Things in checked luggage that look suspicious
Nov 30, 2009, 8:36 am
#31
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
Programs: Mucci, FB Gold, Skywards, MK Kestrel Flyer, BA Gold, M&M FF, UU Capricorne, ACCOR Gold
Posts: 676
Yes well believe it or not some of us have jobs where tools like tuning forks are needed and if I'm to get any work done anywhere I do actually need to have it on me. It's hardly a life threatening implement is it? Certainly a lot less life threatening than those glass bottles they sell you airside...
Nov 30, 2009, 11:04 am
#32
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 38,396
I am told, but canot be 100% sure that the following will also raise suspicion and cause a manual search (disassembly and unpleasant random repacking):
peanut butter
bags of brown sugar
bags of ground coffee (maybe beans too)
brownie mix
cake mix
cake frosting in plastic cans
baking powder
cornstarch
Now you ask why would I be carrying these items - because you can't get them in Bulgaria and I wanted some comforts of home to kep me sane.
peanut butter
bags of brown sugar
bags of ground coffee (maybe beans too)
brownie mix
cake mix
cake frosting in plastic cans
baking powder
cornstarch
Now you ask why would I be carrying these items - because you can't get them in Bulgaria and I wanted some comforts of home to kep me sane.
Nov 30, 2009, 11:05 am
#34
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 414
Yes well believe it or not some of us have jobs where tools like tuning forks are needed and if I'm to get any work done anywhere I do actually need to have it on me. It's hardly a life threatening implement is it? Certainly a lot less life threatening than those glass bottles they sell you airside...
Nov 30, 2009, 11:07 am
#35
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 2,195
Powered gold, not brick gold. And even that get tested.
Nov 30, 2009, 11:09 am
#36
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 38,396
Nov 30, 2009, 11:09 am
#37
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 2,195
Yes well believe it or not some of us have jobs where tools like tuning forks are needed and if I'm to get any work done anywhere I do actually need to have it on me. It's hardly a life threatening implement is it? Certainly a lot less life threatening than those glass bottles they sell you airside...
Nov 30, 2009, 11:16 am
#38
In memoriam
Join Date: Aug 2002
Programs: AA EXP "Life is good! Really good.""
Posts: 4,923
Why am I allowed to carry a baggie full of ice cubes which melt into 10-12 oz. of dangerous water? (I like to keep my sandwich/cheese/whatever cold and am always prepared to relinquish the ice, but they always wave it on through).
Nov 30, 2009, 12:30 pm
#39
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: PHX & PPT
Programs: DL PM, IHG Plat, Hilton Gold, AmExPlat
Posts: 833
A single bar of soap is not a problem, but if one brings those packages with 6 to 10 of them stacked and wrapped then they are most likely going to get pulled. Why would anyone want to take 10 bars of soap anyway? I'm sure there are reasons, but I cant think of any.
Gifts! People bring many things that TSA can't think of reasons for... My 15 gel candles packed in checked luggage to give as Christmas gifts for friends and employees of a hotel in French Polynesia caused quite a ruckus with TSA several years ago (back when you could watch your checked luggage being searched). They wanted to know WHY I "needed" 15 candles! Use your imagination, guys... some of us bring GIFTS when we travel!
Gifts! People bring many things that TSA can't think of reasons for... My 15 gel candles packed in checked luggage to give as Christmas gifts for friends and employees of a hotel in French Polynesia caused quite a ruckus with TSA several years ago (back when you could watch your checked luggage being searched). They wanted to know WHY I "needed" 15 candles! Use your imagination, guys... some of us bring GIFTS when we travel!
Nov 30, 2009, 12:42 pm
#40
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 9,740
May have already been mentioned, but playing cards causes consternation for the checkers.
In Vegas, I had two boxes of playing cards (each box contained 12 or 24 packs, I can't recall which) in the bottom of my backpack. Caused the security line to be shut down for over an hour and a bomb/drug sniffing dog to be brought it to confirm that the playing cards were, well, playing cards.
Another fine example of TSA buffoonery and high-tech incompetence.
In Vegas, I had two boxes of playing cards (each box contained 12 or 24 packs, I can't recall which) in the bottom of my backpack. Caused the security line to be shut down for over an hour and a bomb/drug sniffing dog to be brought it to confirm that the playing cards were, well, playing cards.
Another fine example of TSA buffoonery and high-tech incompetence.
Nov 30, 2009, 12:44 pm
#41
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 3,657
Which will, after all, fly on the exact same plane as me, down in the cargo hold, except that I'll end up paying a couple of hundred dollars more for the privilege. Gee, thanks. 
Nov 30, 2009, 12:53 pm
#42
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 2,195
Unless one is shipping their pet Elephant via FedEx then the cost really isnt all that bad. And if the object is valuable, precious, or has significant sentimental value to you then what are a few bucks?
Your welcome.
Nov 30, 2009, 1:05 pm
#43
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 3,657
Need a beverage? Buy bottled water for $0.50 at home, or for $4 inside the checkpoint, because you can't bring that bottle of water through.
Need to eat? I can make a sack lunch at home for a couple of bucks, or I can spend $8 for the same lousy meal inside the checkpoint ... because TSA won't let me bring my yogurt through.
Need to bring your personal items with you on your trip? Spend extra money to ship them FedEx, because you can't possibly just stick the thing in your pocket. Or, spend $25 to check a bag, and hope they actually get there, since TSA rules have the net effect of discouraging passengers from securing their bags for themselves, and petty thieves in both the airlines and the TSA can take stuff while blaming the other agency for the security hole.
And, of course, I get to pay $2.50/segment for the privilege of having a perfect stranger tell me what I can do with all of my personal items, especially since TSA can't/won't tell me what the rules are when I'm packing.
It's not like everyone who flies is made of money. Most of the time when I'm flying, I'm doing it for business, and I don't get reimbursed for all that other crud along the way. So all these rules take money out of my pocket. And I resent that.
Nov 30, 2009, 3:08 pm
#44
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 252
From another thread I just learned a few interesting things that look suspicious on the x-ray and will most likely trigger a manual search of your checked luggage.
The examples were:
- Piles of books
- large quantities of chocolate
- canned fruits
- peanut butter or jam jars
- anything the x-ray cannot easily see through
- boxes with metal objects and many cables
What other things throw the red flag?
I now know why recently my bag was searched. I had packed a 1lb glass container of homemade jam inside a double-walled steel tea pot. This was cradled in a boxy arrangement of books I had packed in this particular way to protect the tea pot's spout. And I thought that was smart.
So if we know what looks suspicious we can avoid this or pack it differently.
Till
The examples were:
- Piles of books
- large quantities of chocolate
- canned fruits
- peanut butter or jam jars
- anything the x-ray cannot easily see through
- boxes with metal objects and many cables
What other things throw the red flag?
I now know why recently my bag was searched. I had packed a 1lb glass container of homemade jam inside a double-walled steel tea pot. This was cradled in a boxy arrangement of books I had packed in this particular way to protect the tea pot's spout. And I thought that was smart.
So if we know what looks suspicious we can avoid this or pack it differently.
Till
Try these images from dual-energy X-ray systems that try to identify materials http://www.vidisco.com/DualXray.asp. It shows weakness in regular x-ray as compared to that vendor's dual-energy system. Especially interesting is the similarly-orange book+TNT image and the test pattern image with sugar and salt.
Another vendor's examples show dual-energy material identification system weaknesses as compared to Z(eff) systems.
I know TSA's policies aren't really aimed at smart terrorists, but the boogey-man would buy, rent, or borrow equipment similar to the target system (Was Britney's x-ray a Rapiscan 620DV as in Bob's post?) and make something that looks the same on screen as a book.
Take a look at Rapiscan's 620DV sales brochure and think about what level of sneakiness would get past you after looking at just 20 passengers worth of bags. A 5-lb bag of sugar might get noticed, but a sugar-filled book would be just another book. Snow globes probably look enough like a Bullwinkle-cartoon hush-a-bomb to cause a panic.
Nov 30, 2009, 3:41 pm
#45
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Houston
Posts: 8,956
Though I am not sure what "powered" gold is, I will assume you meant powdered gold. If I place that powdered gold in a metal non-prohibited container, I am sure that it would be an even more lethal weapon than a brick or rock due to its density, but I guess that it is permitted.
