Airport Security

[jojo_ct]

I know we have talked about this many times before but I thought I should share my experience in the Orlando airport yesterday so that others can be prepared, just in case it happens to you. I have travelled through many airports with my pins and have almost always had my bag checked. That doesn't bother me at all. In fact, I would be upset if the security people did not challenge my bag since three hundred pins don't xray well.

This time, however, the "personable" and "highly educated" individual who checked my bag took the job VERY seriously. She donned her rubber gloves and proceeded to open every single one of the bags in my pin suitcase. I probably had 50 bags - some Disney bags with pins I'd just purchased and some clear plastic bags with traders. She handled every single pin. She unzipped every pocket in my pin bag and took everything out. She even opened a clear zipped baggie that was filled with other clear baggies. She confiscated the pliers I use to repair my dangle pins. She would not allow me to get up from my chair to begin packing stuff away as she was finished with it. She just jammed everything back in the bags herself. I am still afraid to look at the New Year's Eve pins because those are so fragile I'm terrified she broke them. As a final gesture she had me remove my sneakers so they could be xrayed.

So be prepared if you want to carry your pins on with you.

 

[suzanneb]

What a nightmare...and in Orlando, too!!! that's why I have to check my pin bag now...my main concern was here in Austin...at Xmas they took everything out of my bag looking for something that resembled a pocketknife (which I didn't have)...and found NOTHING...lots of other people's bags got thorougly searched too...so sorry Cyn that you had such a tough time.

 

[Dom13]

WOW!!!! What a TOTALLY different experience I had. My bag was NEVER EVEN OPENED!!!!! They X-rayed it twice and sent me on my merry way! Hartford at least opened it and check out each page.

 

[jojo_ct]

I had enough strength this evening to go through my pins, and as I suspected, one of my New Years Eve pins did not make it through security alive. RIP Mickey.

 

[SueEllen]

WOW

In Norfolk they went through every page of my pin bags also. Emptied all of the pockets and all. However, they did allow me to repack everything. It took a while. I had them in a backpack. I think your bag checker went just a little too far! Especially in Orlando. When we left Orlando to fly home, they didn't give my backpack a second look (I told them what was inside before they x-rayed it) The taking of your pliers was inexcusable!!! What on earth would you do with those???? I think that some people just have a bit of a power trip. I understand that increased security might be necessary, but some things are just taking this a little bit too far!!!

As for checking your pins--be VERY careful doing that. If they see a large concentration of metal when they scan those, your bag *might* not make it to you. It could seem to be a suspicious bag to someone looking at the scan. I have heard of this happening.

Sorry that one of your pins didn't make it. Did you contact WDW to see about replacing it?

Sue Ellen

 

[Raulandpinboy]

After watching Mcgiver all those years, with a pair of pliers, a few pins, and some rubber pin backs I can make a small surface to air missile. Provided of course the on board drink cart carries Pepsi, (just for you Steve) and ginger ale so I can make rocket fuel in restroom.

Hey Cynthia guess we shouldn't have called the airport and told them to on the lookout for a gorgeous woman with reddish hair from Connecticut, claiming to be a caballero, with a pin bag concealing microchip technology stolen from Disney World with ties to the Taliban Huh???

Well any way it was Dom's idea.

 

[pintrader]

with that pin having such a huge attrtion rate there are no more of them in stock to replace yours. Can you believe the rate at which that pin was breaking. Treating it with kid gloves made it break, I can just imagine letting Magilla Gorilla cram and jam it.

So sorry but it sounds lucky that more didn't end up that way.

Glad I don't have to fly to get down here.

 

[Luv2Roam]

Is that one of the pins I read that many were defective? Isn't that the NYE pin where Mickey and Minnie were falling of even in the parks?

 

[BeautyLLM]

We also had a bad experience yesterday at Orlando security. They took my 17 year old son aside, "wanded him" and went through his backpack item by item. They came across his necklaces in the bag (those really ugly metal necklaces that alot of teenage boys are wearing now), had three different people examine them and then said we could go back out to the line at the Delta counter (approximately 300 people long...no exaggeration) and check them or they would be confiscated. Apparently, a skinny 17 year old boy with an ugly necklace is considered to be a threat to national security. They also checked his belongings for explosive residue. They were rude and insolent. Most of the people they were pulling aside were children which infuriated me. I understand that things are different now, but they are really carrying it to an extreme. Meanwhile they let the shady looking airport employees pass through without a second glance..I realize that sounds prejudiced, but if they are going to treat me and my family like crap, they should treat the shady characters like crap too. Manhandling your belongings so that valuable items are broken is not what they are supposed to be doing.

Thanks for letting me vent....

Leslie

 

[Dom13]

One thing I noticed while waiting in line is that if the metal detector goes off you are much more likely to be very thoroughly searched. In Orlando they do not even give you a second chance to take things out of your pocket and go through again. Thing I couldn't beleive was the number of people going through with steel toed work shoes on. Leave them home or check them with your suitcase. Also take ANYTHING in your pockets that might contain metal and put it in one of the bins that they send through the x-ray machine. The thing I have found that most often causes problems, especially on guys, is belt buckles. I usually wear a pair that does not need a belt and send the belt along in my suitcase.

With the number of kids being searched, from Leslie's post, it almost makes you wonder if there has been some sort of threat identified that invloves kids/teens?

 

[ladyandtramp]

Dom -- If you knew security was tight and wanted to sneak something through, why not on your innocent child?

How many of people have we seen send a child to a pin trader with a really unequitable trade hoping the kid will soften the heart?

Unfortunately, people use kids to get what they want.

Now, to give Orlando airport a positive:
When I was down there the first week in December 2001, I had my wallet stolen while I was in the WL. It contained, of course, my driver's license. I got a police report which is what Continental said I needed to get on the plane. But naturally, they had to search ALL my luggage (and my husband's too). The lady who performed the search was apologetic and extremely cautious with all our stuff (although having someone search your dirty underwear is a bit embarrassing). She allowed me to assist with the repacking of each case.

When we got to the terminal for boarding, they naturally had to search all our carry-ons and wanded us personnally before we got on the plane. They also searched the fellow sitting in the same row as me. But again they were very pleasant about the whole thing, and tried to make small talk to make us more comfortable.

I would imagine it depends on who is doing the searching!

Jan

 

[Sorcerer_Matt]

Hi Everyone,

I flew home yesterday (Wednesday) from WDW, and my pinbag went through security without even an acknowledgement of its existence. From what I read on airport posts before I left, I thought it woul dbe searched page by page and maybe even confiscated. On the way to Orlando from my home airport in Pittsburgh, they didn't look at the bag either. I guess it is a random thing. We were chosen at the US Airways Counter in Orlando to have our checked luggage X-rayed and searched though, which is a random process.

I am in the process of organizing my pinpics so I can post a trip report and trading post!
Thanks,
Matt