Flame Sources and other carry ons.
 

Reid appears to have tried to use a match to try and ignite his bomb. I haven't yet seen it suggested that passengers should be no longer allowed to carry a flame source on with them, why not?
It would help to reduce the incidence of smokers who are a hazard in themselves when they leave the butt end in the paper bin.
It would also help to guard against the suicide attempt which could be made by replacing the contents of a bottle of duty free with a highly flammable liquid and then setting fire to it. What chance of safe recovery from that mid-atlantic?
Indeed there is now a very strong case for severely restricting what and how much can be carried on board an aircraft thus restricting the possibilities open to the terrorist.

A couple of years ago, after a long haul overnight, I saw a woman on the other side of the cabin doing her hair.

She was using a Brauhn (sp?) curling tong that used a cartridge of butane. The heat is generateed by using a catalytic converter, so that there is no flame.

I drew this to the attention of the cabin crew and pointed out that not only was it butane gas but it was stored under pressure. When asked to stop the woman in question clearly had no idea how the heat in the curling tong was produced.

X-ray? Security? Health & Saftey?

I have just done a journey with an extremely sharp blade (but less than 2" in length) in my case. I will not tell you what it is or how it happened. But the first sector was an accident, as I had forgotten about this. It was not questioned. So I left it in for the remaining six sectors. No X-ray or hand inspection found it.

Safe Journey everyone/

When flying out of Joburg we are told that we HAVE to carry and matches or lighters on our person, and NOT in our check in baggage or even carry on baggage. This is because of incidents when matches or lighters have spontaneously combusted in baggare or hand baggage. Theory is that is if lights up in your trouser pocket and you and everyone around is immediately aware of the problem!!!!
Interestingly I have not seen this instruction giving at any other airports LHR,Frankfurt,Miami etc where I have been recently. <img src="rolleyes.gif" border="0">

When the idiots at the US EPA passed a law to eliminate Freon as a propellant in hair spray and other pressurized products because it would "supposedly" deplete the Ozone layer they replaced it with butane or propane, which is highly flammable. This can turn a common can of hair spray into a flamethrower once the product is expelled and ignited.

Flying Bean - interesting. I have just done the Joburg run again, although with LH this time LHR/MUC/JNB and no questions asked about matches at any stage.

The story I related about the gas fired curling tongs was on a LHR/JNB run a couple of years ago with VS.

The inspection people seem to be able to only think about one threat at a time and, right now, they are thinking about 'sharp objects'. The events of PA103 and a bomb joining the aircraft at a transit stop, appear to have been forgotten. I have been dissapointed (but not surprised) at the very poor quality of x-ray and inspection in the last six weeks.

Paxboy.

Yes we do seem to be getting a 'flavour of the month" at various destinations. Joburg are now not saying anything about naked flames etc.
But I also notice that having been thru Joburg,LHR,Dusseldorf & Frankfurt in the last 6 weeks I found the security & x ray pretty much as it was a year ago.
Have a look at my thread in the "Questions " Forum about carry on baggage. How are you finding that recently? <img src="rolleyes.gif" border="0">