carrotjuice

Passing through LCY the other day, I had put my overcoat on a tray to be scanned at the scanning machines.

The tray was dutifully shoved aside at the other end.

The personnel identified the offending item - a small tube of half-used 50 ml hotel moisturiser that I had been using for my dry hands.

My bad, I had forgotten that I had the tube inside my coat pocket.

I then watched in bemusement as the personnel insisted on taking one of the clear plastic bags, put the solo tube of moisturiser into the bag, put the bag on top of my overcoat, then proceeded to re-scan the entire tray.

When it was all over, he handed me back my moisturiser - with a slightly sheepish smile that suggested he knew everything he just did was a bit of an overkill charade (read: waste of tax payers' money that causes delay to other passengers) but he was required to follow protocol, no matter how ridiculous it seemed.

I couldn't help thinking if common sense has truly disappeared from our humdrum lives...

sts603

Except if they didn't, then this would be the next loophole to smuggle dangerous items through security....

Richmond_Surrey

I regularly "smuggle" such small bottles forgotten in backpack so I'm impressed it was discovered in your coat. USA security seems to have common sense. They let me keep 150ml deodorant, just told me to put it in the box next time, not hide it in the backpack.

catandmouse

You're lucky this happened at LCY where the scanners are a joy compared with LHR. At LHR you would have been put into the retaliation pen for 20 minutes, whilst they scan every item they can lay their hands on one by one.

WickedStepMother

You're lucky this didn't happen at T5 fast track as you might have held up someone who has "now decided to loudly shame people who can clearly read english but are clearly snobbish!"

DYKWIA

Did some bloke then start loudly admonishing you for being a SNOB!!!

rapidex

He may have been to busy abusing me as I put my belt on to stop my trousers falling down in public.I cant carry trays without my belt on

reclusive46

I had a security officer recently in T5 have ago at me about leaving a water bottle in my bag (It was empty but he had ago at me before finding this out) in front of everyone. (He asked if I was stupid or just deaf) I'm not sure what shocked everyone more, him shouting abuse at me or me telling him to fu** off and to get a life (Sorry if anyone's kids heard , I was already in a bad mood). Hopefully I don't have the pleasure of seeing him again.

I'm not sure why (I'm normally a very passive person) but I've almost got into fights on several occasions in airports over the years.

carrotjuice

Then by all means pick up the moisturiser, check that it's indeed a half used tube within the 100 ml per item limit, hand back to me, and wave me on.

Why the charade of putting the actual item in a clear bag only to rescan the same coat and tray again with the now bagged moisturiser on it? Such a waste of time... and the personnel knew it.

At the end he did just hand me back the moisturiser without the bag as it slipped off when he picked it up from my coat.

stimpy

True. British airport security is run by a bunch of childish morons. The visible security we all have to deal with has zero effect on securing air travel. It is such a colossal negative on the UK overall. Not just in the cost of employing all these people, but more in driving away business. This combined with Brexit will ultimately have a big effect on the UK economy and BA's transit business. The only good news is that BA's airfares for transit will keep going down lower and lower to keep the planes full.

I recently transited FRA which has the same set of regulations as the UK and then some. They have the nude-o-scopes and as I had a coin in my pocket I got the full search job. They really felt me up. Every inch. But they did it very quickly and professionally. Very unlike LHR. And my bag also had some small 100ml thing it it so it warranted an extra search. But that too was done quickly and professionally. In other words they were not trying to punish the traveler like LHR does. I spent less than 5 minutes at security even with these intrusive searches. Sorry BA, but my last two longhauls have been through other airports on other airlines. Not your fault.

BarbicanLondon

Try T3 at Manchester! You guys don't know you are born until you go through there!!!

Smid

Sounds perfectly normal security procedure. Find any liquids and rescan in case there's something else which the liquids diverted from.

Of course, you've not had to stand for 25 minutes as a procession of people queue up, to get half a ton of makeup/toiletries/deodrants/2 litre bottles of waters pulled out, and rescanned. When you get to the front, it's just a random swab for you...

dood125

This poster should be put into the 'post of the week' thread! gave me a good chuckle reading his posts last night!

Glad i didn't run into him in fast track last week!

AllTheNines

Out of interest, does anyone know the official rule for a container larger than 100ml but with less than 100ml of liquid in it?

At MAN recently, I had an empty 500ml water bottle on the outside mesh of my rucksack. I was departing Long-Haul and hoping to fill it up enroute somewhere. The security officer pulled it out, held it up, pointing at the drop of water leftover in the bottom and said "you're not allowed liquids greater than 100ml". I pointed out that there was probably less than 10ml left, to which he replied "either you have to drink it or I have to throw it".

Cue the ridiculous moment of me stood there, bottle held vertically waiting forever for the very last few drops to spill out on to the floor!

Smid

I'm struggling to find many securities which were not quite as strict as the UK ones, I do wonder where people are seeing this.

In the last year: T5 (x5), LAX (x2), BHX(x4), OGG, DUB(x2), FRA(x2), DOH(x2), AKL, SYD, HKG.

Perhaps people are used to TSA Pre check? US Scanners body scanners have picked up sweat behind my knees when wearing shorts (long wait in LAX International arrivals).

I think only Doha actively ignored the need for liquid separation. Indeed, once there, they fed us through a tensa barrier, and we didn't even actually clear a security for connections (from FRA), but did coming back from SYD.

Germany security has always been the worst, even back from ten years ago. Those were the ones who asked for laptops to be turned on to show they were real, every week I flew through in 99. Not a whole lot more caring when I passed through regularly the other year.