Is PVC insulation tape a banned item?
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Is PVC insulation tape a banned item?
Because I had a roll confiscated out of my hand luggage flying out of MLA yesterday! 
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.
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.
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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...
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...
Last edited by Phalconphixer; 2nd Jan 2013 at 19:24.
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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.
a couple of small cable ties in my bag, assorted sizes from about an inch long to about 6", useful for many things
Paxing All Over The World
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.
Where's the brandy?
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.
Where's the brandy?
Paxing All Over The World
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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!
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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.
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.
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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.
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.
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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
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...
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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.
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.
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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!!!
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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!
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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.
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.