Originally Posted by gsoltso

This is a consistent debate. Anything that could reasonably be confused with a pipe bomb, is prohibited. It could generate a panic in the airplane - both among passengers and cabin crew. I do not think that is highly likely in most cases like this, but most policies are put in place for items like this with little to no wiggle room. This item is not "technically" a humidor, it is a transport device that appears to have some of the thin wood lining for some humidity control. You can tell that by looking inside the item, and feeling the weight of it - at 15 yards, with both caps on, it looks like a pipe bomb - hence the decision (based upon the story) to prevent access for it. I can understand both sides, but erring on the side that is most likely to prevent a panicked response in a pressurized metal tube at 25k feet is most likely the direction the organization is going to take every time.