Originally Posted by
Wally Bird
Many here know the pitfalls of dealing with low and mid-level airline employees. You get incorrect information, the bum's rush or both. Finding someone with the knowledge and authority to deal with whatever your problem is can be a long and frustrating saga, one in which a university professor would be hopelessly lost.
More to the point: how do you
know that the person giving you an authoritative answer actually (a) has the authority to answer, and (b) actually knows the answer? This is a common failing in most areas of life, not just airline security; most people are incredibly bad judges of their own lack of knowledge in an area.
Frankly, after reading the stories here at FT for years, I don't find anything surprising about this story at all. Okay, the element of drama involved with saving a person's life is unusual. But getting conflicting information from airport security officials about what is and isn't allowed through a security checkpoint --- especially regarding an unusual item? Happens every single day.