Originally Posted by
l.garey
Wiggy: No, I was leaving the flight at ATL.
This was in 2006 so my memory may not be 100%. I recall that the agent gave me the option of putting the bottle in my checked bag. The main point is why I was not allowed to take a bottle into the country.
Laurence
When you say that you were "leaving the flight" do you mean that you were going to be immediately boarding another flight for someplace else, or do you mean that after going through customs you were going to walk out of the terminal and catch a cab to your hotel? Either way, I have never heard of anyone clearing US customs without their checked luggage. Unless you were boarding a connecting flight to another country. Were you continuing on to Canada or Mexico from Atlanta?
Edit: I see that I missed this bit:
Originally Posted by
l.garey
I got off the flight, which was FRA-ATL at ATL. I can't recall how ATL is arranged for customs etc. On hind sight, and after the comments in the last couple of posts on the subject, I suppose I had passed customs with my checked bag, before having my bottle confiscated at the last security desk just before the outside world. What the agent must have said to me was probably that in order not to lose my wine I would need to put the bottle in my checked bag, then recheck it.
Well, it's pretty clear what happened. (and pretty ordinary and usual) . From the bold comment that you had checked your bag and the remedy offered was to retrieve it, put the wine in it and them recheck it again, it's clear that you were not exiting onto the streets of Atlanta. If you were going to "the outside world" your baggage would have been in your hand. You were going to be boarding a connecting flight, after clearing customs with your checked luggage, you had re-checked your luggage for the next flight segment and you were going through security for your next flight, with a prohibited item. (bottle of wine) . It's no mystery. After you clear customs, you have to go through security screening before boarding your next flight. It should be obvious why; there are items which are permissible in your checked luggage which are prohibited to take on board in your carry on:. Knives, Firearms (depending on where you're traveling) bottles of wine. When you clear customs, you claim your checked baggage, and therefore potentially have access to prohibited (to carry on) item in your checked baggage. So after you've had access to your checked baggage, you have to go through screening again before being permitted back into the secure are of the terminal, exactly as if you'd just been dropped off at the airport and were boarding your first flight of the journey.
Glad I was able to solve this decade old mystery for you.
