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....

A few years ago, someone in the airline industry said at a conference that everyone there knew the whole shoes off, no liquids, no toothpaste thing was pure theatre. There was uproar following that statement and he had to do a big public apology. It has stayed with me though.

That's a maybe but it's hard to argue against shoes being checked, at least on a random basis, given what Richard Reid attempted to do...

I haven’t seen it but I’m flying on Thursday and was checking the forbidden items list because I’m not checking luggage into the hold and either they’ve written it terribly or knives and scissors under 6m are permitted

objects with a sharp point or sharp edge -objects with a sharp point or sharp edge capable of being used to cause serious injury, including:…
^knives with blades of more than 6 cm,
scissors with blades of more than 6 cm as measured from the fulcrum^

Don’t get me wrong, not having lipstick checked is not my hill to die on if it will make things safer, but it just seems an odd thing to subject to so much scrutiny when it’s not on any lists and smaller than apparently permitted knives.

I flew with Air Baltic to Riga last week. There were three teenage boys who went into the cockpit once the plane was cruising and remained there the whole time until the descent began when they returned, very excitedly, back to their seats. They'd had a great time!

When I flew to Spain with BA a few weeks ago, one of the pilots spent at least an hour and a half of the flight chatting in the galley to the cabin crew. He seemed to have a very jolly time but, as a nervous flyer, I did rather hope he'd return to the cockpit at some point.

@red4321

Just a thought but if it genuinely was an hour and a half I'd be wondering if there were three up front (do you know?) since it was a check flight and they were the "checker". It was not that unusual for them to give the working crew a bit of space (literally) during part of the least critical phase of the flight.

Heathrow have been trialling new machines that allow you up leave liquids and electricals in your hand baggage for scanning.

Just a thought but if it genuinely was an hour and a half I'd be wondering if there were three up front (do you know?) since it was a check flight and they were the "checker". It was not that unusual for them to give the working crew a bit of space (literally) during part of the least critical phase of the flight.

I was sat in the second row and I couldn't see three in the cockpit when the door was open up to take-off. The pilot that came out did the welcome speech and mentioned his first officer. But I guess it's possible.

Just saw this 😆

BBC News - US airport finds gun stuffed in chicken by traveller
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-6356440
55

Ok....FWIW assuming it was a Short Haul Airbus there is (or at least was on some) a jump seat tucked away on the flight deck slightly hidden from view from most of the passenger cabin and sometimes "extras" being carried in there for whatever reason didn't get a mention in the PA.

FWIW on Long Haul it was more standard to try and mention any relief crew being carried because some passengers got nervous if they saw anybody in a pilots uniform out of "the office" for any length of time and thought the flight deck was under staffed.

Ok....FWIW assuming it was a Short Haul Airbus there is (or at least was on some) a jump seat tucked away on the flight deck slightly hidden from view from most of the passenger cabin and sometimes "extras" being carried in there for whatever reason didn't get a mention in the PA.

Could have been. It was an Embraer from City Airport.

Ah, TBF I did say "assuming" so thanks for the info.

No idea what the config is in that case but I do know (generically) all may not be as it appears to be from the cabin or as is announced to the passengers.

TBH all can offer is a generic comment is that in my time working I never knew of anybody being left absolutely alone on the flight deck for a continuous ninety minutes, regardless of the airline or base...

TBH all can offer is a generic comment is that in my time working I never knew of anybody being left absolutely alone on the flight deck for a continuous ninety minutes, regardless of the airline or base...

I'm sure 99% of passengers wouldn't have noticed either way, it's just my pathetic fear of flying makes me overly observant of what's going on. I even give the outside of the plane a once over as I step on - totally pointless but it makes me feel marginally better...

I even give the outside of the plane a once over as I step on

Ah, nothing wrong with that.....I've been retired a while and I still do it ..😳

@FlounderingFruitcake I agree - global entry and pre-check are most definitely worth it. No queues at all and no undressing when we came through Orlando recently. We renewed it this year and we didn’t have to redo the interviews either.

I hate the little plastic bags for liquids that you're allowed to take in hand luggage. Apparently Simon Calder said that it was just a reaction to 911 and it was only supposed to be a temporary thing and yet years later we've still got it?

The liquids ban wasn't in response to 9 11.

For completeness

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_transatlantic_aircraft_plot

There’s a Pilot Flying and a Pilot Monitoring. It’s not always the Captain that’s the Pilot Flying.

After GermanWings, most airlines implemented a two people in the cockpit rule at all times, meaning cabin crew would swap out with Pilots if they needed the toilet etc, but for some reason, this was very quickly scrapped.

I listened to a Podcast last night about an aircraft that set on fire after landing, as someone had taken a bottle of gasoline (?!) on, and someone else had a motorcycle battery - both of which were missed in a Taiwan airport on check in, this was in the 90s. Gasoline vaporised, exposed battery ignited it.

Yes there are new machines being trialled that can tell if, for example, like above, you’re carrying gasoline in fabric softener bottle.

Yes, because people in the airline industry (I’m looking at you, Boeing, and your janky 737s) don’t ever lie, bullshit or cover up.

You’ll find that Pilots are the most reliable source of information because they are the ones that get the fucking blame every time something goes wrong, like AirFrance 447, where the other Pilot couldn’t see what the Pilot Flying was doing due to the layout of the Airbus cockpit - not only can they not see each other’s sticks, they’re not joined - ie, on most aircraft, if one of you is pulling up, your stick will also move in that direction.

Was it not?

independant

only i read an article him saying it was initially only supposed to be a temporary measure. Yet 10 years later....

is that not the case?

Liquids have been an issue for decades, lots are flammable under high pressure.

I just Think a lot of it is nonsense and red tape and rules for the sake of rules. Most of them are just jobsworths. 'Computer says no'.

I go on long weekends to European cities with my female friends. One time I had to throw away 1 small Nivea lip salve. It a small tube, similar style to an ordinary lipstick. The woman insisted. I had 2, the 2nd needed to be thrown away. She kept insisting it was liquid. It's fucking not. It's a solid. Twat.

You're right in some ways about AF447 and yes there's a lot more to that than just the side sticks...there's a court case going on in France ATM about what all led to the situation the pilots found themselves in - specifically the pitot probes and also training, so the industry in the shape of both Airbus and Air France aren't off the hook yet.

It's not a solid. It's more like a paste. Lots of explosive things come in a similar consistency.

"Jobsworths" umm..

Anyhow the screeners are often being audited (often by government inspectors sat/stood behind them) and have bugger all latitude in what they can allow through - that might explain some of what goes on...

Fundamentally (and back to the question posed in OP I guess) IMHO screening isn't going to be reduced significantly anytime soon. The story from the security people over the years is a consistent one that basically that a threat still exists and they don't want a high value target such as aviation becoming an easy touch....

It's maybe worth remembering this didn't start with 9 11, basic body screening was in place decades before then (but sadly wasn't really designed to cater for the suicide attacker.....) so even if it's perceived there's a minor reduction in the threat down to say nineteen eighties levels I think archway detectors, wands, X-rays, pat downs etc are going to be around for the foreseeable future.

The only bright spot I can see is that the newer improved scanners should hopefully result in the L&G restrictions being unwound over time (as new tech scanners are phased in) and there will be less need to unpack electronics.