Empty bottle through security?

[Espada III]

I am travelling hand luggage only from Manchester next week. I wish to take one of those metal sport bottles in an insulated sleeve to my destination. It will be empty and dry.

What chances of getting it through security or does anyone know who I can ring for advice?

Thanks

[Tableview]

Funny you should ask this. I accidentally left mine (1 litre aluminium) in my handbaggage two weeks ago when travelling from EDI. I took it out and asked the security chap if it was OK, explaining that I'd forgotten it but it was empty. He said as long as it's empty it's fine. He didn't check, just put it through and all was well.

I was very surprised as I thought that no containers were allowed, empty or full, and I expected to be barked at and told to throw it in the bin.

[Shack37]

Probably not a recommended method but this guy got everything through.


Norwegian tourist falls asleep on airport baggage belt - Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9464344/Norwegian-tourist-falls-asleep-on-airport-baggage-belt.html)

[obgraham]

Over here in the land run by the TSA Gestapo, all kinds of people take empty bottles/containers through, and fill them from the water fountain beyond security.
Not everyone wants to pay $5 for a bottle of water that probably came out of a sewage line anyway.

[Lizz]

I doubt it would be a problem, I think 9 times out of 10 though it depends who you get at MAN.
I worked there as a psa for 4 years and in that time it was hit and miss with who bothered with plastic bags/liquids etc. I even got a bottle of drink through once - full. :sad: It was late at night and I was staff but still :=

And lets not forget a young boy got through :ugh:

I think as long as you mention it first there shouldn't be a big to do about it.

[davidjohnson6]

obgraham - while I understand your dislike for the TSA and am aware that it has its rogue agents and impinges on some civil liberties, most of the people working for the TSA are fundamentally decent ordinary people.

The TSA doesn't arrest people in their homes at night. People do not just disappear. The TSA as far as I'm aware does not run secret jails where people are routinely tortured at length in the most painful ways possible. The TSA does not shoot people dead on whim.

Could you maybe modify the way you describe the TSA, so as to recognise the difference with 1930s/1940s Germany ?

[Gulfstreamaviator]

The TSA do not raid your home.

However they do often over exert thier position, as a result of a power complex.

I will leave it to you to decide where the balance is.

[TightSlot]

Comparisons with Nazis are always puerile, rarely shedding light on anything more than the nature of the person making the comparison.

You'll never stop it, so just ignore it.

[Rwy in Sight]

While on a trip to Germany, I realized that empty bottles are just an other harmless item on the carry on and several trips later, security staff at various airports seem to agree with me.

[Espada III]

Thanks all.

[NutLoose]

Knowing UK Plc, they will want you to pour the air out lol.

[obgraham]

Could you maybe modify the way you describe the TSANo. In my opinion the TSA is the absolute worst run agency in the US government. No consistency, poorly trained, caters to the worst fears, no accountability, bureaucratic in the extreme, dictatorial in its behavior, and ineffective at its job.
Sorry you don't like my comparison.
I do accept that it might have been better posted in JetBlast.

[Peter47]

What I do is to put the cap in my pocket. If challenged it is then arguably a drinking container like a cup - not a bottle. Put the top in another bag or your coat pocket.

Plastic bottles rarely get picked up by x-ray, the only time I can remember is at ATL but the TSA agent was happy enough when I said that it was empty. I suspect that a metal one might.

One of my personal dislikes is airports that do not have drinking fountains airside. US airports are good in this respect, the larger hubs are OK, leisure airports can be awful - I think that they see selling bottled water as a revenue stream. You can also use water from taps (doubtless hygenic but I generally carry water purification tablets in any case) but when they are mixer taps - ugh!

My other pet hate is secondary security which specifically prevents you taking water on board. Security yes, but if you can't trust primary security whats its point?

[Solar]

Doubt if an empty bottle would be a problem but as already said some of these security folks seem to make the rules up as they go along.
Had an incident recently at Birmingham where I missed my flight due entirely to the security taking so long to empty my carry on item by item for a recheck. When I asked them if they wouldn't mind going a bit faster it appeared to slow the process even more. When my name was paged to get to the gate during this I asked the security would they mind calling the gate and letting them know where I was and I got the standard reply that they had a job to do, I said I appreciate that but maybe you could do it a bit quicker. When I had missed my flight I asked the security supervisor if I could get a note/letter for my company to say why I had extra costs due to missing the flight and I was told that they can't do that but did I want to lodge a complaint, I thought that it was bit confrontational to say the least.
And before all the comments start I was checked in 90 minutes before the departure time for a domestic flight.
One thing that has occurred to me is with all this focus on bottles of liquids whats to stop somebody from having a false bottom/battery pack in the likes of a laptop and having liquids in that.

[Capot]

And then there's the check that's done on all bottles taken airside for sale to the public.

I have observed the channel that the pallets go through, at a number of airports. A quick glance at a full pallet, evidently to check that the packaging is undisturbed, and "OK, mate".

Noting that hi-jacks in the early 1970's (one example of many; VC10 at DXB) were in some cases planned 12-18 months in advance and used staff infiltrated into airside jobs over a longer period, the complacency of the security authorities who believe that it cannot happen again, while they persist in the absurd security theatre in the passenger, staff and crew channels, beggars belief.

Do they really believe that terrorist planners are incapable of co-ordinating a packer in the supplier's premises, a security guard, and an airside employee, to put explosives and/or weapons into the hands of a suicidal "clean skin" terrorist buying stuff in WH Smith? Perhaps all from the same ethnic background, in the UK at least.

I suspect, on the available evidence, that they do indeed believe that.

I think about this every time I watch some bored, officious, super-sensitive security person bullying a hard-of-hearing granny who did not realise she had to remove all her outer garments, metallic items, shoes etc to walk through a scanner and be patted down by a short-tempered wardress before being allowed airside, to prove that she's not carrying in her handbag or about her person the wherewithal to take control of a large civil aircraft.

[Tableview]

I think about this every time I watch some bored, officious, super-sensitive security person bullying a hard-of-hearing granny

... or snatching a small bottle of cool drink with a few drops left in the bottom from the clutches of a two year old child who doesn't even understand English.

[Shack37]

And then there's the check that's done on all bottles taken airside for sale to the public.

I have observed the channel that the pallets go through, at a number of airports. A quick glance at a full pallet, evidently to check that the packaging is undisturbed, and "OK, mate".

Noting that hi-jacks in the early 1970's (one example of many; VC10 at DXB) were in some cases planned 12-18 months in advance and used staff infiltrated into airside jobs over a longer period, the complacency of the security authorities who believe that it cannot happen again, while they persist in the absurd security theatre in the passenger, staff and crew channels, beggars belief.

Do they really believe that terrorist planners are incapable of co-ordinating a packer in the supplier's premises, a security guard, and an airside employee, to put explosives and/or weapons into the hands of a suicidal "clean skin" terrorist buying stuff in WH Smith? Perhaps all from the same ethnic background, in the UK at least.

I suspect, on the available evidence, that they do indeed believe that.

I think about this every time I watch some bored, officious, super-sensitive security person bullying a hard-of-hearing granny who did not realise she had to remove all her outer garments, metallic items, shoes etc to walk through a scanner and be patted down by a short-tempered wardress before being allowed airside, to prove that she's not carrying in her handbag or about her person the wherewithal to take control of a large civil aircraft.


Having observed these failings, how about solutions? Should they be more strict with these grannies?

[Shack37]

... or snatching a small bottle of cool drink with a few drops left in the bottom from the clutches of a two year old child who doesn't even understand English.


Charles Dickens is alive and well in the 21st century:confused:

[Espada III]

Pleased to say that my empty aluminium bottle sailed through MAN security without any eyebrows being raised.

However both 12yo son and I were subjected to the whole body scanner.

[radeng]

At least the TSA, for all their faults, unlike the DEA, don't lock people in a room for 5 days having forgotten them. No food, no water, no lavatory, and the guy had to be taken to hospital with kidney damage. Plus the guy didn't have any drugs - he was in car with people who did.

I hope he gets the $20 million he's suing for.

[Burnie5204]

And then there's the check that's done on all bottles taken airside for sale to the public.

I have observed the channel that the pallets go through, at a number of airports. A quick glance at a full pallet, evidently to check that the packaging is undisturbed, and "OK, mate".

Noting that hi-jacks in the early 1970's (one example of many; VC10 at DXB) were in some cases planned 12-18 months in advance and used staff infiltrated into airside jobs over a longer period, the complacency of the security authorities who believe that it cannot happen again, while they persist in the absurd security theatre in the passenger, staff and crew channels, beggars belief.

Do they really believe that terrorist planners are incapable of co-ordinating a packer in the supplier's premises, a security guard, and an airside employee, to put explosives and/or weapons into the hands of a suicidal "clean skin" terrorist buying stuff in WH Smith? Perhaps all from the same ethnic background, in the UK at least.


Thats because all the security checks are done prior to arrival at the airport. Pallets are wrapped and security marked and the lorries are security sealed by an approved security provider who send the unique seal numbers to the receiving location so that when it arrives all the security have to do is check that the expected seal number matches the one on the pallet/vehicle as it comes through.


Your scenario can be bypassed by the addition of 1 more person - someone 'infiltrating' airport security, just as likely as infiltrating the suppliers security.