to feel that airport security is now so excessive -they act like they're doing you a favour letting you travel at all?

[dolally]

I'm only talking about shorthaul, in Europe. It's all becoming so much of a chore nowadays, what with having to drink our bottle of water before security, put my cosmetics in a see-thru plastic bag, put my handbag in my carrier bag of magazines I've just bought, take my shoes off, my belt off, and THEN... the other day, having the ENTIRE contents of my hand luggage emptied at Stansted Airport. They even took my crumpets away to be Xrayed!

I know (in theory) this is to protect us all but...god is there no alternative to this?

Ok guys, jump down my throat.

Dolally I agree totally. Personally the stats as they are, I'd take my chances with no security at all - you've less chance of being blown up than being mown down in the car park.

Having said I quit flying two years ago and it's BLOODY MARVELLOUS never to have to go to an airport again (after three years of non-stop flying).

twentypence - you can ask your pharmacist to decant it for you and get them to label it, then get a copy of your perscription for the flight.

....completely and utterly agree!!

..whats gets me is the way you have to practically srip to get throught the search..belt, shoes...will be underwired bras soon!

agree with suedonim about the 1 bag rule- I used to be cabin crew, and one bloke once boarded my tiny prop a/c with some bloody big bongos. He asked me if I could find somewhere to put them, and I had to bite my lip

However, dh is an Air Traffic Controller, and every day he goes in to work, if he takes something for his dinner like a can of baked beans, they have to be decanted into a tupperware tub to go through security. Now, if you were in charge of directing a/c around the skies, how would you cause carnage if you wanted? Smuggle in a small amout of dodgy substance in your dinner?

Its all gone ovr the top. They have taken all the pleasure out of traveling.

What does happen with musicians now? I know a lot of musial instruments can't be carried in the hold - is that insurance? Or because of the cold damaging them?

(I doubt bongos are actually that delicate, though.)

Lol @ bongos!! My friend flew home from Africa with a Masai warrior spear as hand luggage. You wouldn't get away with that nowadays.

I read something recently about cellos and it still being ok to take them on board. I should think so, seeing as you have to buy a seat for them.

Actually thinking again, it may have been at a party a couple of weeks ago where we bumped into a cello teacher from school and she was sayng she never plays overseas unless someone else is paying for the flights.

Most of the kids at school who play cellos rent insturments worth £1600 so goodness knows how much the teacher's is worth.

Imagine if you were trying to transport a double bass . . .

Julian Lloyd Webber was on a flight of mine once, and he did buy a seat for his cello. It was v. well behaved, and made me think I'd quite like a flight with no passengers, just cellos.

I suppose it's Government sponsored terrorism. They invent threats, frighten the populace and then change laws to increase the power of the state and if we're not careful we will be under a regime as tough as places like Saudi. At least they didn't agree to extend the right to hold people without charge for more than 28 days this week. In August we had to fly via various places for about 20 hours- me with 5 children and 3 or 4 stops without any right to take with us even things like water which was then not adequately provided on the flight. My daughter and I will often drink 1 or 2 litres on long flights and they were giving out tiny sips of stuff then.

I suppose a private plane is the only way to go..... I was with someone today who is learning to fly. He was with someone who was learning because it was the only way to get round his land in Australia which has 5 air strips.

It's also that they want to keep the instrument in a pressurised environment so they don't have to remove all the strings etc.

It's the time at Gatwick and Heathrow queuing which is the worst problem. I think trying new terminals at places like Luton etc is worth it. Isn't there a new service across the Atlantic from a special terminal where you don't have to queue much as hardly any air lines use it? If you're travelling with very anti-US teenagers with strong views into the US that was an added problem. I could just foresee us all being led to a US jail. In fact they restrained themselves and we were sent to the US queue away from the hispanics and other foreigners because we were white or so it seemed. Perhaps there's still the "special relationship"

twentypence- the forward hold is pressurised, that's where dogs/cats/lobsters are transported.

Califrau, that flight must have been an absolute nightmare!

Regarding entering the US, a friend was passing through immigration a while ago, and after having his passport checked said "thanks a lot" and walked off. The passport bloke came after him and asked agressively what friend had said. When told, he said "that's OK then, I thought you said "Lancelot""

There are lots of horror stories about flying with cellos - of missing flights and staff on the next flight not being able to understand why the ticketing has been done as it has, of people being harassed by security, of being charged more to transport a cello than themselves!

expat - I'm with you, I've just given up flying as far as possible. A total nightmare.

Lovely, lovely, lovely TGV here in France. Took Eurostar to England last week and am taking Thalys to Amsterdam in three weeks' time.

Ds plays the cello - we live in NZ - he is buggered really!

Unless he also learns fly...

ARe going to France instead of normal holidays from now on so we can go by boat and car - refuse to fly again because I have had 2 pairs of best tweezers confiscated byt he bastards at heathrow - and now am ape woman with huge bushy eyebrows!!

I work with musicians, and wherever possible they are giving flying a miss.

Less hassle to hire a coach if you can.

It took me longer to clear security coming into Stansted than it had coming out of Munich airport last month despite the Swiss Guards rechecking everyone's passports as they boarded the plane .

Stansted (probably like most other airports) have now got a row of passport control desks, a bit like the tandem checkouts at Tescos. Still took ages to clear. I was mentally hopping up and down as the carpark time was ticking down rapidly. Luckily the carpark let us out and we didn't have to pay anymore for slightly exceeding our time. I've booked much longer parking time for our next trip.

I eventually did all my packing and we got tHROUGH THE CHECKS OKAY. (OOPS CAPs lock). I handed over my plastic bag of lotions & potions to go through the scanner, for which the guy was most grateful; he said most people simply can't get the hang of putting their stuff into a clear bag.

After reading about it here, I was rather fascinated to see so many people transporting instruments with them and wondered if they'd all be strapped into seats. About half an hour later it dawned on me that they weren't instruments at all, but sets of golf clubs.