Is PVC insulation tape a banned item?

[t1grm]

Because I had a roll confiscated out of my hand luggage flying out of MLA yesterday! :ugh:

The thing is I fly every week and the roll has been in my laptop bag over a year. I use it to tape up the cracked handle of my trolley every now and then. I couldn’t find it on the list of banned items. I tried arguing the toss with the security guard but he just said they have the right to confiscate anything they feel is a security risk. I had the usual experience of talking to a tape recorder stuck on a loop for a few minutes before giving up. I’ll go out and buy another roll this lunchtime and see how long it last before it gets confiscated again – quite a long time I would guess.

It’s the inconsistency that annoys me. Either make it a banned item and I won’t pack it or don’t confiscate it. Don’t let me travel with something for over a year and then on one random day decide it’s too dangerous to take on board. :rolleyes:

[Phalconphixer]

Don't know the answer to that but back in 1983 departing from Addis Ababa with Ethiopian Airways, all pax. baggage was being searched due to the ongoing Eritrean War. I had a 4 foot length of string confiscated...it was removed from my hand baggage and a heavily armed security guy toting an AK-47 insisted I drop it in the bin beside the X-ray baggage scanner...

All outbound pax) were then escorted individually and requested to move into one of a number of 6ft square canvas screened booths where I was strip searched (down to my shreddies) and every item of clothing minutely examined for contraband.

One was not permitted to take any local currency out of Ethiopia and the duty free shop had a good scam going in that Ethiopian currency was not accepted for purchases, only US Dollars. Any change due was paid out in local currency however... which was promptly confiscated by the security people...

[Tableview]

I have travelled for years with a couple of small cable ties in my bag, assorted sizes from about an inch long to about 6", useful for many things. Suddenly, a meathead a Gatwick decided they were a risk to world security.

[DaveReidUK]

a couple of small cable ties in my bag, assorted sizes from about an inch long to about 6", useful for many thingsWell clearly you could have used the 6" one to disable the pilot, by tying his hand to ... well OK, it wasn't long enough to actually tie it to anything, but you could have pulled it tight and made his fingers go numb. :)

[PAXboy]

I had a couple of items taken off me at LGW a few years ago. I knew that none of them were banned and that the various sharp items were all under the length - but the flight was closing shortly and I just three the £12.00 gift I had received into their bin.

They - and their bosses all the way up to the Minister - have no idea how much this inconsistency invalidates and ridcules all the good things that are done. But there are way too many fat @rses that have to be covered and no one person is going to take the responsibility for common sense.

:ugh: Where's the brandy?

[ZFT]

If you pay peanuts you get ???? Seriously, the individuals that typically perform these functions are not employed for their intellect.

[PAXboy]

But the cr@p falls from above! No at the top wants to take responsibility and define clear instructions and guidelines. So they allow individuals to make these choices but will not hire the right people. I don't blame the folks on the gates - they are innocent in the greater crimes.

[radeng]

Is not the real problem the stupid dimwits up at the top? Including BAA, CAA, DfT and Home Office. A few good hangings, drawings and quarterings wouldn't go amiss.

[Espada III]

Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv - loads of items permitted including liquids purchased outside the airport.

So, you can buy water in a supermarket at 10% of the cost in the airport and take it on the LoCo flight with you. Have taken all sorts of things through security without a murmur.

In fact they are more concerned about hold luggage, so much so that they X-ray your hold luggage in front of you before check-in and query things like jars of jam. Its amazing that they can tell what is inside your case without opening it.

It is so much more relaxing that any other airport when it comes to security because the security personnel really know what they are doing and there are few illogicalities.

[Rawtenstall]

At IOM airport recently, my TSA approved plastic bag which has passed through 17 different airports over the last 12 months was deemed the "wrong kind of plastic" - I had to transfer my deodorant into an "official" plastic bag for it to pass through the scanner there. Bizarre!

[tomahawk_pa38]

Oddly enough I find the security staff at Gatwick strangely far friendlier than any other airport I travel through. Don’t know why but they generally are. Even when last year (I had packed my hand bagage some days before travelling) they found a small bottle of water in my bag - took me aside and searched my bag, made a joke about it - asked me if I wanted a drink before they took it off me. Yes I was a numpty but handled brilliantly.

However these ‘inconsistencies are what you get when you have different companies involved in the chain of getting you onto an aircraft (Check-in staff / security staff / flight attendants). Neither in the chain want to be responsible for ‘misinterpreting’ the overall rules so all apply them to the nth degree using inconsistent logic. You probably wouldn’t get this if they all worked for the same company as a culture of trust would develop and it would be easier to spot who wasn’t doing their job properly and it would be easier to transfer responsibilities up and down the chain and folk would work together.

As an aside, when flying from a certain large west of England aiprot recently, my colleague commented (genuinely) to the security staff on how speedy they were and how it was his best experience for a long time. Their reaction - ‘thank you sir, how kind’ nope ! threatened to stop him flying for being sarcastic !! You can’t win with them.

[UniFoxOs]

You always know, when you see a sign that abuse, bad language and violence towards staff will not be tolerated, that these staff are the ones who will give you reason to be abusive, swear and want to beat out what little brains they have.

It is a warning of what to expect - just keep calm, smile, and remember:- (to paraphrase WSC)

Today he is in charge, but in the morning he will still be a stupid 2@ in a dead end job.

[Shropshire Lad]

You always know, when you see a sign that abuse, bad language and violence towards staff will not be tolerated, that these staff are the ones who will give you reason to be abusive, swear and want to beat out what little brains they have

You also know that that courtesy doesn't extend to the way the security team treats passengers.

Having transited through a large SE England airport at Christmas transferring flights within the same terminal, it became clear that the duty free purchased on the aircraft inbound didn't have the receipt placed in the sealed bag. Mrs SL was stopped, told she was going no further until the receipt was produced. Receipt found she was let through and then stopped again at the end of security and taken to one side and told that the receipt wasn't sealed in the bag.

After much sarcasm and comment from the security staff and ? manager they eventually let us through once Mrs SL had demanded they get a representative down from the airline that sold us the duty free. So off we trotted with the managers words ringing in our ears about liquids being banned - end of! Yet here we were carrying two litres of spirits through..! A poor chap in a similar position was forced to check his luggage in - no consistency at all. I still don't know whether in the future if I'm transferring flights in the UK I can buy duty free on the inbound flight...

[beamender99]

At CPT airport they wanted to take a butter knife in a box but I got some sense from a supervisor who recognised it was a knife but not a lot of use as a weapon.

A guy I worked with "boasted" that he always carried a knife and it was never ever detected. It was on his key ring and the blade folded into what looked like a Yale key.
To be fair that is a difficult one to detect.

[gusting_45]

A blade that small is not a prohibited item. So sadly for your friend, not much of a boast.

[Phileas Fogg]

During October, the local airports cops said it was OK to take my laptop in the cabin but the power cable for it would need to travel in my checked-in baggage. In my best Visayan language telling them to go take a hike they agreed that I could take the power cable in the cabin but not the international adaptor!!!

[RevMan2]

If the ref says it's a penalty, it's a penalty.
If a meathead says PVC tape/zipties/powercable/adaptor are prohibited, they're prohibited....

[t1grm]

Which is why referees get a slating in the press every week because what was a penalty one week isn’t the next. The thing is referees haven’t got goal line technology yet – airport security do (metal detectors and x-rays) and yet still get it wrong!

[Phileas Fogg]

My local airport don't have x-ray and metal detectors, my local airport don't even have runway lights, they've got some baggage trolleys and a fire truck though :)

[Carry0nLuggage]

Rawenstall - I had the same experience at LUX last year when my well travelled, TSA issued, zip lock bag was refused. The guy then gave me the standard cheap sandwich bag and I proceeded to put the zip lock bag in it. Not good enough. I had to empty the contents into the sandwich bag before he'd let me through.

As you say, bizarre.

A couple of weeks ago at LUX, they must have been having an audit or something. The security line was pulling everything out of our bags, and I mean everything whilst a bunch of suits looked on from the corner.

Has anyone had a Kensington lock confiscated? I'm always relieved and surprised when that gets through.

[custardpsc]

I average probably three sectors a week and always have a roll of pvc tape or two in my hand baggage. Never once had a problem ever with pvc tape. Tape measures are the one that gets me. For a long while nowhere except dubai used to care about them, so I'd loose one every month or so when I forgot and flew through there. Bought a laser measure in the end and no issue with that. Kensington locks? I don't bother trying, always in the hold or left at home. Cables - sometimes a problem in Dubai, although on one occasion there , whilst working airside, I carried through a 100m drum of coax cable without a problem, and then had it taken off me the next day whilst walking through a transfer desk. Satellite test meter - often asked what it is but never had it rejected. Cable ties - never had a problem but probably lucky.

Wrong sort of plastic bag - yep happens sometimes but common sense usually prevails. Often spouted by the people whose thankless job it is to ask you if you are carrying any liquids before you actually get to security. Best politely ignored in my opinion.

Duty free rules - nightmare. Especially at airports where the screening is at the gate (eg Vienna)

Worst security ever without a doubt - Frankfurt. Anal, unbending, do it their way, take your wallet out of your pocket regardless of its contents, stupid tray system, officious arsey staff. Worst place to transfer if you have a short connection too. Shame as the rest of the airport is ok. I avoid the place at all costs now. Missed too many connections, one too many bad experiences in security.

Best security - any japanese airport. Gently strict, scrupulously polite. Consistent in chosing what items are banned. First country to stop people taking knives on planes about 20 years before the rest. In the days when i used to travel with a full tool kit in the cabin it was the only airport that I ever couldn't do that. They took a pair of pliers off me and gave them to the purser in a jiffy bag and I got them back on the aircraft steps in london. Aberdeen came close but would let a tool kit on with a plastic banding strap around it. Unbelievable looking back on it, much like allowing smoking on planes...

[RevMan2]

Can't agree with your FRA assessment.
Everything out of your pockets? Why not?
Tray system works perfectly - they're always there within reach, they're on roller conveyors and if you're doing 3 sectors a week you'll know to grab 3 - notebook, carry on, wallet/phone/keys (although I stow everything in my carry-on) and jacket.
Walk through the gate, if it barks you get taken out of the traffic flow to a cubicle where you can sit down to take off your shoes (if necessary) and where they have a shoe horn for your convenience.

Now compare THAT to ANY TSA security circus or LHR/MAN and ask yourself who's thought it through.
And if you smile and say "Good morning", they'll reciprocate..

[Phileas Fogg]

RevMan2,

Talking of German security, and, quote, "Everything out of pockets? Why not?", some of us travel on business and on one particular trip I was travelling through DUS with not only my own money but a significant amount of my employer's money, in numerous currencies, in my wallet and in my back pocket.

I'd already passed thru BHX security that morning and when DUS security insisted that my wallet, and all these monies, leave my sight and pass thru the x-ray machine and be subject to any subsequent visual/hand search by these "incompetents" who may be no more skilled that such persons who retrieve supermarket trolleys from car parks ... well that's when I called a line insisting that we count the monies, they provide me with a receipt and we do a reverse of the same at the other end of the x-ray machine.

When they realised that I was serious they called an airport cop, he did a visual scan/inspection of the wad of monetary notes by then in my hand and assessed that no x-ray, or any further, inspection was necessary.

So to answer your question "Everything out of your pockets? Why not?" ... "Because it represents a security risk towards the finances, the money, that I may be carrying"!

[RevMan2]

Phileas Fogg
Some of us travel on business to the tune of 100k miles per annum.

Reduce your risk by putting your wallet in your briefcase before it goes through the scanner. This is "Travel in the 21st C" 101.

[Helol]

First for me, was taking the watch off at LUX. Also, during a frisk, (boots taken off, scarf taken off), I found an old pkt of chewing gum (about 3 left), in my pocket, which was duly taken off me and put through x-ray.

Best was, when being frisked, they then asked me to 'turn round', which I refused, as that meant me facing the opposite direction to where my belongings were sat in various trays, incl watch, wallet, i-pad etc.

I steadfast refused to turn around completely, insisted I keep my belongings in my full view at all times before and after it passed through the x-ray boxy thing.

Off topic, but having done the UK to LUX trip in my car for the past 7 yrs or so, I was astounded at the 'new look' Findel, minus the great little restaurant it used to have (or maybe it's still there...?).

[Phileas Fogg]

RevMan2,

What's a briefcase?

I could put it in my laptop bag, as I do my mobile and, often, my loose change but when one is carrying a significant amount of money it would be totally foolhardy to let it out of one's sight.

Let it not be missed that, particularly, in third world country's, such as where I now live, these people can spot a monetary note on x-ray just like that, I don't pretend to be perfect but I'm not so stupid to travel with a significant amount of monetary notes in a bag or case!

[Sunnyjohn]

Interesting to read these comments because it seems to me that it is a lot easier and a lot less stressful to simply do as you're told. When I am approaching security at any airport, I remove my coat, the entire contents of my pockets, my watch and my belt and put them in the tray. I also always remove my shoes. It has become so routine that I hardly think about it. I get through quickly and never have a problem.

[Phileas Fogg]

Sunnyjohn,

Yes, I regularly remove my mobile, my drivers license, my loose change, my keys, my (emptied) wallet, my shoes, my belt, my laptop from the case, whatever to these "untrained" but I am dubious to release to them my passport as the British government dictates that I am only allowed to release it to authorised persons which I presume to be immigration officials and as to releasing to the security personnel, perhaps, thousands of dollars or whatever currency for, with a slight of the hand, some of it to go missing ... well they can take a hike.

I am more than happy for my monetary notes to be visually examined anytime but let it out of my sight? ... Well go figure!