Security - what's the most senseless confiscation?

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Sprucegoose said:
There's the explosive guy in HBA who spends a minute taking swabs of everything you almost have and all over your body. Talk about an obsessive underachiever!!
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Ungghh, don't get me started on the explosives guys. Rubbing that swab all over my shoes and everybody else's, then rubbing it all around inside my bag. Nice. Very hygenic, I'm sure. I can't stand it - particularly at the sneaky ground level security gate at SYD T2, where they seem to test me every single f#cking time I go through.
 
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I used to do the polite thing and mention I had sharps and insulin in my carry on.

It created a drama every time I went through. Figured I'd try not telling them one day and breezed straight through.


Haven't mentioned it for about 12 months now and had not an issue since
 
the most senseless item that i had confiscated was a single condom that i had not realised was in my pocket (it WAS that old!!), the foil wrapper had set off the metal detectors...and the TSA agent pocketed the condom and refused to give it back...go figure...
 
Spent most of a day working at a chemical/explosives factory. The kind where you can't get past the front gate until you take the full safety instruction and then pass the test. Straight back to MEL airport afterwards. Pulled aside to be swabbed after going through security. Thought, OK this is gonna be difficult to explain....... nuh, machine was happy with the sample and the nice man just sent me on my way to the plane. Makes you wonder.......
 
bricky64 said:
the most senseless item that i had confiscated was a single condom that i had not realised was in my pocket (it WAS that old!!), the foil wrapper had set off the metal detectors...and the TSA agent pocketed the condom and refused to give it back...go figure...
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On older aircraft that had smoke detactors as an add-on in the toilets (rather than integral into the ceiling), some pax would put the condom over the smoke detector so that they could have a smoke without setting off the alarm. That's the only reason I could think that they would confiscate the condom since it's not against the rules to take condoms onboard - even in the LOTFAP.
 
MatF said:
Ungghh, don't get me started on the explosives guys. Rubbing that swab all over my shoes and everybody else's, then rubbing it all around inside my bag. Nice. Very hygenic, I'm sure. I can't stand it - ...
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Erm ... IIRC, they do replace the swap after each and every test ...
 
relaxalot said:
Spent most of a day working at a chemical/explosives factory. The kind where you can't get past the front gate until you take the full safety instruction and then pass the test. Straight back to MEL airport afterwards. Pulled aside to be swabbed after going through security. Thought, OK this is gonna be difficult to explain....... nuh, machine was happy with the sample and the nice man just sent me on my way to the plane. Makes you wonder.......
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And I know a bomb squad guy who'll tell you how sensitive the machines are. Did you handle explosives at the factory?


Sent from the Throne
 
Yup..I hear you...I spent most of the day on a pistol range, blatting off rounds...I was still wearing my work pants, boots etc...nor did i have time for a shower...I told the person doing the test where id been, and the response was "Ok, lets see what the machine tells us..." 5 secs later "All clear, thank you..."
Then again, those machines are technology im familiar with...ive seen on more than one occasion them not even calibrated...

Ooooo kay :D
 
Nelsoncc said:
Yup..I hear you...I spent most of the day on a pistol range, blatting off rounds...I was still wearing my work pants, boots etc...nor did i have time for a shower...I told the person doing the test where id been, and the response was "Ok, lets see what the machine tells us..." 5 secs later "All clear, thank you..."
Then again, those machines are technology im familiar with...ive seen on more than one occasion them not even calibrated...

Ooooo kay :D
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The explosives test is not triggered by gun powder. Its looking for various nitrogen compounds that tend to be used in explosives rather than propellents (aka gun powder). Hence why fertilisers are more likely to provide a false positive than someone who spent time at a shooting range - unless they just fertilised the grass at the range.
 
serfty said:
Erm ... IIRC, they do replace the swap after each and every test ...
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Not in my experience - swab me, put it in the machine, and then straight back onto the wand ready for the next person every time I've watched them.
I can't say I can recall ever seeing them put a new one on.
 
Back in 2007 my son purchased a cheap souvenir samurai sword from Stanley markets in Hong Kong. Our next flight was to Narita Japan and we did the right thing and declared it at customers thinking that there should not be any problems because Japan must be full of real Samurai swords.... how wrong we were. We were all taken to a side room and we then had to wait for 1 hour (missing our connection to the city). Two policemen turned up and flashed their badges (just like on American TV - it was hilarious) My daughter was freaking out thinking we were going to be chuck in gaol. Off course there was the mandatory language problem as well. In the end we had to fill out a heap of paperwork and they then kept the sword in bondage until we were leaving again in a few days. What a drama for a cheap souvenir. (I think it was about $20) What made it more ridiculous was the fact that we must have seen 3 or 4 sword shops around the traps. To top this all off when we arrived back in Sydney we declared it again (it was in a separate box - not in our baggage) and they sent us through without any checks or questions. We still talk about it now....
 
Ammonium Nitrate is water soluble. The post 911 stuff has sulfates and other cough. Like peanut butter (mostly will not send a signal), you could have fun.Interestingly, I get swabbed frequently, but usually not if I loose something or have a baggage re-scan. I can't figure why a knife would be confiscated, yet going through, you get given metal cutlery in the facilities.
Given the road toll, it is a disgraceful waste of money, whereas dual lane highway would have already saved planeloads.
There again, only the unimportant masses drive.
 
Last month, a 125ml face cream. Got out of Australia no problem. Stopped in Hong Kong on the way back. Was told that the bottle says 125ml, so no go, despite half used; but security told me to feel free to buy a new bottle of 100ml, because a full bottle of 100ml is allowed. ?!

2 days ago, bought a bottle of juice at a convenient store outside gate 60 (or so) in Hong Kong, opened it, started drinking it while walking to gate. Stopped at the gate, told to drink it or lose it. I don't think I can have any sort of jihad if I drink the bomb myself.
 
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Chicken said:
2 days ago, bought a bottle of juice at a convenient store outside gate 60 (or so) in Hong Kong, opened it, started drinking it while walking to gate. Stopped at the gate, told to drink it or lose it. I don't think I can have any sort of jihad if I drink the bomb myself.
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I was flying FJ from NAN-SYD recently.

Did my usual thing of taking a bottle of water from the lounge to have on the plane, only this time it was confiscated at the gate :|
 
There are only certain origins for flights to Oz where "Airside" sourced LAGs over 100ml can be taken on board.

I guess NAN isn't one of them.

Posted on a wing and a prayer ...
 
serfty said:
There are only certain origins for flights to Oz where "Airside" sourced LAGs over 100ml can be taken on board.

I guess NAN isn't one of them.
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It used to be. Maybe they just needed to restock the fridge in the lounge :mrgreen:
 
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