Finch00

Hi All.

I have flown with a handgun many times on US with a locked hard sided case inside (and chained to) a unlocked or TSA locked soft suit case.

My question is. Is this ok for UA? I've read their policy a good dozen times and it seems to suggest that I need a hard sided suit case, then later that I don't.

To any of you UA folks have any experience with this?

Condition One

As long as the handgun is in a hard lockable case, you can throw it inside any checked luggage (you have to declare it upon check-in, of course). Just did this a few weeks ago.

Finch00

Thank you.. so more or less just like US.

I'm having nightmares of them making me check the pistol case separate and my 44 ending up with someone in Denver.

FriendlySkies

You'll have no problems doing this. I've flown with my handgun on UA several times this year, and 15+ times last year. It's always inside a padlocked pelican case, which is inside of my soft sided rollerboard..

Just ensure that the mags are unloaded and any ammo you bring along is in the factory case, or something designed to store it. 9/10 times you won't have a problem with them wanting to see the ammo, but if you don't have it stored properly and get an agent who checks it, you may have some problems.

Just like US, make sure to declare it at check-in and then do whatever the process is for that airport w/ TSA.

Finch00

Thanks for the advice! Just as you all suggested it was no problem.

RRDD

Are you connecting through a state with strict gun laws? In the event of IROPS; "there be dragons".

aacharya

There are only dragons when a passenger tries to grab their bag during IRROPs. The EWR-ABE** issue a few years back comes to mind.


**Supreme Court citation here. One can search the case to find other articles preceding the decision.
http://www.supremecourt.gov/Search.a...les/10-236.htm

DErg

I've done this approx 15 times on UA in the past few years using the manufacturers hard sided cases inside my checked bag and it has never been a problem. I always make sure the bag is locked as well just to be safe.

Just make sure to declare at the check in counter and you shouldn't have any problems. I would also recommend you walk with the bag to the screening point and wait for the TSA person to do the screening before you head through security just in case there are any questions or concerns. About 2/3 of the time they ask you to wait while they do their search and about 1/3 of the time they tell you just to move on but if they encounter anything then they may not handle your gear the way you would probably like.

One perfect example of why you should wait happened to me in SEA about a year ago, I was checking two pelican cases with rifles and declared at the checkin counter no problem. The UA rep takes the cases and we walk over to the screening point together for them to check the cases out. This was one of the times where they fully open both cases and run the bomb detection swab across the inside and outside of both cases and the firearms. They put the swab in the machine and a siren starts going off (complete with lights flashing above the station). So he takes a second swab and runs it over the cases again then puts it in a second machine and lo and behold the second machine lights up like a Christmas tree. He calls for a supervisor and they begin asking me why my cases are positive for the explosive component ammonium perchlorate. After them tearing apart the cases and thinking over the prior day I explained I was shooting at the Seattle Police range the prior day and that must be where the contact came from since there were officers practicing with flash bangs while I was there. They call over to verify and after speaking to the range master are satisfied and check the cases through. Now of course if I had walked on through security like they tell you to a third of the time it would have been a lot more of a headache.

aacharya

The fact that they called over and accepted the logic is impressive. TSA doesn't tend to accept common sense when machines are blaring. (Not to mention your quick thinking).

DErg

It was a rare and fleeting moment of logic for TSA, it did help that I was telling them to call the seattle police which contributed some credibility.

Staymates788

Hope it's not LAX... Had one hell of a time there. Not the physical checking in of the item, just a VERY slow line because UA only had 1 person doing "odd sized" baggage.

Wise-Broccoli8301

I think it helps that you were at SEA, so they probably had some understanding with the local PD. If this was LAX or JFK and your explanation was something about the Seattle PD, they probably would just throw you into a strip search room still. Heh. I could imagine that getting scary say if you ran into this on a return flight.

Finch00

PHL-->DEN--> Great Falls MT so no Dragons... well maybe small ones in the secret underground city under DEN. I've connected through ORD before no problem but i like to try and avoid connections so my Glock doesn't end up on the continuing flight to Canada or some such place.

aacharya

No chance of Canada (international flights in theory should be positive matched).

DErg

Yeah they would have turned me in at an airport in CA or NY even without the explosives going off because these two guns are nowhere near legal in those strict of states.

Fortunately I was bringing them one way from my house in Seattle to my house in Richmond so those cases haven't been screened again since! But then again the RIC airport is pretty casual with checking firearms so it probably wouldn't be an issue there.