Airport security workers - is anyone actually trying to bring anything dangerous through airports these days??

[CassandraBarrett]

Perhaps I have the job title wrong - I mean the people that check your hand luggage to make sure there's no contraband.

I can understand scanning for knives/guns. Though from reading Jack Reacher I think ceramic weapons are a thing and won't set off the beeper?

But to have so many people wait for so long while customs checks the half centimetre of warm water that lies forgotten in a bottle. Or re-scans the lip balm in a hand bag (not a liquid, a solid!) Or the last little inch of nappy cream in a banjaxed tube.

What's the point?? Are these things genuinely potentially dangerous (or could dangerous things be disguised thus)?

How many attempts have airport security fended off in the last 20+ years?

I would love to know if it's a massive waste of time or if there have been more terrorist attempts that the general public are blissfully unaware of....

@Yoyooo
yeah but why wrestle an obviously plastic kids toy from a screaming child ? When the other boys waterpistol was in my clear hand luggage

doesn’t make sense

@HairyMcLarie yes, security theatre is an apt description.
And I agree with the fact that many weapon type things are available past security so why bother confiscating similar items!

I don't know how great the actual threat is, but I do know the security staff have to be very careful when scanning, because "test pieces" are put in a certain number of luggage items, and these are tracked to see if they are caught or not.

They land in deep shit if too many get through.

Sounds great. I'll be looking forward to that machine rolling out everywhere

I got stopped leaving Canada a few years ago. It turned out the camping penknife I'd forgotten about was sitting at the bottom of my bag. Think I looked more shocked than the security guy. And no they didn't let me keep it in the hand luggage lol.

Australian airport. I know a chef who accidentally brought his knives through undetected in hand luggage. I also know they seize a lot of meat products off visiting Chinese, who generally get fined and refused entry.

I have 2 hip replacements and they are not picked up in all airports.

Virtually every time I’ve flown I have later discovered a rogue tube of hand cream or a lip balm on the loose on the bottom of my handbag that’s not flagged up.
I flew back from Antigua last week and was made to remove my flip flops to walk through the scanner, not sure what you can hide in a pair of Havaianas.

@JohnPrescottsPyjamas the "hand grenades"!!
You are so right - consistency is all over the place.
I put 3 liquid items in the tray on the flight out. Nothing else was flagged. I had to put the same liquid items in the bag on the way back, plus the electronics, plus the creams and solids (lip balm). Plus we had to wait about a half an hour while security rummaged around in our bags triumphantly holding aloft my just about finished hand cream that had been zipped into a forgotten pocket. I know I should have taken it out but it wasn't noticed on the way out so I didn't know it was there!!

Aw your poor little guy 😥

It's strange and inconsistent. We were flying out of Stansted at half term and the security was really tight. They were actually quite mean to people and were very strict on only one plastic baggie of liquids. DD decided to smuggle in a huge thing of hair mousse and all sorts of other liquids that were in her suitcase and didn't get flagged. She had never flown without checked luggage so didn't realise what I meant by only 100ml.
Flying back from spain it was a free for all. We didn't need clear bags or anything.

I've heard of that but I wonder if it's just the cycle perpetuating itself. Is anyone trying to hijack/bring down a plane or is an inspector trying to catch staff out while the actual risk is zero.
Yes, they found X number of test weapons but how many actual weapons did they catch ?!

😱 the knives!!
Those Australian shows are compelling viewing, aren't they

I forgot to mention. I used to be a holiday nanny for rich kids when I was a student. I was flying this child to the states and we had a layover in ATL. I didnt realise when you fly into the US, you go through security at the first airport you land in, and than go over to the domestic departures for your connection. This meant we had to fully go through security again. I was flying in the upper class of virgin atlantic and found it amazing they had proper cutlery and little salt shakers. I decided I would take them as a souvenir. When the knife and fork got flagged up in the domestic security line, I thought I was going to get deported.

I have 2 hip replacements and they are not picked up in all airports.

One replacement for me but same issue. Produced my letter confirming surgery at Heathrow and it made the security guard suspicious as I then didn't set off the machine so full scan job.

Opposite at Zurich airport, the security guard spent a good 10 minutes scanning my hip while the beeper went off and wouldn't look at the letter (fair enough, it does look rather like I produced it myself).

New approach in Spain, beeper went off and the security guard chose to ignore it so I just kept going. It's even worse on a cruise as it's every time you get back on the ship.

My friend once inadvertently packed some craft (but metal) scissors in her hand luggage and, surprisingly, they let her keep them (also at Heathrow).

Yes, they found X number of test weapons but how many actual weapons did they catch ?!

Probably not many tbf. Maybe they act as a deterrent though?

The ‘hand grenades’ story reminded me of travelling back home from Orlando in 2019 after visiting Galaxy’s Edge (Star Wars themed land) at Disneys Hollywood studios. DH just HAD to have the ridiculously overpriced coke and sprite bottles that we shaped like hand grenades- insidethemagic.net/2021/05/galaxys-edge-coke-bottle-jp1/

They were plastic and we drank all the liquid but the TSA agents at Orlando International still felt the need to confiscate them for being ‘dangerous items’.🙄

If passengers followed the bloody rules and had this all sorted in their bags though, there wouldn't be huge delays also.....

It's also a bit ridiculous that once on the plane you get little glass bottles of wine! You can bring several litres of duty free alcohol or perfume in glass bottles into the plane too

Yes, bought airside, so there is no question that they are anything other than their stated contents, rather than large quantities of toxic gas precursor ingredients

Haha @Meadowbreeze the salt shakers on Virgin Upper Class! I did exactly the same - they were shaped like little aircraft so I brought them home for my friend’s plane mad little son. When friend friend looked closely at them, stamped on the bottom was “Pinched from Virgin Atlantic” so clearly, it’s a regular thing.

My elderly neighbours did a once in a lifetime trip to Australia and of course, had to bring back a boomerang - which was sadly confiscated at Sydney airport, again because it was classed as a weapon. I just had this mental image of these two doddery old people lobbing a boomerang up and down the cabin during the flight. Mind you, might be useful to get the cabin crews’ attention for their drinks!

@JohnPrescottsPyjamas hahaha you've just given me an unbeatable image of an assassin old couple taking down a plane with a boomerang.

@red4321 same I have found cruises always pick them up, so they then scan me with hand held thing. Airports vary a lot as to whether they detect them or not. Surprisingly some hotels in Bali notice (security is high their due to G20 and Bali bombings notice). Strange old world.

There*

I do appreciate your point but it seems to me to be a lot of rules for rules ' sake. Like the kindle. Why must it be out of my suitcase and in the tray?
Or why is lip balm classed as a liquid?

If it was applied consistently across all airports I'd be more inclined to think they are a necessary rule and not just a guide.

But hey, maybe I'm completely wrong and living in blissful ignorance

But the broken glass could be used as a weapon is what I think this poster meant

@red4321 a different possiblity every time!