A friend just did me a favor and took delivery of a cardboard box stuffed with xmas presents for the kids. Fedexed to his hotel in London.
He then checked in for the flight back, and the bog standard brown cardboard box (sealed, labelled) went in with the rest of his cases at check-in. Check-in staff stuffed up because they didnt ask him to do the "special box check in process" that seems to apply at UK airports.
He was close to boarding when he was pulled aside and "quizzed" about THE BOX!
Short version: NINE hours later he (and the box) were on a flight home.
Made me think of the time recently when i had a similar brown cardboard box at MAN and had to go fill in some form and declare god knows what before being able to check it in.
WTF is this anti-box stuff at UK airports? Dont the scanners work on cardboard? I now know that if i have surplus stuff to get on a flight at a UK airport to find the cheapest crappiest suitcase and use that instead. But what is the logic (???) behind the box rule?
Do the bad guys only pack their tools of mischief in cardboard boxes - ones that cannot be penetrated by security scans?