Airline security is stupid as does not stop terrorists boarding planes, it merely means they cannot take toe clippers with them.

If you take something on the banned list to an airport e.g. toe clippers, and they are removed does that mean you are attempting terrorism? Does it mean they think you are dangerous?

Its just all stupid knee-jerk reactions by stupid politicians.

See... it does have some use!

... weapons of mass string tension....

Doors to manual

/llfejacket - exit

He's got a vicious looking slazenger there!

"..or if there's no grenade to hand, the more dangerous airline chicken tikka masala."

That is not funny. I have experienced an airline chicken tikka masala explosion. About 12 hours after I experienced the airline chicken tikka masala. It's not funny.

Try Brummie airport - they had a airside shop (Innovations or somesuch shop selling boys toys). Selling those hurricane-proof flame-thrower ciggie-lighter/portable bunson burners.

I asked if it was OK to buy them (they are ready fuelled), 'sure, no problem'. The colleagues I was flying with forbade me in case I 'lit up' and tried to see how long it takes to burn through an aircraft fuslage at 30000 feet.

http://borepatch.blogspot.com/2009/03/you-cant-fly-with-nail-clippers.html

That's the problem with hiring RETARDS* for security.

*(My fave word today...)

Think razros with blades set in platic like Mach3 are allowed .... a cut-throat clearly wouldn't be nor I think would an old style "safety razor".

Meanwhile when I first flew on a family holiday (1972 just before Munich Olympics - we flew into military airport since main airport had been allocated for Olympic use - so just before hijacking etc started) security only expressed mild concern at finding my mother had put a 8" blade kitchen knife in hand luggage with rest of our picnic equipment. Ah, innocent days of long ago.

Second Aristotles' comment. Very unfair calling the guy "stroppy".. thanks to him yet another example of rules and regulations being forced upon the masses by governments and organisations (who believe they have power, unlike Snap who did) has been ruled illegal.

Worse than that is the way that people are allowed to bring belts and shoelaces through which could be used to make a garrote. As you point out though any numer of items which are not permitted through security are available once past it. I was told that the liquid/gel limit was to stop large containers of fluid coming through but there is nothing to stop you bringing 10x100ml bottles of something through and then transferring them to a 1L water bottle from Boots/WHSmith/Starbucks.

Anybody who has watched a few spy/thriller films will be familiar with any number of techniques for using 'normal' items to inflict carnage (propelling pencil dagger anyone?)

AC as I fly often and would like the option to continue flying

“The more corrupt the state, the greater the number of laws”

Ad Fundum he say

"The dumber the state, the dumber the laws"

Imagine what Jacqui must be planning!

I was checking in on a Ryanair flight at Stansted once. The bloke checking in in front of me was dressed head to foot in tweed. The following conversation ensued...

Do you have any dangerous items in your hand luggage?

Two shotguns.

Are they dangerous?

They're guns. I'll let you decide.

I'll have to ask a supervisor. Hold on.

Quote:

"Last time I went through an airport (actually, Edinburgh Turnhouse), I was very careful to not carry my razor with my (I had hand luggage only), as it is considered a Very Dangerous Weapon as well as a Banned Item. I went through security and into a WHSmith at the other side, and lo and behold, what could I buy from the counter? A Gilette Mach 3 and spare blades, almost identical to the one I left behind. What's the bloody point?"

Ah yes, but the razer would probably be shrink-wrapped in that plastic stuff they insist on using nowadays that is almost impossible to open without the aid of a tough pair of scissors...... (probably on-sale next door at Boots)

You raise a very good point.

If I'm stopped and have something confiscated (dunno - a pair of knitting needles?), then should I also be arrested and questioned/charged? Just to be sure?

If I'm carrying such an obviously dangerous weapon then surely that means I am a (at least potentially) dangerous person and therefore should be stopped from getting on the flight at all. That's what would happen if a plod caught me with (say) a knife in the street.

And if I'm NOT a dangerous person, then why did they take my knitting needles away?

We shouldn't be fearing razors on planes. It's that bloody plastic they use to wrap memory cards, headphones and razors. Get through Security, go to Dixons, buy an SD card for a tenner and you have a weapon with a lethal edge.

Trying to fly from LA to London, was pulled aside by security due to them seeing something they didn't like in my carry-on. Turned out to be a couple of tins of Jelly Belly jelly beans, according to them the tins were 'impervious to x-rays' and showed up as solid blocks on the scan. I had to remove the shrink wrap and open both tins up to prove to them that the contents of the two tins that I'd just bought from their duty free weren't actually dangerous (just tasty).

Forget propelling pencils. How about just an ordinary pencil? Worked for the Joker in the Dark Knight. Or cocktail sticks. And how about sharpening the edge of a laminated piece of paper?

In practice the average punter still has no chance of arguing the toss about what's allowed and what's not - if they still want to board the plane after the debate. Apart from the sheer amount of time it would take to get through the various layers of (how shall I put it? "underclocked") security staff, they can still detain pretty much anyone for pretty much any reason, for long enough to make you miss your flight.

Even though we now know there's a secret list - it makes no difference as each plastic piggie makes up their own, arbitrary, list as they go along. One security guard makes everyone take their shoes off, when going through the detectors - whereas the one on the next aisle doesn't. (Been there, seen it happen). The person in front of me had a roll of sellotape confiscated "you could use it to tie someone up" - even though it's sold in WH Smith's just past the gate. You can't argue with any of these people, and they know it.

Just about the only thing that I reckon would make any difference is if the confiscated items were destroyed right at the point of confiscation - as I have a sneaking suspicion (completely unfounded, but that would explain a lot), that the guards simply take things they want. If they were denied possession of the things they take, there would be little incentive left for this legalised mugging - though they might demand a pay rise to make up the difference.

Take 6 men. Book on the same flight. All go to the bathroom at the same time.

All start fires. Use your body to barricade the door. Plane crashes.

Or just all get up at the same time and open the emrgency exits.

Weapons used - cig lighter and human body.

So, no more people allowed on flights then, and no more smoking at the airport.

planes will be filled with agressive beagles.

I would have thought that it was easier to look for terrists rather than sharp things and bottles of witches potions, terrists are bigger. All this pinching of nail cippers and tennis bats by a bunch of scruffy, unhealthy looking in-breds is smoke and mirrors, I hope.

In 2004 I spent a couple of weeks working in India. That year they had an election and nearly had a nuclear war with Pakistan. They had good reason to expect someone to try something very stupid.

Security was tight on all flights. Not even allowed inside the airport without a ticket. Several bag searches and body searches. All done with respect and reasonableness. Any inadvertent contraband would be flown in the custody of the crew and returned once landed. Once though security you had to identify your own hold luggage before it was loaded.

The security police would mingle with the passengers before boarding to check for suspicious behavior. You could tell because no-one else wears black bomber jackets.

As I said they had a real problem and they took effective but reasonable measures to deal with it. Of course it helped that every passenger was very polite and patient because no-one in their right mind wants to do anything that might involve seeing the inside of an Indian prison cell.

Came back from Canada last year after a rather rugged two weeks of mountain hiking. Got back to the UK, opened up the rucksack I had taken on board to find my 5-1/2 inch-blade hunting knife tucked in below my paperback books. Silly forgetful me. And my bag was scanned. I assume the fine folks on the other side of the x-ray machine were ogling the Girlfriend at the time (and who could blame them...). SO: all you terrorists out there, now you know what to do.

What a con. Now your only option for taking a gift is to buy whatever the airport shops want to sell you, usually at a ridiculous price, rather than going to a decent off-licence and picking something good.

I still remember travelling after the liquids ban came in - tables groaning under the weight of bottles of perfume and other cosmetics that were "binned" at LHR T4.

It was in the run-up to Xmas. I wonder if that was all destroyed or whether the most popular gift was 98ml of perfume?

It's only a matter of time till some security moron tries to confiscate a really valuable brooch (say ten times the security moron's annual salary) because it has a "dangerous" pin.

Years ago I tried to fly from London to Brussels with a hunting knife in my hand luggage. They removed it from me and put it in a jiffy bag with my name on it. I collected it from the baggage carousel in Brussels. That seems like a reasonable way to handle the situation. Somehow I don't think that's what would happen today.

A sharpen pencil and a pissed off person.

Seriously they allow pens and pencil. Whats if the person is a trained fighter ??

1972, just made a trip to the southern states, purchased a Swiss rifle (with the bayonet attached was about 6' long), purchased a rifle case for the weapon, drove to Raleigh, NC, walked up to the ticket counter with it slung over my shoulder, checked it, flew to San Francisco, walked forward to the first class stewardess (yes... now they are flight attendants), she pops open the coat rack, hands me the case, back over my shoulder it went, and I strolled into the night........ now ... those were the days.

Without fail i get my bags hand searched going through security at every british airport i've flown from. something taking about an eee, psp AND an mp3 player in a hand luggage makes me a terrorist?

The worst i've had is from Cardiff airport, where on 2 seperate occassions i've been told that a Kensignton Lock can be used to kill and/or restrain someone and was not allowed on the flight (chalked 2 up to expenses) and on one occassion that the cord on my eee charger was "longer than the permissable length" and could be used to restrain someone. That landed me i na heated debate, but "it comes apart in the middle", "i flew into here yesterday", "i need it for my laptop" all fell on deaf ears. one "nice" guard did let me leave to security, post it to myself, and queue jump to catch my flight ^_^

oddly a chrome-vanadium tipped tri-wing screwdriver was ok...