it was a form of racial profiling. In the Sikh religion, the turban is considered private, and removing a turban would be like removing a woman’s blouse, according to the New York-based Sikh Coalition.
