Nancy Kates
Nancy Kates claims to have endured an overly invasive search at Oakland International Airport in August 2008 due to the large underwire in her bra. The search took 40 minutes, causing Kates to miss her flight to Boston.1
Fast Facts
- Kates was traveling from Oakland to Boston
- Kates lives in Berkeley, California
- Scheduled flight: Jetblue 472
- She was traveling to visit her mother in Massachusetts
- Underwire bras are designed to support and lift larger-than-average breasts2
The Search
Airport security informed Kates that she could either miss her flight or acquiesce to a pat-down in a private office. Kates counter-offered to remove her bra in order to get through security, an offer that the Transportation Security Administration found acceptable.
Quotes
"It's actually a little funny in a way, but a sad, sad commentary on the state of our country. This is bigger than just me. There are 150 million women in America, and this could happen to any of them."—Nancy Kates3
"We have to resolve an alarm. Unfortunately, we can't take a passenger's word for it...We do everything we can to ensure that a passenger doesn't feel humiliated."—Nico Melendez, TSA spokesman3
Related Pages on Mahalo
Too Sexy To Fly | Kyla Ebbert | Bras | Panties