fear from airport sec is overrated ...

[yellow]

very often we read of questions to lights or other gear and airport sec here ...
now, as I do not travel by plane too often - in fact that was my 2nd big journey - I always read these thread with interest but think they dont bother me ...

this weekend I made a trip to england - vienna/frankfurt/manchester - and back.
In the evening after the 1st flight, I noticed that I had the Spyderco Ladybug I use a work still tucked into that small pocket front right of my jeans.
Have gone through all the metal detectors without any notice

That happened on the way back also, as I m simply used to have that tool inside this pocket and tend to forget about it, when not directly needing it (in which case I simply grab down and pull it out)

imho that shows some still remaining common sense at the sec stops, because the amount of steel of a ladybug should not raise any alarm, but maybe thats just my point of view.

Anyone got other experience?
What happened? Is the knive confiscated?

 

[SureAddicted]

imho that shows some still remaining common sense at the sec stops, because the amount of steel of a ladybug should not raise any alarm, but maybe thats just my point of view.

My god, they let you on a plane with a knife? That isn't called common sense, that's called incompetence. The blade on box cutters is much smaller than the blade on a ladybug.

 

[SARLights]

No. A knife is a no-no. The fact that you were able to bring one onboard doesn't speak highly of the security system in your situation. :shakehead
They will normally confiscate anything they think is prohibited or dangerous.

Consider yourself lucky you didn't lose the Lady.

 

[besafe2]

I'm at the airport 5 days per week & I can tell you these idiots are to busy looking for liquids & seeing you naked in the "strip search nude o scopes" than anything else. It's a ....... joke.

 

[Lumenz]

I once made it through security with a Mini Griptilian but I have had a SAK classic confiscated. It all depends on the day, screener and a lot of luck.

By the way, the Mini Griptilian was brought on accident. I didn't realize I had it until I was in line for security.

 

[TwitchALot]

If it does happen, usually you can insist on mailing it home (lately I've seen boxes at the airport specifically for this purpose), but yeah, generally knives are a big no no, especially in foreign countries, and of course, on the plane itself.

 

[motorwerks]

I would rather miss my flight then loose my EDC its a $400.00 auto that my wife bought me fr my birthday a few years ago. Theres no way in hell I would leave that for the airport retards to take home.

 

[jchoo]

I always keep a padded envelope in my carryon with postage already applied just in case, but I've had no issues with any of my lights, including an E2DL with "scary" strike bezel and tailcap intact. I did, however, lose a butane lighter on my honeymoon back in 2004, because it had a rotating head and could produce a jet flame. Apparently they didn't like that... go figure.

 

[tandem]

imho that shows some still remaining common sense at the sec stops, because the amount of steel of a ladybug should not raise any alarm, but maybe thats just my point of view.

It isn't the "amount of steel" that matters but what one intends to do with it and the amount of determination behind the attacker.

Your knife:

... is no less potent a weapon than one of these, a common utility knife found in shipping departments the world over:

Such utility knives were all that were needed to take down multiple planes on 9-11-2001. Prior to 9-11 pocket utility knives (less than a 4 inch blade) were allowed.

If you can sneak on board a knife of any sort, intentionally or not, imagine what a determined person might be able to do.

Based on the official working hypothesis such small knifes were used by 9-11 terrorists, specifically small, permitted, knives, in order to ensure they were not stopped by screeners. A small weapon in the hands of a very determined and ruthless individual can be used gain control over the passengers and planes.

Sounds like not much has changed at some security check points!

 

[wyager]

Once they took my leatherman squirt... and ignored the 3" folding knife I had in my carry-on :ohgeez:
I bet if I had put it in my bag before I went through security they never would have seen it.

The one time I was stopped at airport security for what could have been a legitimate threat was when I had a foam laser pointer box with no laser, just batteries.

 

[Connor]

This is all complete nonsense (note how I avoided the stronger word "bullshit" here) - and they know it.

They still have those metal butter knives on board, do they? All you need is one little tungsten carbide sharpener and less than 1 minute of your time to turn basically any flat piece of metal into a razor sharp knife. Ban knife sharpeners! Only a terrorist would use those ... sigh. :shakehead:shakehead:shakehead

And: Every technology can only be as good as the people that operate it. As far as I know those security guys are on the far low end with their salaries .. so you get what you pay for.

 

[motorwerks]

If you can sneak on board a knife of any sort, intentionally or not, imagine what a determined person might be able to do.

Not anymore I think MOST planes are full of people that are on high alert that would throw soda cans from the back of the plane like Crock Dundee before they would allow an attacker to just go ape poop. I always carry a back pack with a laptop in it. That laptop would make a good striking device, and the backpack strapped on the front as an improvised stab vest would get me a long way against ether of those knifes especially if it was that or ogger into the ground.

 

[alpg88]

dudes, i flew to Jamaica last year, from jfk, i had leatherman wave in my backpack (i totally forgot i had it, it was in one of dozens of small pockets in the bag, i only found it in the hotel), not only that i also had a lighter which i threw in the tray along with keys, valet, watch..etc i was expecting them to take lighter away, but no, neither lighter,nor wave grabbed their attention, on my flight back i made sure i put the wave in checked in bag.

 

[lemlux]

I've carried a credit card sized sheet of titanium in the credit card section of my wallet for > 5 years that I bought from a tactical gear shop. The card has slightly recessed finely honed corner edge blades of 1.5" and 1" at 1 corner that allow clean insertion and removal from the wallet. I use it most frequently as a box cutter on packages, but cut the occasional rope as well. (I suppose that one could cut plastic handcuffs as well after fishing in a back pocket)

My wallet always goes through the security conveyor and has never been questioned. My titanium shoulder replacement always sets off alarms which subject me to the highest level body scans and searches.

TSA only notices what they are looking for.

 

[skyfire]

this type to stuff happens all the time. even with our overly bloated airport security.
I once saw a passenger, just about to board onto the airport. he was at the door of the airport, pulled out a folding knife about 2.5-3 inches. then asked if it was ok to bring this.
im sure he did what so many did, and brought it through security without knowing. hell, i once accidently brought through a razor blade, that was in my wallet.

 

[Imon]

Once they took my leatherman squirt... and ignored the 3" folding knife I had in my carry-on :ohgeez:
I bet if I had put it in my bag before I went through security they never would have seen it.

The one time I was stopped at airport security for what could have been a legitimate threat was when I had a foam laser pointer box with no laser, just batteries.

I love my leatherman squirt! :)
Luckily it's never been confiscated but that's because it has never come with me as carry-on. I've had other micro-multitools confiscated before though....

Thought perhaps I should put the squirt in the coin compartment of my wallet since they don't check that .... or not :shakehead I don't mind flying but I hate all the security.

Never had a problem with any flashlights though... maybe someday they'll start confiscating our lithium batteries?:sssh:

 

[SureAddicted]

They still have those metal butter knives on board, do they?.

That would kind of defeat the purpose of having security personnel at airports, and air marshals for that matter.
After pondering a bit, I really hope there is no airline company dumb enough to still be using metal knives, butter or not.

 

[tandem]

Not anymore I think MOST planes are full of people that are on high alert that would throw soda cans from the back of the plane like Crock Dundee before they would allow an attacker to just go ape poop.

I suspect you are right. Post 9-11 for a few years I was still criss crossing North America every week for work and I'm quite certain that any regular flyer along with me would have reacted differently to a brute force attack such as what likely happened that day. That sort of strategy can only work once. Well, at least until it is a distant memory.

Still, I don't think security should be making it easier for attackers to get weapons aboard. Us regular folks will be armed with laptops and plastic cutlery.

 

[Flying Turtle]

I'm alway kind of surprised that my "toy bag" full of flashlights, radios, batteries, and camera stuff is never searched, while my wife has been pulled aside a couple times with nothing but clothes and girlie stuff.

Geoff

 

[Linger]

On a flight from Detriot to Orlando, the entire flight 'randomly selected for enhanced security' and a screening table set up near the boarding gate, my personal screener openned the back portion of my back-pack and took out my keys. He spent a great deal of time pondering the titanium iTP A3 (though he did not turn it on). He ignored the Swiss-key knife that was on the key-ring and in his hand.

//
interesting (short) little article on why tech-based security is lax
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/744426--what-israel-can-teach-us-about-security
Apparently the xmas 'underwear' bomber was flagged a risk when he was in Isreal so they put a uniformed guard in the seat next to him for the flight. Isreal has an excellent success rate by having a lot of women in button-down shirts ask people questions.