margarita girl

I apologize if this has already been posted (I must have missed it).

But it's too funny so I'll risk posting it again.

Message from Transport Canada.

martyYYZ

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...14-2010-a.html

Stussi613

So I get to YOW this morning 90 mins before my CO flight to MHT with a pit stop in EWR, with my carry on bag which I will check and my Lowepro CompuDaypack which I will not check. The backpack has my laptop, charger and mouse as well as my DSLR with the biggest lens attached and two smaller prime lenses and a flash. I was also armed with the printout from CATSA that says that cameras in "purpose-designed carrying cases" are not considered carry on and thereby allowable. I get to the security point/secondary search point and I'm told by the young lady that I will have to check my backpack. I pointed to her that my camera was in it and that I would not be able to check it. She pointed out the very form I had in my bag and said "no backpacks". It took a call to a supervisor and a 5 minute discussion between he and I to get him to let me through with it. It would appear that the agents are free to determine if any given rule is superceded by another rule in their interpetation.

This is my second time going through the new "enhanced security" and I have say...enough is enough. If TC/CATSA can't get enough people in place to do secondary searches on rolling suitcases ~20 days after this was put in place, at least change the guidelines so that there is some clear direction for the things we CAN take onboard. To have the agent say that my purpose-designed camera bag which also holds a laptop is not allowed because it has straps and those are not allowed is ridiculous. Nowhere in that sub section does it say that camera cases can't have straps on them. The ultimate suggestion from the supervisor was that I should to out and buy a camera case that doesn't have straps on it and carry my laptop on a regular laptop bag. It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him what I thought of his suggestion, but I'm travelling for work and it might not have been received very well.

margarita girl

Hah! A likely story. Sounds more like a MR to me.

Am also considering same for last week of Jan. Still missing 2 credits to max out on NA promo.

pxlbarrel

This is insanity and what I was worried about. I have a KATA backpack that I usually travel with and it usually holds 1 body and attached 16-35 mm lens, 50 mm lens, a flash, memory cards, batteries, charger and one very small point and shoot along with a netbook or laptop. It was made specifically for this purpose. According to the CATSA rules, this should be allowed. Not only is it carrying only the stuff CATSA says can be carried aboard, it's a camera bag. How in the world does it cause the security people MORE time to search through this bag, just because it has two straps that affix it to my back. For pity's sake....I could carry a traditional looking bulky camera bag with me that has four times the amount of pockets than my KATA and it'll take them forever to search that.

I also have a Tenba Messenger bag that holds all of that and a laptop. It also doesn't look like a camera bag.... cause isn't that what they tell you these days? Don't go travelling with a bag that looks like a camera's in it??? Would they stop me because it doesn't look like a camera bag? I'm not about to go out there and spend an extra $100-$200 for another camera bag because somebody at security believes my bag doesn't look like what camera bags looked like 40 years old!!!

InTheAirGuy

First time through.

What a bunch of stoopid ....ing nonsense.

Anyways, a jacket with pockets bulging with remote control, Apple VGA-to-DVI adaptor, glasses, pads of paper, iPod wire, iPod charger, watch, keys, contacts, contact lens solution, medication, gel, lip balm, etc etc etc.

(Geesh, they don't even care about the baggie rule anymore? I even had a baggie in there in case they spazzed out)

One carryon. Latop, power wire.

Get the laptop bag past the idiots near the front, and it doesn't matter how much .... you have in your coat. Just cram it full. Never mind it probably costs them more time to now open the pockets and search the coat.

Remember, these are stoopid stoopid people..

These people are stunningly stoopid. I used to criticize the incompetence of CATSA, but I can't go far enough.

What is utterly fascinating is that on one in this airport (YYZ) looks happy. Lots of miserable people around, and they're all probably thinking the same thing: this is an utterly stoopid exercise. Almost four weeks in, and they can't figure things out?

If anyone doesn't think this is going to have a downward impact on the Canadian economy, they must do really good drugs.

Stoopid stoopid people

Throw Harper and the bums out. Shutting down Parliament is one thing. Letting stoopid people continue to do this type of .... is just abdysmal.

yyzprincess

United is not the only US carrier offering this option. AA ,CO, US, DL & NW as well.

And if this stupidity is over even on day of Travel, even if its is 4 hours before my EX: BUF , United has given me an undertaking I can head to YYZ and will reroute me via YYZ.


I second it safe for people to book EX: BUF. on the major US carriers

tomh009

Shockingly, it's also safe to fly from YYZ. For many of us, that can work better than BUF -- other considerations may outweight the carry-on restrictions.

emcampbe

That has nothing to do with the Canada situation. This is for fees on all domestic US/Canada flights.

AFAIK, UA has not been charging to check in bags for pax originating in Canada since the carry on ban has been in place. Unless something very recently changed. I expect that will continue until we are allowed carry on's again out of Canada. Flights from the US to Canada are allowed carry on's per normal regulations, and so these new fees would apply to those flights.

IluvSQ

That's great, thanks!

Simon

Like, I don't know, NON-STOP FLIGHTS instead of routing through the horror that is ORD in both directions.

RCyyz

OK, so the girlfriend is flying YYZ - PHX next week. I've been following this thread and have prepared her for the no carry-on thing. She's planning on stuffing coat pockets with everything.

So as an experiment she's volunteering to put two (2) pieces of 8.5 x 11 paper with the laptop which will be in a standard laptop bag. She is prepared to either stuff paper in bra or simply toss it if there are issues.

Is there anything else simple we need tested besides the "no paper as carry-on" rule?

Flews

Be careful about a paper cut when you stash it in "there"!

Cheers,

tomh009

Exactly. Or flying on newish E175s with AVOD instead of sitting at the back of the bus (as AC elites are wont to do) on an ex-TED plane.

Flying from YYZ to EWR in the morning again. By choice. Speaking of that, I should go get some sleep now ...

SlingBladeYup

YYZ last Sunday afternoon (01/10/10): My two colleagues were through the patdown in 3 mins. I was there for over 15 minutes. The flunky went as far as to go through my wallet card-by-card ... even removing the Nexus card from the foil envelope and a Chapters gift card from its envelope. After going through the empty laptop bag, he had a second agent go through it again while he checked out my socks & shoes.

My colleagues were sitting at the gate 30 feet away busting a gut watching this experience, and we all had a good laugh when I got over to the gate. My fault for showing all the signs of being a menace to society: A Nexus-carrying SuperElite business traveller in a suit... with 15 pages of documents in my bag.

This idiocity must be stopped. Although it was a good joke last week, it is ....ing childish.