Anoying problem at SAT today
 

My wife and I were flying from SAT to BWI to visit family. One of our checked items was a wooden crate with a piece of art inside. The art isn't overly expensive so I was happy to have Southwest transport it for free for me.
I check in an hour before my flight and all is well. Then about fifteen minutes before we board the GA comes to me and asks if I am Combat Medic. Then she says that the case is locked and the TSA needs to search it. At first I'm confused thinking that they aren't able to figure out the latches on my pelican case that I used as my other checked item, but that wasn't it.
I ended up having to go to the ticket counter where my item was waiting for me. They told me that the TSA didn't have a #2 Square Drive bit the remove the screws. I remind them that the TSA won't allow me to have tools either so we are at an impasse. The customer service manager asks if somebody can come and pickup the item for me and I reply that I couldn't have somebody here in fifteen minutes....I then ask if he can just store it until Monday when I come back.

He said that once the system alarmed the TSA had no choice but to open it and screen it. I didn't point out that it has come out recently that a number of airports haven't been screening checked luggage.

Somedays I really hate traveling.

I wish I had been there. I always have tools. I even carry the square driver bits.

I'm just trying to figure out what they thought it was. Unless the X-Ray is programmed to look for art.

Unclear to me. Did TSA open and search or not?

Its rather likely the screener is "programmed" to look for expensive items, art included, but for reasons not related to "security"

AFAIK no, because neither TSA nor Combat Medic had the #2 Square Drive screwdriver needed to open the crate.

Since they wouldn't let the crate fly based on what they could see on x-ray, they returned it to the ticket counter, and called Combat Medic back from the gate to figure out what to do with it.


(And Combat Medic, if you didn't crate it yourself you must have an awesome art crating service! The half-dozen I've dealt with were only held together with plain wood screws.)

Oddly, had you shipped it using SWA freight rather than checking it as luggage, it might have received little or not scrutiny.age

In that case, that's the answer and while annoying, it really pays to check the rules before checking an odd item (odd only in the sense that it's not a suitcase). Choices are to use a TSA-approved lock, leave it "unlocked" or be there to open it along with whatever is needed to open it if TSA wants to open it.

As an aside, unless it's truly valueless, items of value are expressly excluded from carrier compensation if lost/damaged. Aside from the TSA issue, OP would have received $0 had the item been damaged/lost enroute.

So how did it end?

My guess: SATTSO saved the day!! :D

He is missed as a rational voice in a the debate. Has anyone seen him lately?

Funny, that was my first thought. Of course, it would have to be the X-ray machines evaluating the art, because if TSOs were looking for expensive artwork, a lot of travelers would lose their pictures of "Dogs Playing Poker."

Mike

Or paintings on velvet of Pistole.....:p

All correct. Also, I did crate it myself.

Except there were no locks. That is like saying that the zipper on my suitcase is a lock.

The total value is like $180. If it gets lost it isn't the end of the world, but I really didn't want to have to pay to ship it when I was flying to DC anyway and SouthWest would have checked it for free.