Nice one Asturias56. My best was a backpack that I used for work in my days in telecomms. I decided to use it for a long weekend around 2006. At LTN, I was pulled smartly and asked if there was anything dangerous in it?

The X-ray found a pair of small wire side-cutters that had got between the lining and I thought were lost. They were not happy that I was so pleased and thanked them for finding them! They wanted to confiscate but I went back out, bought a padded envelope and posted them home. Good side-cutters are expensive.

I used to travel with a screwdriver or two, small pliers/wire cutter and even a scalpel with its blades in a separate foil pack. Was never asked about any of it. My job was sorting out software problems but often minor hardware fixes were needed as well. Must have had an honest face -- but it was over forty years ago.

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Flew with a French waiter's style corkscrew (with small blade), unintentionally. Detected by scanner at Southampton, supervisor called over - passed it ok to go (in my hand baggage). On the return confiscated at Glasgow. Have a key ring, also with small, similar sized blade, usually passed ok, checked twice, once at Budapest airport and again at Auschwitz, again passed as ok.

From Bloomberg 8 March 2023
This is what we have discovered in the last six months.

Heathrow Drop Off

• We need to pay for a drop off t'row.
• Her PC did not record the password for that.
• Request 'forgot password'
• Sent a verification code to email.
• Website accepted code BUT ...
• When you select 'Continue' it says it has to verify the account and you have to ask for another code.
• LOOP through this until you decide that you will add her car to your account, which you can access.
• Computer says No - that car already registered to an account I KNOW THAT ALREADY.
• After more than 30 mins of futzing around, you accept the inevitable and ring customer services BUT ...
• Discover that customer services closed at 13:00 and it is now 13:26 ... not open till Monday morning.
• For good reasons, have to use her car for trip.
• Faced with possibility of notice of fine whilst away then discover automated payment telephone number.
• Fortunately, after many minutes of button pressing and SMS - that works
• 45 minutes wasted

LHR website for Drop off managed by APCOA and might just be down to the standards of a well known LHR airline ...

When she gets back and we gain access to that account - I'll set Auto-Pay. Eventhough I don't like giving that kind of authority to badly written websites!

Meanwhile, having left the Drop Off page open in the browser - the rolling adverts not invite 'Relax before your flight' :*

Drive to Southall - get train

Southall? From us that is far side of LHR. As I get older, the number of times that I am prepared to lift cases from one transport mode to another are limited!

well there's a good bus from Feltham Railway station :}

I tend to agree - but I get annoyed at the hassle they put you through - if it was just crumpling £ 20 into someone's outstretched paw its easy but all the app/log in/credit card routine is a PITA

Arriving SFO in (for us) middle of the night, we found a very long queue for imigration but the officer was cheerful and helpful. Perhas that's the West Coast influence/

Last few times we've been through teh USA it's been better - not brilliant but an improvement - more people using the electronic alternatives seems to help

This reminded me of the last time that we were in the USA - every restaurant (and many bars) give a glass of iced water as a first offereing before the main order. I always wondered how many glasses of potable water are wasted...

Curious - that particular service is one of the things that always impresses us in North American eateries.

Just had a nice mini break in Marrakech courtesy of easyJet holidays.
Having been there a few times for work I was expecting long delays at immigration. Nope, all good. Processed quite quickly and they didn't want to see the printed out form we were told to have.
However, don't put your passport away, an officer wanted to see the stamp before we were allowed to leave the terminal. Also, bags got screened as well before we could leave.
Leaving Marrakech? We were hand luggage only but we still needed our boarding pass validated at the check in desk. Oh and the usual screen bags before entering the main hall.
Long queue for security screening, long queue for immigration and another queue to make sure we had gotten another stamp. We had.
Finally, a pat down and explosives check whilst waiting at the gate.

We'd also had a great holiday in the Maldives. Super quick processing inbound which was great.
However, departure was a different matter. Enormous queues just to get in the Terminal, once again, bags were screened. Fortunately, biz class and BA Gold = shorter queues.
Significant delays in getting through immigration and security screening. Anything less than 90 minutes to departure, you'll miss your flight. After getting to the gate, another security check.
Fortunately, we had 2.5 hours so we were ok and didn't need to panic.
There's a new Terminal being built which will hopefully alleviate a lot of the choke points.

Thanks for stopping into the cabin redsnail with an interesting contribution.

From California: Yes, still giving the glass of iced water with every meal.

Weather not so good but everyone very friendly and welcoming.

After several sectors on BA's A380, I have still not found the right headphone adapter. I've tried all of my collection and bought a couple but none connect to my own noice cancelling phones and the BA ones not so good. All suggestions welcome.

The Swiss army knife, the inseparable companion of the mainframe computer operator back in the day :)

The ones that came with my Bose seem to work with everybody's IFE. Two pins side by side. But I don't know if BA have the same set up as other A380 that I have been in.

I took photos of the double pronged plug with one prong slightly shorter and narrower but could still not find the right one.

My understanding (which I haven't yet put to the test) is that on BA's A380s NC headphones only need to be plugged into into the 3.5 mm socket with a standard jack or adapter.