Originally Posted by
gsoltso
I have never heard of a direct prohibition of communicating with a passenger about items in their bags during a bag check, actually, the opposite has always been the case in my experience. I like to talk to the passenger as I am doing a bag check, it helps to set their mind at ease, and sometimes they can help you locate something small, or find a specific compartment that holds the item you are looking for.
That could be very helpful at times. I recall some years ago going through security at PVG. They were looking for something without much luck, I had no idea from their description what it might be. Then they showed me the x-ray--bingo. It was a set of chopsticks my wife had bought and which I didn't realize were metal. I had packed it as I generally do such long, thin items that I want to protect--against the handle rails,
behind the liner. (They stay in place much better that way. I wouldn't have done that had I realized what they were made of.)