Torches and planes

[telsa]

Just come back from a weeks diving in Norway. I decided to take my Metalsub in my cabin baggage cos it's a expensive bit of kit.

In transit through Oslo airport after my cabin baggage was screened I was pulled aside and asked to open my bag. The official pulled the battery tank out of my bag and said that it was heavy enough to be used as a weapon and that it would be confiscated.

I objected of course. It was only after much pleading with a senior official (and after they checked it for explosives) did they allow me through with it.

I packed it in my checked in luggage on the way back!

So I guess the moral of the story is, pack your torches in your checked in luggage cos if they decide it could be used as a weapon you might lose it!

[David Wallace]

Originally Posted by telsa

Just come back from a weeks diving in Norway. I decided to take my Metalsub in my cabin baggage cos it's a expensive bit of kit.

In transit through Oslo airport after my cabin baggage was screened I was pulled aside and asked to open my bag. The official pulled the battery tank out of my bag and said that it was heavy enough to be used as a weapon and that it would be confiscated.

I objected of course. It was only after much pleading with a senior official (and after they checked it for explosives) did they allow me through with it.

I packed it in my checked in luggage on the way back!

So I guess the moral of the story is, pack your torches in your checked in luggage cos if they decide it could be used as a weapon you might lose it!

Similar thing happened to me in italy. Started in Genoa where they insisted I repack the bag and put the torch in the hold. I changed planes in Rome where they refused to load the baggage off one plane onto the other until I had been pulled out the terminal and escourted across the airport to open the bag in a "controlled" zone. After quite a long chat they let me carry on and told me that I should have had the torch in the hand baggage so it could be examined. Needless to say I did not bother to delay the flight any longer by suggesting that they talked to Genoa about their advice.

Now that the threat of terrorism is part of our everyday lives I think we will just have to put up with this sort of thing. When I think of all the people whose live are affected every day by the actions taken to prevent terrorism, I do wonder if the terrorist have not already won a major victory by creating so much inconvienience.?

[KevinJ]

I don't think the issues regarding hand luggage have changed that much in recent times. It's just that the security agencies are actually putting in a bit more effort these days.
It's always been up to the security inspectors discretion as to what could be used as a weapon. I've had to transfer expensive specialist tooling from carry on to hold baggage to get onto flights before. It's annoying, but it's got to be less annoying than having some ________ (insert political/religious affiliation) crazy ruining your day.

With Solus I've carried cannister lights around the world to various trade shows etc. Always in hold baggage though. I always put in a brochure or something to identify the light to assure the inspectors that it's not a weapon of mass destruction. Other than a slight inconvenience I've never had any real issues with TSA or any of the other security agencies. Almost every time I arrive home I find a card from the TSA in my luggage stating that my bags have been searched.

I find it reassuring that they do actually bother to check properly. Ten years ago you could have carried just about anything on in hand luggage as long as it didn't look like a gun. Now that they're stopping people from bringing nail scissors and shampoo onto flights it's hardly surprising they weren't happy with the metalsub (the colour of the paint probably didn't help)

KevJ

[Kev]

I started carrying my light in hand baggage after they presented my hold baggage to me at the gate in Zurich airport and demanded to know what the light was all about. Apparently the concern was that it might get switched on by accident in the hold.

I then had quite a job explaining what the light was and why it was in hand luggage when I transferred on another flight in Madras and nearly had the thing confiscated.

What can you do?

[wilbo]

Originally Posted by KevinJ

I always put in a brochure or something to identify the light to assure the inspectors that it's not a weapon of mass destruction. KevJ

I like that idea. Very simple.

If they can see that the object in front of them is in a glossy magazine or brouchure - then that might put them at rest.

Of course the day that terrorists can buy bombs from a glossy magazine or from 'Jihad Monthly' - then we're shafted.

[principia]

Yup, they tried to take the handles of my Ikelite video housing as they could be used as a weapon. At which point it probably wasn't a good idea to point out to the security staff that if you where going to use anything you would garotte them with the USB cable rather than club them to death.

J.

[aqua0]

Originally Posted by telsa

Just come back from a weeks diving in Norway. I decided to take my Metalsub in my cabin baggage cos it's a expensive bit of kit.

In transit through Oslo airport after my cabin baggage was screened I was pulled aside and asked to open my bag. The official pulled the battery tank out of my bag and said that it was heavy enough to be used as a weapon and that it would be confiscated.

I objected of course. It was only after much pleading with a senior official (and after they checked it for explosives) did they allow me through with it.

I packed it in my checked in luggage on the way back!

So I guess the moral of the story is, pack your torches in your checked in luggage cos if they decide it could be used as a weapon you might lose it!

I always carry my torch in my hand luggage. It's much quicker and easier to just switch it on and show them what it is. I've never had a problem with it in 4 out of 5 continents ( I've never done Australasia - not interested) and even the yanks didn't have an issue with it
To be fair to the security guys, I can see how a 3kgs lump of battery pack can be construded as a weapon, never mind the garotte of an umbilical

[telsa]

Originally Posted by KevinJ

I don't think the issues regarding hand luggage have changed that much in recent times. It's just that the security agencies are actually putting in a bit more effort these days.
It's always been up to the security inspectors discretion as to what could be used as a weapon. I've had to transfer expensive specialist tooling from carry on to hold baggage to get onto flights before. It's annoying, but it's got to be less annoying than having some ________ (insert political/religious affiliation) crazy ruining your day.

With Solus I've carried cannister lights around the world to various trade shows etc. Always in hold baggage though. I always put in a brochure or something to identify the light to assure the inspectors that it's not a weapon of mass destruction. Other than a slight inconvenience I've never had any real issues with TSA or any of the other security agencies. Almost every time I arrive home I find a card from the TSA in my luggage stating that my bags have been searched.

I find it reassuring that they do actually bother to check properly. Ten years ago you could have carried just about anything on in hand luggage as long as it didn't look like a gun. Now that they're stopping people from bringing nail scissors and shampoo onto flights it's hardly surprising they weren't happy with the metalsub (the colour of the paint probably didn't help)

KevJ

I didn't have the option of repacking it in the checked in luggage as it had already gone.

Good idea about the brochure! I'll do similar in future. I decided to put the batterytank and the cablelight in seperate bags on the way back as I thought at worst I'd only lose one or the other but in hindsight they probably wouldn't know what the batterytank was without seeing the cablelight. Together, along with a brochure I'd probably stand a better chance of keeping it.

Thanks for the advice!

[KevinJ]

Originally Posted by telsa

In transit through Oslo airport after my cabin baggage was screened I was pulled aside and asked to open my bag. The official pulled the battery tank out of my bag and said that it was heavy enough to be used as a weapon and that it would be confiscated.

Or was this what he was seeing ?

[Depth-junkie]

Just took my GF FII umbilical torch through Manchester to sharm in hand luggage along with my VR3 and inspo head with no bother at all from the UK side or the Egypt side.

I have always traveld with my CCR head and torch like this for the last 4-5 overseas trips with out any problems.





ATB
Gareth