I was in a Walgreen's in Fort Lauderdale, saw a particularly good buy on a large bottle of Colgate mouthwash, and bought it. I placed it, unopened (and with the original seal still on it), in a gallon-sized plastic bag -- in case of minor leakage, and knowing that I could not carry it on board put it in my checked luggage.

I waited at FLL while my checked luggage was screened and approved.

At least I thought it was approved. That is what the TSA guy told me.

When I got to MXP yesterday I found that my luggage was leaking. I opened it and found the following:

The mouthwash bottle was almost completely empty. The seal was still in place and it was still in the plastic bag. A hole had been punched in the top of the cap and then covered with a piece of tape which did nothing to stop the mouthwas from leaking out.

If the TSA wanted to check it, all they had to do was remove the seal and open the bottle. After closing it again, it most likely would not have leaked at all.

With the way they handled it, I not only lost all the mouthwash but it soaked everything else in the suitcase.

On the bright side, the mouthwash did not blow up the plane.

Sorry, but I don't believe you. There's no way they could be that stupid.





But on second thought ......

I don't blame you. I find it hard to believe me myself. When I want confirmation, however, all I have to do is smell the minty odor on everything I had in that same suitcase.

What will be the next joke?

"Can the government screw on a cap properly even with Thousands Standing Around?"

Was there a TSA notice inside your bag that indicated that the TSA had opened your bag?

They really wanted to put tape over your mouth to silence you (typical Gitmo interrogation technique) but since you weren't present, taping your mouthwash was, in their minds, a suitable equivalent.

What you don't realize is that your mouthwash bottle was tortured while they had it in custody.

Why would someone punch a hole in a bottle cap when it's well possible for even children to remove even a so-called safety cap to pour out or smell the contents?

Punching a hole in a bottle to test its contents sounds like idiocy to me, particularly if the concern is liquid explosives.

the only logical explanation is that this was an act of malicious vandalism.

... one desrving of a Darwin award perhaps, particularly in case of really dangerous contraband?

It is idiocy.

Dovster, so you saved a couple bucks....... not a bargain.

I think it was stupidy also, but with a very mean intention. Do your luggage tags list Israel as your home address?

... or a foreign-sounding name?

After all, most people from the Americas and Europe would routinely read a good number of Israeli names as being Arabic (and even muslim) names.

Given the increasing hostility in America and Europe to things perceived as Arabic and muslim, I'd not be surprised if some twisted things happened to some bags because of an owner's name and address; but I don't think there have been widespread reports of such targetted mishandling either.

I do recall some idiot who picked up the wrong bag and found out about it when his wife alerted him to some Arabic writing affixed to one side of the bag. He said that they are glad they didn't take it because there might be a bomb in it (or some drugs, his wife said).

Yup, there's nothing like your skivvies smelling minty-fresh in the morning.

I'm wondering, though, is it possible that it wasn't TSA? I've had bags opened/searched in YVR before I picked them up (after a direct trip from Europe, so no TSA involved) - is it possible that someone on the European side did it (particularly given that there apparently are arrival searches being done on hand luggage)?

One other possibility: did you see Ashton Kutcher anywhere?

I don't think the hand luggage screening on arrival is wholly applicable here, particularly since we are talking about checked luggage, but your point is one that catches my curiosity too.

Yes, my baggage tags do have Israel as my address but no, it could not have been done in Italy.

The bag had a TSA lock on it which was not broken open, so I think it was opened by the TSA with one of their keys. Also, my bags were among the first off of the airplane and I doubt that there was time to do it here.

I know it's probably a waste of time, but I really hope you plan on reporting this idiocy to someone.

Once in a while I hear about TSA looking at El Al as a sort of model. I wonder if El Al does things that are this stupid.

So does this mean that from now on I should label bottles of liquids with something like "Dear TSA: If you want to check out the liquid in this container please remove the lid instead of drilling a friggin' hole in it. Thanks very much."?

I think it's time for some sort of hidden-camera expose on what happens in TSA's "search room".