Airport Security - do they know the word 'discretion'?

[JoolsToo]

So, just returned from Chamonix via Geneva and Heathrow to Manchester International. We went with good friends, their first trip to the French Alps. Said friend bought a snow globe for her grandson and perhaps rather foolishly (?) packed it in her hand luggage. Having said that, no problem at Geneva, all is cool. At Heathrow security she had the globe taken off her and she was a bit upset to put it mildly. This dangerous package then sat on a counter for five minutes whilst she walked away and fumed. Dh said she should pack it in her hand luggage and then check the bag in (more hassle but hey-ho) so she went to get the globe back off the counter, there was no-one there (leaving dangerous snow globe unattended) so she just put it back in her pack and took it on board anyway.

What are your thoughts? Do you think they should use more discretion or do you think this is reasonable and what happens to all the booty they confiscate?

While I'm on a roll - my carbon footprint is doubling because I now have to get two flights from Manchester to most popular European destinations - madness!

Message withdrawn

Jools! I too have snowglobe troubles this year, but at the Geneva end, on way back to Liverpool!!

It was a big one, and there was a kerfuffle at security when the chap pulled it out of my bag.I get dd one every year,and this year was going to be nooo different. I managed to get all assertive, and was referred to the pilot. He came down,and agreed to carry it in the cockpit as part of his personal kit for the flight!!

The stuff they take of you is stored, and you can retrieve it at a later date, but they do charge you storage...for some of my 'man's beauty products' I use, I had to pay £4.50 when back at Liverpool at the end of the week.

Poor little girl! That IS a trauma.

Hmm I think we'll be making use of easyjet from Liverpool in future as what should have been a less than 2 hour flight turned into 5+ hours - madness!

I used to get really cross when I visited my parents in Belize where they lived on the Army camp. The Customs guys always used to make you lift your suitcase onto the table (not overly sophisticated there) then they'd ask where you were going. When you said 'Airport Camp' they'd tell you that you could go without opening your bag. I started telling them where I was going before I lifted it but they still insisted that I picked it up.

But, when my friend had her bag opened and all her uni notes and Christmas presents for her family stolen, they didn't lift a finger to help! They wanted to know why her bag was open and wouldn't accept that it came round the carousel like it!

Grrr!

when i left barbados we had hardly any checks at all

all we did was walk through an xray macine (knives would have been confiscated) basically.

i took on board a 3/4 full 2 litre bottle of water (ie i had drunk some) and laods of otehr food and liquid.

They didnt bat an eyelid.

This was flight that landed in gatwick airport in march of this year

I concluded if you want to be a suicide bomber by a return ticket and blow up the plane on the journey home

well if bottle contianing more than 100ml of 'liquid' can blow up a plane on the way out (hence they are banned) why are we cant they blow up a plane on the return journey?

also no one actually checked my water... i walked through an xray machine and that was it

i could have had anything in my hand luggage at all

there were no checks on anyone on the whole plane

"because water is explosive, right"

No, but there are clear liquid explosives and this is why the extra security measures are in place - because someone did plan to blow up a plane in this way. They're not just doing it for fun.

(but the return flight being unchecked is ridiculous)

the other thing that crossed my mind whilst we were in a snaking queue at Heathrow waiting to go through security was if anyone was so inclined they could detonate a device right there in the queue, it would cause just as much havoc

I'm diabetic and regularly fly with needles and liquid medication. I know it's irresponsible of me but I never declare it at the check-in desk because I wouldn't let go of my kit without a good fight.

I've never been stopped at security or at any point on a flight.

I even flew a few days after the the original rules where no liquids were allowed and was supposed to pack insulin in my case, however the low temperatures in the hold can cause it to not work even though it looks ok and, being pregnant at the time I was not prepared to risk packing it. So, you, guessed, I just said I had no liquids in my bag and got on the flight not one problem

My dh a few months back flew home via Paris and the french security wanted to confiscate his duty free - even though he'd bought it past security at his original destination and it was sealed. He argued with them for quite a long time before they finally agreed to let him take it through. These rules are so flawed