US airport pat-downs are about to get more invasive

The new policy also applies to airline pilots and flight attendants

While few have noticed, US airport security workers long had the option of using five different types of physical pat-downs at the screening line. Now those options have been eliminated and replaced with a single universal approach. This time, you will notice.

The new physical touching — for those selected to have a pat-down — will be be what the federal agency officially describes as a more “comprehensive” physical screening, a Transportation Security Administration spokesman said.

Denver International Airport, for example, notified employees and flight crews on Thursday that the “more rigorous” searches “will be more thorough and may involve an officer