"Did you pack your own luggage?" or My own airport security test.

[Stef]

Well, I'm sure we've all heard this question before. Funnily enough, they don't ALWAYS ask this. Does anyone know if this is depending on different regulations of the specific airline? I do have my doubts about these secuity checks anyway. I mean they're good and for a purpose, but are they really effective? I boarded a plane on September 13th 2001 from Tokyo to Vienna, and as you can imagine, I was a bit nervous that day. I went especially early, because I was expecting a big chaos at the security checks. However, I was much too early, because everything was business as usual and I boarded the airplane with a rather relaxed feeling.

Back home, when I unpacked my carry-on luggage, I discovered that I had my cutting blade in my pencase (I usually carry a lot of pens) in my backpack all the time. Very comforting. I could have defended myself against terrorists!

Of course I swore to myself not to be so thoughtless the next time. But, as I am an forgetful SOB, I forgot. I don't know how many flights I boarded before and after Sept. 2001 with my cutting blade until I finally banned it from my pencase last year. So, anytime I get checked up and down and have to take of my shoes, it does make me feel a little bit safer. But not much...

[Mike]

I've seen a guy in an AOPA forum post that he hasn't been asked that question in 4 years, but I just got asked that question in London 3 weeks ago. Did they really stop asking this question in the US?
Any thoughts? 

[Celina]

I had a bit of a drama at the Vienna airport, Christmas 2001, when I realized I'd put my penknife (a, old gift, lots of sentimental value) in my handluggage by mistake... Well, I didn't realize it, they realized it for me with the scanner, hee, hee... They wanted me to just leave it behind (I wonder if any of them wanted to keep it for themselves, actually), but in all my confusion someone took pity of me and suggested I went to the airport post office and sent it home via mail. A drama with a happy ending.

[UNDPilot]

I'm a TSA screener... we are not trained to ask those questions.

[CDNpilot]

UNDPilot, are you going to school out there in grand forks.

[Stef]

Well, I guess not all screeners work for the TSA... especially when you're travelling outside of the USA you can hear the question sometimes. You guys know that we're only making fun, right? We're aware that most of the questions and checks are there for a reason. I think the question typically contains things like if you left your luggage unattended or if anybody else has handled it, etc. Which makes some sense, because that happens quite frequently with taxi cab drivers, porters, etc. etc.

[UNDPilot]

CDNpilot... Yeah... flying at U of ND

Stef... I realize it's joking.

The folks I work with love this comic. I show them the site often.

[Mike]

Hey UNDPilot!
Good to meet you, man!

I am glad a TSA screener joined us. I sure might have a lot of questions later down the road. I never got to "hang" much with screeners, so I am actually kind of excited.
AND I am pretty sure you have some crazy stories to tell!!!   
I am amazed almost every time about how many idiots you guys have to deal with. Every other time there is a guy in front of me who still doesn't seem to know that he can't bring his Leatherman or pocket knife on the plane. I mean, some of the things I have seen aren't even new since 9/11, they have always been a security check routine.
And if I had a nickel for every time somebody goes through the metal detector setting it off because he forgot about his lose change in his pocket, . . .

 . . .well. . . . I'd have a sh*&@t load of nickels !!!

[CDNpilot]

Oh that's cool.  I have several frinds in the aviation program there at UND.

[UNDPilot]

I would be glad to answer most any question you have...

[SteepTurn]

I am amazed almost every time about how many idiots you guys have to deal with. Every other time there is a guy in front of me who still doesn't seem to know that he can't bring his Leatherman or pocket knife on the plane. (........) And if I had a nickel for every time somebody goes through the metal detector setting it off because he forgot about his lose change in his pocket, . . .

 . . .well. . . . I'd have a sh*&@t load of nickels !!!

Oh Mike! I think we have common "friends"!! I know also the guy with his Leatherman or pocket knife!!! I find him - same as you - allways in fronzt of me at the sec. check!!! Also all the people with their lose change in the pocket...

[ManuPiper]

Oh Mike! I think we have common "friends"!! I know also the guy with his Leatherman or pocket knife!!! I find him - same as you - allways in fronzt of me at the sec. check!!! Also all the people with their lose change in the pocket...

I'm guilty, I'm guilty! I had recently installed a satellite dish for a friend, and used my backpack to carry the tools to him. A couple of months later I used the same backpack to put my clothes in for a small one-night trip on FlyBaboo (LUG-GVA). Guess what, I forgot one of the tools in the backpack (it was a wrench, one of the big ones). The X-Ray woman was quite amused - especially because I knew her (I fly out of LUG privately). I just left the wrench there and picked it up when coming back the next day.

I never thought this could happen to *ME*!

-Manuel

[happylanding]

Since you were talking about ths kind of mistakes some time ago........you made me remember that once I put my dog (my neighbor's one now!) - a puppy at the time -  inside my bag and hopped on a flight with him hidden and free rider Just closed the bag, put it in the space under the seat in front of me and flew home...searching inside the bag (checking if he was alive!) from time to time. I was coming home from a vacation and could not make the ticket for him, since the carrier was late and had to jump off a plane, exit the terminal, go to catch my dog (who had been dog sitted), do his ticket, get a cage and all the brouhaha. I would have otherwise lost the connection....    

[FlyingBlind]

The only problem for me, is passing the metal detector....well...because my boots look like this (http://www.aipi.ee/5) and my leather jacket has iron and so does my denim vest i carry on the leather jacket...my beltbuckle says Harley Davidson Motors (lot of metal..)

So whenever i want to board, i have to take off EVERYTHING

[ZAIZAI]

Hehe, the question reminds me of a friend of mine. They where going to Florida from Sweden, I think it was coming back from Florida...a guy comes up to them in the check in que and asks who packed their bags. Their handluggage was their riggs, who packs the reserve? Well I do but I was not there, I was in Sweden. So my friend responds: -"Well the big case I packed and I have packed half of this!" Brandishing the rigg. -"Someone else packed the reserve in this..." Guess what happened next, they grab the rigg and my friend, pull the reserve handle before he knows what is going on and starts to ask questions about the CYPRES, while checking the canopy... The CYPRES looks like a detonator with remote trigger if you do not know what it is...hehehe... You can guess the rest.

He did get his stuff back, intact, but it cost him when he got back home since I had to repack the reserve, which I had just done before he left because of that wierd 120 day rule you have in the USA. I would have loved to know how the conversation about the CYPRES went, must have been funny!

Going to be interesting bringing my chainmail over to the UK from Sweden, it is too heavy to pack in my luggage so I have to wear it...I hope they pat me down as I can wear it under a sweater, love to see their faces!! Pat-pat-pat -"Hmmmm, whatta!?!" Pat-pat-pat, tinkle-russel, -"Sir, can you take that sweater off please?" -"No, it's rusted stuck!" Drum roll...