[Gin&Tonic]

What’s the strangest item you have seen anyone trying get through security with?

Best incident I witnessed was the lady traveller at Man with a ceremonial samurai sword slung over he back. Her continuing argument was that the list of exceptions didn’t include swords and it had a blunt edge not a sharpened one, so it wasn’t a sharp object.

[MartynSinclair]

Gin&Tonic, on the one hand it probably was best to just show the document if you had it in your case to save the hassle BUT what this does show is the lack of training and understanding by the “kids” contracted to undertake a role which is far more serious than checking cinema tickets or bus passes!!

[IanFromHKG]

G&T, you may be amused to know that the subject of samurai swords is (perhaps unsurprisingly) specifically dealt with at Narita airport where there is a VERY large sign saying (and I am able to quote this exactly because I took a photograph):

To “SAMURAI”,
NO SWORD allowed into aircraft

The sign then goes on, rather amusingly, to say:

To business person of the world.
Sharp objects are prohibited on board except for your sharp brains.

[TerryMcManus24]

The best: SIN & HKG

Fair: SYD, BNE, MUC, MCT.

Poor: BKK, SGN, AMS, FRA

The worst: Anything at LHR

Betey Boobs..
.this was the post just before yours with regards Heathrow and is reflective….
.anyway the Bankers Boys have given up their bonuses anf the Gov intends to whac others who try for the big rip so maybe the blue eyes at Heathrow will do the same……could maybe buy another couple of snow ploughs,do course in good manners …. or sumit..

Incid whats all with the Terry “sweet”…my second or was it third wife used to say…………..No cant be …….surely not

[PatrickRowe]

No longer a seasoned business class traveller, I only take budget airlines and use cattle class. So no fast track clearance for me! I have been through T3 and T5 recently with little or no hassle. LGW can be a pain because of the queues but the worst UK airports are MAN and BRS. BRS gets my award:my zip lok plastic bag conforms to CAA regs but they made me buy their version which does not measure up to CAA requirements.I told them this and so my hand baggage was minutely searched.
The best this year:MIA immigration and customs cleared and bags and golf bag collected in 35 minutes on the way in and security cleared with the use of a space capsule thingy as I told them I had a pacemaker in 15 minutes on the way out but beware have absolutely nothing in your pockets not even a tissue for some reason

[TerryMcManus24]

Bankers Boys have given up their bonuses anf the Gov intends to whac others who try for the big rip so maybe the blue eyes at Heathrow will do the same….

spoke too soon..they are all after “the Moolah”…now the railway top lads

We are in the Biggest economic turndown in decades but these guys are still rocking and rolling……..wonder what the passengers…oops customers think.?

The proposed bonus for the chief of Network Rail has been deemed ‘unacceptable’, by the Transport Secretary. Chief executive Sir David Higgins could receive a £336,000 bonus – 60% of his annual salary.

Justine Greening…The Minister in Charge.. said: “These latest bonus proposals are unacceptable. Network Rail needs to be responsible and exercise restraint….and……

[Ricardo]

Meanwhile… back at the best/worst airport security topic – I find that security (as opposed to immigration/customs) is fairly random EXCEPT with, in my experience, AA. Not long after 9/11, when flying to/from and within the US with AA, I noticed that ‘SSSS’ started to appear on my boarding pass (just for info I am a white male travelling on a Canadian passport). There was no difference if flying on Economy or Business Class. After the 4th time of being taken asside for ‘pat-down’ and then searched again at the boarding gate, I asked a security chap if there was a correlation between the ‘SSSS’ on my boarding pass and always being subject to extra ‘attention’ and searched at the gate. He replied that I was being “chosen at random” for additional screening. After the 6th or 7th repeat of ‘SSSS’ I started to give all my carry-on items to my wife so that all I had was my passport and boarding pass – this helped speed up the searches! The last time I flew Business with AA I asked a chap in the Admirals Club about ‘SSSS’. He said that I was unlucky to be on a ‘list’ and there was nothing I could do about it. He also told me that he knew of several high profile celebs who also were subject to ‘SSSS’ and now no longer use AA. My last experience of ‘SSSS’ was at LHR T3. I was in the extra screening line at the boarding gate, there were 4 security folks standing at a table – 1 guy was directing us, 1 at a time, to the table for searching (take off shoes, empty bags etc), 1 chap was actually swiping shoes AND checking bag contents, the other 2 chaps were watching the tv and having a good chat! By the time I got through (several people still behind me) the flight was due to leave and 1 of the cabin crew came out to see what the delay was with getting passengers on board. I told her – she just laughed and said “Oh for gawdsake”. I no longer use AA. I split between Virgin and BA and REALLY like the seperate screening line at Virgin’s T3 site.

That’s it – story over. Anyone else had the ‘SSSS’ experience?

Ciao, R.

[RichHI1]

Had it once on first flight (single Male Passenger who bought ticket day before travel), then I joined AA Aadvantage and never looked back, always waived stright through. Interestingly I often get stopped randomly at Security sanner in Lisbon and T5 but I am told that male passengers are not supposed to fly alone (sic).

[Ricardo]

Hi RichHi1 – I was AA Advantage member before and throughout the ‘SSSS’ experience. Didn’t make any difference if I was flying ‘solo’ or with ‘better half’ on same booking. In fact at one point ‘better half’ threatened to stop travelling with me because I was becoming an embarrassment! “No more than usual” I replied!

[RichHI1]

SSSS is triggered either by the nature of your booking, solo, male, near to flght date, one way, cash booking, country of purchase etc or by having the same name as someone on a no fly list. Sorry you had bad experience. I cannot speak too highly about the service i receive from AA transatlantic (domestic is a different story but that is like lfying in Europe – horrible).
I presume you are not called Ricardo bin Laden…

[Ricardo]

Now you mention it the guy in Admirals Club did mention that if you, i.e. me! happens to have the same name as a ‘dodgey character’ then you are in for grief. Shame that modern technology can’t rule you out once passport details have been confirmed.

How’d you know my surname!?! (To all the TSA people reading/monitoring this – I was just joking!)

Ciao, R.

[TerryMcManus24]

The No Fly List is a list, created and maintained by the United States government’s Terrorist Screening Center (TSC),[1] of people who are not permitted to board a commercial aircraft for travel in or out of the United States.

The list has also been used to divert away from U.S. airspace aircraft not flying to or from the U.S.[2] The number of people on the list rises and falls according to threat and intelligence reporting.

As of 2011, the list contained about 10,000 names.[3][4]

The list – along with the Secondary Security Screening Selection,-SSSS…. which tags would-be passengers for extra inspection – was created after the September 11 attacks in 2001.

Incid..somebody want to tell the lads at LHR that its snowing again …

…..get out the shovels and spades….otherwise …..

[Stanley1]

Reading Changing Lanes in this months issue I would like to use this forum to make a remark about the security staff at Newcastle airport – or I should say one female member in particular. I pass through Newcastle airport frequently and set off the scanner every time due to the fact that I have a rod in my leg – all the staff apart from this one lady are sympathetic and careful after being told this when performing their pat-down. Last weekend when I went through this particular lady was very rough (not for the first time) and when it hurt I did go ouch – her repsonse was very rude. This member of staff once took me into a separate room for an examination and was not exactly delicate about it – I carry a confirmation letter at all times and this was totally ignored. I certainly have no objections to hightened security but this person just really annoys me – should I complain to the airport authorities I ask myself.

On a more jovial note I once had a tape measure confiscated at a secondary security search at T5B much to the amusement of everyone in the queue.

[Daytripper]

Worst security experience.

Something in my hand luggage bag (not sure what) flagged-up my bag for a manual ‘hand’ search after it went through the conveyor belt X-ray at Belfast Int Airport. As most UK airports seem to do, they proceeded to swab various items with a round slither of fabric, which was then put into the particle analysing machine.

Red lights started flashing, indicating the presence of ‘explosives residue’.

At this point I should add that I’m not a terrorist, but you probably guessed that anyway.

They then did an individual swab and intimate check of every one of the 50 or so items in my hand luggage (chargers, leads, phone, adaptors etc) which took around half an hour and caused me to miss my flight.

Eventually I was signed-off by a security supervisor and allowed to go (by which point my flight had already departed.)

Has anyone suffered anything similar?

[RichHI1]

I get swabbed regularly at LHR and HNL. I thinka s a single male traveller with a lot of cellphones and electronics (with leads and chargers) I just get picked on. Never happens at LAX, JFK or anywhere else, just LHR T3 and HNL. Noramlly they just swab the Tumi carry on which keeps it nice and clean and saves me doing it 🙂

[Author]

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