<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by manfromoz:
I did also have problems with my umbrella at JFK but only once I got to the gate, after it had been scanned and approved as carry on at check in. The security guard insisted that it be approved by the pilot before I got on the plane. The UA staff seemed to think the guy was being stupid but went along with him anyway. Maybe he thought I was going to open it on the plane and cause everyone to have bad luck! The most generous comment I could make was that he was taking his job seriously, but a bit of common sense would have been welcome.</font>
(I just occured to me to edit this for readers who are not from cricket playing countries)
I had a similar problem at JFK a number of years ago which I'm sure someone from OZ will apreciate.
I few years I had some friends at work who at lunch played cricket in the parking lot with tennis balls, but only had one bat (cricket needs two bats to be played properly). So I decided to pick up a second one up for them while in London, so I went to Lilly Whites and said "I need the cheapest bat you have" (after all they were playing with tennis balls), and was pointed to the Kookaburra model at the end of the rack. (Kookaburra is an Aussie company, and everyone knows all proper bats are made in India :-) ) Unfortunately it did't fit in my luggage.......
So there I was at the security check in at Heathrow having just put my three foot long edged piece of hardwood through the X-ray machine as casualy as is possible to put a three foot long edged piece of hardwood into an X-ray machine in the middle of Heathrow security....
And as I come out the other side of the metal detector I see the nice security man holding the bat in his hands and looking at it very dissaprovingly.. and I think... "oh boy am I in trouble now".... when he looks up and says
"Kookaburra???? eeeuuuuuuwwwwwwwww" and hands me my bat with a look suggesting that I have just confirmed every bad thing he has ever thought about Americans. So I take my bat and promptly carry it into the passanger cabin of a 747...
on my arrival at JFK I clear customs and walk over to go to my domestic flight (I little twin turboprop to Pittsburgh) and this time when I pass through the metal detector I am greeted with
"I'm sorry sir thats a weapon, I can't let you take that on the plane, you are going to have to check it"????????
How could such a thing happen? Simple
In UK;
Q: what is a 3 foot piece of hardwood?
A: must be a cricket bat.
Q: list all possible uses for a cricket bat?
A: playing cricket, mounting on pub walls, hanging above your fireplace so guests will know what school you attended.
In NYC:
Q: what is a 3 foot long piece of hardwood?
A: a baseball bat.
Q: list all possible uses for a baseball bat?
A: hitting people, breaking windows, picking your teeth.... playing baseball?
[This message has been edited by jcrb (edited 01-08-2002).]