What an idiot!

[Pugdog007]

A guy in front of me at security in the Nashville airport today had a boxcutter confiscated.

How stupid can someone be? They asked him, "Is this yours?" He said, "yep."

They sat him down and I left. I hope he was arrested, seeing as how a lady was arrested in Tampa recently with a weighted bookmark they thought was a weapon.

I was pulled aside with him initially because of a matchbox car in my briefcase.

 

[Serena]

 

[jipsy]

I was pulled aside last time I flew because I had a roll of quarters in my purse.

 

[Pooh93]

Kids and dh made it throught St. Louis security fine in June for our WDW trip. However, I was pulled aside because they saw something in my fanny pack that couldn't be identified. They kept running it back through the machine. I kept thinking, "great, I've the one that's done all the planning/packing for this trip and I'll be the one to get left behind!" I finally told the security man to dump the whole thing out, because I wanted to see what the problem was, get it resolved and catch my plane to WDW!! Turns out it was a loose quarter! On the way back from MCO I made SURE no loose change was floating around my fanny pack.

 

[I_Know_You2!]

My kiddo was stopped for having Bubble Yum in their pocket! One of the large packs which are of course wrapped in foil! Loved the matchbox car!

And you are right! What an idiot!

 

[dbogen]

I set off the darn thing last wednesday, not thinking I took off my sunglasses ( they were on top of my head) and but them down to go thru again. WELL you would have thought I pulled out a gun. The security guard said I couldn't touch them picked them up with two fingers and said "these have to go thru e-ray she took them off and put them down" I tried to explain that I took them off to see if that was what set it off. It ends up it was my head band. The nice wand lady and I were laughing about it, who thought a headband could cause so much trouble. Needless to say it was packed for the trip home.

Deanna

 

[Jeanny]

I won't even wear an underwire bra anymore when I'm traveling.....( just wear a jogging/sports type). I don't want to take any chances.

I don't wear any earrings and I attach my watch to my carry on, with my rings through the watch strap. The only metal I have on me is my fillings in my teeth!!

Guess that Idiot didn't look at the "don't take box cutters on a plane" check list!

 

[AllyandJack]

DH and I BOTH got stopped at Logan airport in 2002 for his belt buckle and change in my carry-on. He went through before me and the thing beeped. Within seconds, he was gone! They pulled him over to the side and some guy was running the wand over him. As I was gathering his stuff on the scanner, someone yanked mine aside and started rummaging through it. Once I finally found DH, I had to laugh. There he was in the middle of the airport with his pants undone and the security guy waiving the wand over and over his...ummm...belt area.

They were funny about it though, so it wasn't a horrible experience. I just have to remember to wear nice socks in case I have to take my shoes off!

 

[powellrj]

I feel for the idiot... I use box cutters for my job, and I always have several stashed in my glove box, console, briefcase, purse and wallet. You go to a meeting and the company will pass out a handfull and you just put them away and forget about them. Its so much a part of your day you just forget that you have them until you need one, and then you remember that you stuck some away. I usually don't take any of my everyday use items, (purse, wallet etc) with me when I travel just because of that very reason. Its funny when you go to a meeting in our office and if anyone asks for a box cutter, you can be sure several will be offered.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

I've been stopped for jewelry. Usually the secondary check only takes me about 2 minutes so it really doesn't bother me. I'd rather they stop and check these things, than take a risk that someone's unidentifyable item is NOT a quarter or a belt buckle.

My dad gets stopped all the time. I don't think he's ever flown and not gotten stopped. He must just look sketchy...

 

[Missy1961]

Originally posted by Jeanny
I won't even wear an underwire bra anymore when I'm traveling.....( just wear a jogging/sports type). I don't want to take any chances.

I don't wear any earrings and I attach my watch to my carry on, with my rings through the watch strap. The only metal I have on me is my fillings in my teeth!!

Guess that Idiot didn't look at the "don't take box cutters on a plane" check list!

The "no underwire bra" thing made me remember a plane trip I took in 1985. My brother got married in North Carolina, and a bunch of my family was flying home to NY on the same flight. My 83 year old Grandma was taking her second plane trip (the trip down was her first) and she set off the detectors. She took off her watch and her rings and still set it off. Finally, they had a female inspector "wand" her and we could see her whispering to the lady. It turns out it was her corset--it had metal hooks & eyes!

 

[NMAmy]

I always wear sweats when I fly--just so I'll be more comfortable and to make it through security easier. Well, imagine my surprise when I got pulled aside last time. Turns out there was a foil gum wrapper in my pants pocket--all crumpled up and had been in the wash--it was caught down in the bottom at the seam.

I'm glad the detectors are so sensitive but it was pretty amusing! I felt like McGyver--the woman who could take over a plane using only a crumpled, washed gumwrapper.

 

[alabamaalan]

Originally posted by NMAmy
I felt like McGyver--the woman who could take over a plane using only a crumpled, washed gumwrapper.

Well I feel safer knowing they aren't letting you ingenious sneaky types on the plane!

 

[DisneyAddict_M]

My brother used to get stopped by security all the time for his steel-toed boots. I kept telling him to just stop wearing them, but he refused. I only fly in sneakers, so I don't have to take my shoes off. I've never been stopped before at the airport, but I've been stopped at courthouse security checkpoints (I used to be a paralegal) for the barrettes in my hair!

 

[CinderellaIam]

A year ago I attended a meeting in Las Vegas, six 18 hour days in a row (no time for playing!), my flight home was a red-eye. I was so tired I was brain dead. To make matters worse, my co-worker and best friend convinced me that if we ate a big meal and had a few glasses of wine we'd sleep the whole way home.

Keep in mind that I travel A LOT for my job and have learned to wear bra's with no wire, slip on shoes, no belts, pins, or costume jewelery of any kind.

We get to the airport in plenty of time, I put my carryon, which has my lap top in it, my shoes, jacket, etc on the belt and step through the scanner. Well the thing goes off and scares the heck out of me. At that instant I realize I forgot to take my cell phone out of my pocket (told you I was brain dead). As I reached in my pocket to pull out the phone, well, you would have thought I was a terrorist for sure. I was surrounded by 6 security officers with their guns drawn! I held out the phone and said it's just my phone, I forgot it was in my pocket. They very gingerly took my phone away, I mean away into a seperate room, and took me and all my belongings into another room. I was searched by a female, first with the wand and then by hand, while a tech was searching my bag, they took out everything and examined it, and opened, I mean opened with a screw driver my lap top and inspected the hard drive!

Half an hour later, fully humiliated, I met my friend at the boarding gate. At the sight of me, she burst into laughter and said oh no lady, I don't think I should be associating with you. Til this day she teases me about it once a week.

What an idiot...can't imagine what would have happened if I had a box cutter!

 

[crazyforgoofy]

I bought a few bracelets and necklaces at the gift shop at PO-FQ at the very last minute before we met our car service driver. They were inexpensive kiddy jewelry and I just stuffed them in my Mickey and Minnie backpack without a thought. HOLY COW! Apparently they appeared as some threatening mass when scanned. So tons of people appeared and they kept scanning and scanning and scanning the bag. They wouldn't reach in and take out the contents until I insisted that they dump the backpack. There was the Disney bag, still stapled shut. They wouldn't open that either until they'd conferred for what seemed like ages. What a pain. Next time I hope I remember to put the souvenirs in my checked bags.

 

[CaseyJr]

I'm so glad to know that there are people out there like us who are sooooooo careful about how and what we pack and wear when we fly! We are so by-the-rules!

I scared myself last year, but the fear never materialized, thank goodness. Know how they are suppose to "flag" suspicious people?

On a previous flight we'd had a minor problem when we were told one thing by the gate crew and something else by the FA regarding our carry-on's (rolling backpacks that we flew with all the time and KNEW would fit under a seat) -- I was more than OK with doing what they said, but was royally ticked off at their inconsistency and some comments that were made (guess it was my "time of the month"). Anyway, before I made this last set of flight reservations, I sent a series of E-mails to the airline requesting a concrete clarification of the "rules," giving a brief explanation of my problem. Every reply I got was the standard one-size-fits-no-one answer (it's like they didn't even READ what I'd written!). I finally gave up, and said that "well, at least I tried."

It dawned on me later that what if some airline or TSA official somewhere read my notes and took me for a trouble-maker, thus "flagging" me for closer scrutiny when we flew! I was so paranoid!

 

[Amberle3]

Occasionally I'll set off the detector with something small like metal gromets on my shoes or my pants. On the secondary screening, the wand always picks up the clasps etc on the bra. It was a little like the twilight zone when it first happened, couldn't figure out why that particular area would be beeping! The screener was very nice about it though.

I usually travel with carry-on only, it's just so much easier. A few months ago I went through with 2 of those half-circle glass candle holders, packaged together, that DFi's mother had given me. I was bringing them over to his new place. The bag went through Xray, and next thing I know the screener - very nicely - is asking me what the large round metal mass is in my bag. I was thoroughly confused, didn't have any metal in the bag. He asked if he could check it and I sure - what am I going to do, refuse? Now he's been chatting and joking a little with another screener there throughout the whole thing. He came across the offending object and said "Oh, they're big glass candle holders". And the other screen said "Oh, big *** candle holders!".

At least they can keep a sense of humour.

 

[KristiKelly]

I set it off a few years ago, we were on our way down to WDW. I was 7 monthes pregnant & wearing BIG maternity short overall, the buttons, the strap tighteners & everything that's on overalls, kept setting it off. They held me back for about a minute, I thought "What do they really think I'm gonna do? I'm 7 monthes pregnant, big as a house, with a 2 year old on my hip."

 

[TxJasmine]

DH and I fly a lot with our two kids. We've also been stopped at security lots of times - usually because of souvenirs such as magnets. However, the funniest experience we ever had was in early 2002.

We had gone to Salt Lake City for a long weekend to go skiing. This was the weekend before the Olympics were to start. My kids were 5 and 6 at the time, and the first grader had brought along some homework to finish. Some of the homework required cutting and pasting, so she packed a pair of toddler scissors. Not kid scissors --- toddler scissors! The cheap plastic ones that can't cut anything!

Sure enough, when we were heading back home, the scissors caught the attention of the security people. They inspected the scissors like they'd never seen anything like them before. They kept trying to stab themselves, and cut themselves, which is impossible with those scissors. Still, they wouldn't give up. More and more security personnel came over to inspect the scissors. Meanwhile, security had come to a stop, and the line of people waiting just kept getting longer and longer. Both my children were motionless with fear, and DD (the owner of the scissors) had eyes as wide as saucers. I know that she was convinced that she would be going to jail!

Eventually, a supervisor (with some common sense) comes over, and after jabbing and trying to cut himself, allows us to go and keep the scissors.

After all that, and after sitting at the gate for several hours, it turns out that all flights are grounded in Dallas because of snow - in Dallas! Go figure! So we had to go find a hotel to spend the night. When we got to the hotel, the first thing DD said was, "Mommy, make sure to put the scissors in the checked luggage!"

Sorry this is so long!