AIRPORT SECURITY IN 1A'S

[armchair_throwaway]

i gave him permission and he found my Swiss army knife that i thought i had lost. i swear i went through the bag before i packed it :-[ i expected to be hauled away and strip searched with a cavity search.

Also not in military yet...
I was moving back to Vancouver from Calgary and packed THREE scissors and a metal skate tool in my carry on luggage without much thought, as I was more concerned about having liquid/lotion in the luggage than anything else.

Suffice to say, I was instantly stopped at the x-ray machine. The lady just asked if I was moving (also had a lot of kitchen utensils around) and let me go after confiscating the sharp, metal objects. Nothing else was done, I thought that was pretty lucky...and stupid of me.

 

[Pte.Butt]

Pearson is easy to play that game in.. they all hang out in the same spot!!  You can play that game in the malls near bases too..

I was in Pearson about 2 weeks ago, it is phenomenal, the amount of small packs I saw! At least a platoon worth, and they weren't all gaggle'd together so I don't think it was a course or an actual platoon . It was kind of cute actually! LOL

 

[Fishbone Jones]

They'll take away your nail clippers, but not that pocketful of needlepoint Ebehard Faber 9H pencils. The ones you can shove through a sternum, throat or eyesocket , Just make sure you wear glasses and have a pocket protector in the shirt that's buttoned up to your neck. ;D

 

[Kat Stevens]

On my last flight, I arrived at my hotel and unloaded my laptop, and about 8 different power cords for various applications.  Any one of then could be used as a garrote in the blink of an eye.  Even a headset cord would work, and the airline even sells them to you.

 

[X-mo-1979]

On my last flight, I arrived at my hotel and unloaded my laptop, and about 8 different power cords for various applications.  Any one of then could be used as a garrote in the blink of an eye.  Even a headset cord would work, and the airline even sells them to you.

How are you going to hold people hostage with a cord?Stop or I'll apply pressure!

 

[Kat Stevens]

Probably the same way the killer nail clipper would work, or the deadly ninja disposable lighter, or the insidious hand sanitizer.  Or the way three airplanes were taken over and steered in to highly populated buildings by the tactical use of the box cutter, C1A2.  And you can compel others to do things they might not want to do if you have a third party turning purple in your grasp.  But you're obviously right, bad people don't have that kind of imagination.

 

[aussiechangover]

although i've only ever been through airport security once in combats and got stopped for the alarms and whistles because of my boots the guard appologised and just asked me to remove my boots becuase of the metal and just scanned them with the wand. funny thing was he didn't care that i'd forgotton to remove the gerber from my belt. overall I know they have a job to do and just take it all in stride

 

[Rodahn]

But you're obviously right, bad people don't have that kind of imagination.

Actually Kat, if you remember back to the days, us twisted and warped ones, are far better at booby traps and IED's . Unfortunately there are some rather twisted bad people out there.....

 

[medicineman]

Probably the same way the killer nail clipper would work, or the deadly ninja disposable lighter, or the insidious hand sanitizer.  Or the way three airplanes were taken over and steered in to highly populated buildings by the tactical use of the box cutter, C1A2.  And you can compel others to do things they might not want to do if you have a third party turning purple in your grasp.  But you're obviously right, bad people don't have that kind of imagination.

Pre 9/11, I was going through Montreal on the way up to Iqualuit on a med support job.  The guys on First Air were asking some screening questions - the main concern was if I had tape - more specifically gun tape - in my med bag.  If I did, I wouldn't be able to take it as carry on.  I did however have scalpels, large scissors, big IV needles, some morphine autoinjectors, and other interesting tools of my trade with me, but they were alright for some odd reason  :??!!  The irony was it was a part cargo/part people flight and the cargo was at the forward part of the aircraft (a 727), so I'd have had to fight my way through it to take over the flight deck anyway - with my little scalpel or IV needle as my weapon...

MM

 

[OldSolduer]

I've been through numerous screenings at airports and it drives me nuts. I know that the personell manning the screening areas are doing a thankless job, but it doesn't make it any easier.

I went through Vienna and Amsterdam in 1993 and was questioned in detail at each airport, not only by the screening people (all armed) but the airline people as well. We were all subjected to pat down searches. Somehow I was a bit more comfortable with that appraoch.

 

[dglad]

While passing through an unnamed airport in Canada, my wife happened to mention something about her knitting and the fact she wished she could bring it along on the flight, for something to do.  The reply she got from the CATSA folks was that knitting needles were fine to bring, as long as they actually had knitting on them.  She asked them to confirm; they confirmed.  Apparently, a few yards of kashmir wool turns a foot long length of sharply pointed steel from a potentially lethal instrument into an, "oooh, isn't that pretty?  You go right on board and finish that sock, and have a good day" sort of thing.

As for explosives, we in the military aren't alone in our troubles.  Mining contractors (I came from the mining business, so I know more than a few)  are constantly getting pinged with positive hits on their baggage, clothes and even skin and hair.  If you work with explosives day in and out, traces will come to permeate your person.  Mining guys have generally accepted this and identify themselves as soon as they hit security.

I agree that the guy was doing his job in the OPs post.  When I travel in uniform, DEU or combats, I stand ready to do whatever the security folks ask me to do (well, within reason).  That includes taking off my boots.  I look at this way...I'm putting on a public face for the army, so the way I behave and react matters.  If I'm cooperative, then I like to think it becomes a bit of an example for those around me.  I've actually had other passengers express dismay at my being searched ("he's a soldier, for pete's sake!") but I just tell them not to worry, that I shouldn't be treated any differently, and thank them.  It helps with the footprint in the community thing.

 

[scoutfinch]

You know what drives me nuts at airports????  Not accepting my DND ID as government ID for the purposes of boarding an aircraft because it doesn't have state my gender. :threat:

 

[catalyst]

Is that the perm ID? because I use my temp id to get on the plane all the time without issue (helped out when I lost my DL)

 

[scoutfinch]

Permanent ID.  I had the great pleasure of travelling the first weekend after the new ID policy was implemented by Transport Canada and they wouldn't accept it.  Then, sanity returned and the airports were accepting it but doing so contrary to the written policy.  Then, a month I ago I was flying out of Halifax while it was undergoing security exercises and they wouldn't accept it again... the counterstaff apologized.

I found out later there were good reasons (ie. counter staff being under observation for the exercise, exercise control planting people with fake/insufficient ID) for the counter staff to enforce the policy.

At the end of the day, the problem is not with the counter staff.  It is with the policy. 

 

[catalyst]

And the poor counterstaff don't make the policy...they just inforce it.

I've had my share of 'interesting' security experiences.....the best was having my pipes go thorugh French security, or explaining why I had my boots in my backpack.

I've flown a few times in uniform, although its always been short order.

 

[George Wallace]

OK!  That was getting ugly, so I removed a few posts from a couple of people.

LET"S KEEP IT CLEAN.

 

[Rodahn]

How are you going to hold people hostage with a cord?Stop or I'll apply pressure!

X-mo;

Would you please use proper punctuation in your comments, trying to read your posts without proper spacing between sentences is rather difficult. (Just a personal observation).

 

[Bzzliteyr]

Here's one that i think we can all worry about:  Lack of standardization.  Why can I get through one place with no issues yet in another I am scrutinized for something.  You'll find that big time when you pop through several countries/airports.  Wearing one civvy outfit leaving Canada with no security issues, then it beeping (due to a tiny magnet in the attached plastic belt) when I go through security at another Commonwealth country.  I mean, I have no problems with it but I am sure in some places, knitting needles would NOT be allowed.. no questions.

 

[medicineman]

Here's one that i think we can all worry about:  Lack of standardization.  Why can I get through one place with no issues yet in another I am scrutinized for something.  You'll find that big time when you pop through several countries/airports.  Wearing one civvy outfit leaving Canada with no security issues, then it beeping (due to a tiny magnet in the attached plastic belt) when I go through security at another Commonwealth country.  I mean, I have no problems with it but I am sure in some places, knitting needles would NOT be allowed.. no questions.

Forget other countries - how about other airports within Canada - go through Toronto and got everything but a jelly finger, same day, another airport (Wpg), same clothes and carry on, no bells and whistles - what gives?  However, Winnipeg is the only place I've been through three times in the same day (long story), the third time through, a grid lock, plane being held for me and 3 other people and this time they decide to search my carry on - and the explosive sniffer did it's $25 million happy dance.  'Twas a long day.

MM

 

[Bzzliteyr]

I wanted to be generic but yes, Canadian standardization is lacking as well..