CDG Security Theater
 

<rant>
As if CDG were not bad enough with ceilings that fall and kill people, terminal 1 being over a mile away from the other terminals, and the backwards idea of placing the security check right before the gates, it seems that the French security folks try to do everything in their power to make you miss your flight if they don't like you. I've never had trouble flying on Air France (strikes aside), but when I went through the security check at the gates for one of the heathen American carriers, it was another story entirely.

I was recently leaving from CDG on my way home from a two-week trip. I was travelling with nothing but a single carry-on -- a carry-on that had previously made it through two US, one German, and two French airports without incident. I stayed in the lounge (which is before security) until about 45 minutes before my flight's departure, then headed to the gate. At the checkpoint they found (heaven forbid!) a small salad fork in my carry-on and confiscated it. To my knowledge, forks aren't banned by either the TSA or EU aviation security regulations, so I said so, and politely asked to see the list of their banned items they were using. They scoffed at the question and said that they couldn't show me their "special regulations for US-bound flights from the EU."

Subsequently, on the jetway, they pulled me over again and demanded to open and search the entire contents of my bag. They gave me trouble over the water bottles that I had brought in empty and refilled in the restroom after the checkpoint. They gave me trouble over my inhaler. They confiscated a pair of safety scissors with a rounded 4 cm blade (also allowed by the TSA). THEN they found my last few remaining tablespoons of laundry detergent. After some issues with the language barrier, they confiscated it, claiming that they were only following the TSA's ban on "liquids, gels, and powders" for US-bound flights. I objected and pointed out that the line is "liquids, gels, and aerosols," and the TSA has no such ban on powders (particularly not soap!) They disagreed, and called over a K9 unit to check the offending Tide Ultra2 for bomb residue, or perhaps drugs, to take up even more time. The dog merely turned its head away, despite several attempts to pique its interest, so they finally let me go.

At this point, I had 5 people and a dog crowded around me, with only one guy still at the checkpoint. The best quote was from a supervisor who had come over to help translate "laundry detergent." She said, "You should feel reassured. The French have very good security compared to the US, where they don't catch these things." I didn't feel reassured by security personnel who could be distracted from their real jobs for long periods of time by forks, 0.75oz inhalers, and safety scissors. However, I thought it best not to say anything, lest they stop me a third time and require a full body cavity search.

In the mean time, the airline, which had already scanned my boarding pass when I entered the jetway, believed everyone was on board and closed the cabin for an early departure. Fortunately, I found a GA and knocked on the door while she radioed to the crew, and they opened the door again and let me on. Good thing, too, because the next flight was at a different gate, so I probably would have had to clear security all over again! :eek:

I never thought I'd say this, but compared to the French, the TSA is pretty quick and reasonable when it comes to moving people through the checkpoints!
</rant>

My personal experience with CDG security is that they seem to despise the TSA edicts.

Did you really challenge them over a fork?

A fork?!

Most people would just let that go and move on. No matter how "polite" you asked the question for the regulations, my guess is that you came over to them as if you were a jerk.

Honestly, this kind of feels like some liberties were taken in describing what actually happened. Then again, I'm still trying to wrap my head around all this being over a salad fork.

You took a real chance leaving only 45 minutes to get through. I had to go through security with an hour and a half to spare at CDG, it took 2 hours and half to make it through thanks to their incompetent staff. Fortunately my flight was delayed by three hours, or I would have been sleeping in the airport. The average CDG security worker makes the TSA seem bright. One thing that is weird at that airport is that not all check points are bad. When I flew in to there from the US they directed everyone to a very small checkpoint in front of customs. The staff there were very friendly and gave only a cursory check, then we were allowed to go to on to our connection. When I flew in from Heathrow for another connecting flight this time we were directed out to main entrance and the checkpoints for everyone entering the airport. This is where I encounter the buffoons.

Agreed ^ and as to what was confiscated/surrendered at CDG-keep in mind that it's a different country so it's their rules and not the TSA's.

Now as to taking your fork, I dunno how you're gonna eat your meal on the flight ;)

As you will notice at http://www.easycdg.com/pages/securit...on_cdgpag.html, metal cutlery is not permitted in carry-ons at CDG (and I believe this to be the case throughout most EU airports). The theatre with the water, detergent, and inhaler were nonsense, however.

In 2008 at CDG a screener, clearly novice, questioned a plastic take-out type knife in my carryon. What he was really after, however, was the antique silverplated lemon squeezer. Fortunately a supervisor overruled him and let it through.

I pass through CDG regularly and am randomly chosen for the gate search roughly half the time (I'm usually the first female in my boarding group). When I grumble the screener is unfailingly polite and apologetic, pointing out that it's the US government that requires the extra screening. And it's always a PATdown, not the double or triple RUBdown administered in the US.

No, there's no sense in arguing, because you can't win. I merely asked what list they were using because I'm going to have to fly out of there again soon, and they declined to tell me where I could find one.

It doesn't matter what TSA permits - you were not in the US. CATSA (Canadian security) only began to permit short bladed scissors earlier this year, even though TSA has permitted them for several years.

I take it that the English verison of the website for CDG won't create a language barrier for you. It clearly states that cutlery is not permitted (although I have over the years met many American servers unfamiliar with that term)

Did you have a prescription for your inhaler as stated on the website?

http://www.aeroportsdeparis.fr/ADP/e.../Hand-luggage/

http://www.easycdg.com/pages/securit...on_cdgpag.html

Do you understand that it is your own government which is creating this situation? I have never had an issue at CDG and frankly I commend them for being thorough and finding things which TSA has failed to find in my bag.

As for security at the gate - you may want to avoid flying out of MCI in the US then...

Following that link, I get a javascript requester telling me that "this version is only compatible with Internet Explorer and Netscape". If everything at CDG is as up-to-date as their web presence, I am surprised that they have introduced security checks at all! WTH, I am surprised they have electric lighting! ;)

I'm far from being an apologist for CDG security, but the rules *are* different. IMO initial screening process is almost delightful compared to TSA but they're more thorough at the gate if you get selected.

I do 30+ trips a year out of CDG - mostly to the US and Asia - and my personal recommendations are:

- Don't be one of the first three people to the gate; don't rush by if you're last to the gate either as it raises suspicions.
- Don't exceed liquid limits and don't open plastic bags from Duty Free (surprisingly common).
- Don't carry unmarked anything - including powders.
- Do be polite. The French have a thing for politeness and they're happy to make your life miserable around the language barrier if one is an a**.

I had no problem with the website once Stifle helpfully pointed it out. I had just been assuming incorrectly that CDG followed the EU security regulations like everyone else:

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/...01:0055:EN:PDF

The trouble they gave me after I inquired into what rules they were following seems retaliatory, since it isn't covered by regulations on either site. But at least I got to keep my medication and narrowly made my flight.

My previous flight from CDG was subject to much less scrutiny, but that was for an AF flight within the EU. Anyone know which flights the stricter standards are aimed at? Is it anything out of the EU? Foreign carriers? Flights specifically to the US?

US bound flights, on US carriers. I have never had the experiences some list here flying on LH for instance. And even when I have flown UA to the US from FRA or MUC or LHR I had extra questions but no extra physical checks or checks of my person. In fact at MUC they seem to have turned off that part of the process except for the questioning, from what I have observed.

But when I do pass US bound flights on US carriers at CDG I do think 'it sucks to be you' (in a nice way) because the waits seem very, very long. I agree with Velvet that you cut it way too short, and frankly you seem to have caused a lot of drama over an item which was in fact prohibited.

I linked to sites which say that cutlery is prohibited, and that you should have a prescription for your inhaler. 'Cutlery', in case you were not aware, includes forks.

European security folks tend to be courteous, efficient, but very thorough. I once had a carabiner keyring confiscated because the security agent at the gate was convinced that it could be used like brass knuckles--he even demonstrated, and his supervisor concurred emphatically. I shrugged and let it go, even though the carabiner had cost me upwards of $20 (it was a nice load-bearing one).

You need to maintain a sense of humor about these things. Remember that the European airport authorities are really scared about the possibility of losing the business of US carriers (and the tourists they bring) if something were to happen on a flight originating in the EU, so these extra security checks for US-bound flights have become par for the course. Just get used to it. It's not the USA, and it's not worth fighting with supervisors who might have never traveled to the USA and have a very odd understanding (or lack thereof) of what TSA rules might be. I bet you would be laughed out of the airport if you asked for a "customer complaint card."

Another suggestion: you can save time if you take out ANYTHING substantial electronics from your bag and x-ray separately. At LHR today I was in line with about five other American guys who had to wait for our bags to be rescreened. Why? It turns out that we ALL had iPads, every single one of us. And we all assumed that we could leave them in our bags like we do at TSA checkpoints. But the BAA security agent said "no, you must remove anything with dense electronics that is sort of like a laptop."

Also: always remove belt unless you are 100% positive that it has zero metal. In my experience, the WTMDs are calibrated to be much more sensitive in the EU than the Stateside units at TSA checkpoints. I can go through TSA with my belt (small metal buckle), but the same belt set off WTMDs at FRA and MAD, resulting in thorough pat-downs, until I decided to start taking it off.

Finally, even though shoe removal is not required (for normal-heel shoes) at most EU airports, I still recommend taking them off, as many shoes have metal parts inside that you don't realize until you walk through the WTMD and set it off.

Indeed, I mainly posted the story for amusement value -- hence why the first paragraph of the rant is so irreverent and cynical. It's a story of mystery and intrigue involving a fork, some Tide Ultra2, five security personnel, and a dog.

That said, it's rather worrisome that people are expected to accept the idea that they need to budget two hours just for the final security check and subject themselves to arbitrary seizure of their personal effects.

Also, although I did ask about their prohibited items and correct the supervisor, I didn't say much beyond that other than "d'accord." Maybe with my heavy accent, it sounded like the French for, "Hey, I need that to assemble the bomb!"

I have never done any of the things you suggest, and frankly it is very annoying in the peak summer travel season to have so many people remove their shoes when it is not necessary, and they are being told not to remove them by the screeners.

LHR T5 was a mess last week when I was there. I was in line behind a group of American students and their chaperone ordered them all to remove their shoes, when the screener told them NOT to do so. I see Americans do this all the time in LHR, FRA and MUC and frankly it holds up the line to do so.

At MUC and TXL I have seen them just use the HHMD around the belt area when the WTMD beeps, ask the passenger to open (but not remove) the belt, and then they rescan with the HHMD.