We always take cameras and video's etc as hand luggage - there's no good reason to put these things in an unlocked or locked suitcase. I saw some mention that some new type of scanner might damage film (in hand luggage) so maybe that should be packed in the checked luggage.
When all is said and done the system doesn't work anyway. I flew out of Newark 4 mths after 9/11 and went through a long wait while one of these hand-luggage checkers couldn't recognise spare AA batteries for my walkman (we're not talking a huge bag here). They also had me take off some flat heeeled boots and put those through a scanner. I don't mind them checking, I want to get wherever safely. However, on a flight from Gatwick to Barcelona last year my DH inadvertantly took a Swiss Army knife on board in his hand luggage. We discovered it in the bottom of his flight bag a few days later and couldn't believe it had got through. Some good me putting my nail file and tweezers in my checked-luggage if people can still go through with knives!
Sadly, it seems to me, not much has been learnt from 9/11 other than knee-jerk reactions and a chaotic, untrained, ill-thought out response. Do they need more better trained security staff - or does that cost them more money that they don't want to pay out?
I'd be interested to hear the vewpoint of the men and women who work in this field.
While we all want to be safe in the skies to say that our luggage can be damaged, left open and prey to theft - not to mention the possibility of something being put into an open case - and they absolve themselves of all responsibility is just not acceptable.
Interestingly a credit card I use that has some travel cover wrote to me today saying that the flight delay and baggage delay are no longer included. Won't be long before insurance companies wake-up to this and none of us are covered for much of anything with reguard to our luggage.
OK - rant over!
