Airline Security & Customs. Bizarre?

[MartynK]

I flew back to South Africa last week on BA, from Edinburgh via Terminal 5 to Johannesburg, and I prefer to travel light, so I just took a cabin bag and my laptop.

I bought a pair of nail clippers in Joburg and called BA to ask if I could put these in my carry on luggage for the return flight. No. I could carry scissors with round ended blades, or sharp scissors with short (3 cm) blades, but not nail clippers. They refused to give any sort of explanation, other than the usual blather about the regulations. What on earth? Were they worried that I would grab one of the cabin crew and threaten to give her a manicure if BA didn't meet my demands?

Anyway, I decided to bring back my Leatherman and a couple of other things that definitely wouldn't get through "security" so I checked the bag in at OR Tambo, straight through to Edinburgh. I landed at Heathrow, in serious need of a cigarette, at 05h00 the following morning. There are no smoking areas anywhere in the terminal! A very helpful immigration officer told me to go through passport control/customs "into the UK", nip outside the building for a smoke, and then check in for my domestic flight to Edinburgh. Fine, no problem. My bag was still in transit, so I just had the laptop with me. Landed in Edinburgh at 09h15, collected my bag from the carousel and walked straight out of the terminal. No need to go through customs at all, because I had arrived on a domestic flight. I did wonder if my bag had been checked as it came through, but it arrived straight away, with all the other baggage, and none of my tamper identification triggers had been disturbed. Isn't this a bit weird?

 

[snoop69]

Nail clippers & wire cutters spring to mind :shrug:

 

[Steep]

It would have been x-rayed a couple of times I expect.

 

[sheddy]

My Brother in Laws brother had his manicure set confiscated by security at Stansted Airport, they said that it was not allowed on the flight as there were security implications. All well and good and perfectly acceptable as an explanation ..... except he was the pilot! I can just imagine him holding the nail scissors to his own throat and telling himself where he wanted the 'plane to go.

 

[MartynK]

My Brother in Laws brother had his manicure set confiscated by security at Stansted Airport, they said that it was not allowed on the flight as there were security implications. All well and good and perfectly acceptable as an explanation ..... except he was the pilot! I can just imagine him holding the nail scissors to his own throat and telling himself where he wanted the 'plane to go.

Ah, yes. I read a post by a pilot on another forum, and he said something very similar, but he also pointed out that there is a fire/emergency axe on the flight deck. That would probably make a far more effective weapon if he decided to hijack his own flight!

Going back to my experience. Yes, you can use nail clippers as wire cutters, but you could also use the "approved" scissors or your teeth. I've done this a few times. I don't know if they X-Ray bags on arrival, but they may use explosive/drug sniffer dogs or technology which is more practical and effective in this application. Fair enough, but I still find it bizarre that I have to go through customs in Edinburgh if I fly straight through via transit in London, but I don't if I go outside for a smoke and check in again as a domestic traveller. The immigration officer suggested this, so that I could satisfy my craving for nicotine, and I'm sure it's perfectly legal.

I'm not naive about security threats. I've spent most of the last 30 years in corporate security risk management, but I'm cynical and sceptical about a lot of the "security" processes that have been introduced since 9/11.

 

[cambsno]

My Brother in Laws brother had his manicure set confiscated by security at Stansted Airport, they said that it was not allowed on the flight as there were security implications. All well and good and perfectly acceptable as an explanation ..... except he was the pilot! I can just imagine him holding the nail scissors to his own throat and telling himself where he wanted the 'plane to go.

A mate of mine is a pilot, he has the same rules to obey... although there is an axe in the cockpit in case of emergency!!!

 

[Jamesbuk]

Sheddy - Maybe you should read this link? Pilot/Flight crew have attempted, sometimes successfully, to take down an aircraft therefore security done the right thing by taking your brother-in-laws nail kit as crew are subjected to the same rules as everyone else.

 

[MartynK]

Sheddy - Maybe you should read this link? Pilot/Flight crew have attempted, sometimes successfully, to take down an aircraft therefore security done the right thing by taking your brother-in-laws nail kit as crew are subjected to the same rules as everyone else.

Calloway was not a member of the flight crew - they overpowered him - and we're not talking about spearguns, claw hammers or sledge hammers.

 

[MisterE]

What you can and cannot take in the cabin is decided by the airport authority, not the airline.

There doesn't appear to be anything weird about your baggage handling. Items prohibited in cabins can be put in hold luggage, which is X-rayed and opened if required. International luggage is routinely transferred on to domestic flights with no passenger input necessary, provided the two flights are linked to the same airline or partner and haven't been booked independently by the passenger.

 

[Flash In The Pan]

You can't take nail clippers, but you can take a lighter - no hint of some pressure being applied from the cigarette industry there

 

[MartynK]

What you can and cannot take in the cabin is decided by the airport authority, not the airline.

There doesn't appear to be anything weird about your baggage handling. Items prohibited in cabins can be put in hold luggage, which is X-rayed and opened if required. International luggage is routinely transferred on to domestic flights with no passenger input necessary, provided the two flights are linked to the same airline or partner and haven't been booked independently by the passenger.

Yes, I know, that's why I checked my bag on the return flight. Transferring baggage from incoming international flights to domestic connections is also standard practice, but I was surprised that I could simply collect the bag and walk out of the airport without going through customs.

 

[MartynK]

You can't take nail clippers, but you can take a lighter - no hint of some pressure being applied from the cigarette industry there

Perhaps, probably? It's not really a security issue though. I know a passenger was caught trying to ignite explosives concealed in his shoes a few years ago, but most IEDs are electrically fired and this was pretty stupid. It's not very hard to build a friction igniter either, so banning lighters wouldn't really achieve anything, if a terrorist manages to get the device on board one way or another.

I smoke, and take a fair amount of stress on long haul flights. I suspect that the ban has more to do with saving money on cabin air circulation than safety, security and passenger comfort, but I know that smoking is a problem for a lot of people in a confined space, and I can live with it. OTOH, there are a fair number of smokers and its a perfectly legal activity, so I think there should be a bit more consideration in the form of smoking zones in international airports.

How about a ban on consuming alcohol in flight, just to round off the restrictions? There have been quite a few air rage incidents attributed to drinking, and I've been disturbed several times by other passengers guzzling booze into the night, when I'm trying to sleep, and demanding more. The cabin crews seem to vary in their attitude towards this.