10 Biggest Bonehead moves at Airport Security

funny, but I've found the people at airport security in the UK to be much stricter than in the states.

However, none of it holds a candle to the treatment I got at the Tel Aviv airport when I went to Jerusalem for a dear friend's wedding a few years ago.  They just couldn't understand why an American woman would want to come to Jerusalem on her own.  Every single item in all of my luggage, no matter how small, got swabbed and bomb tested.  I was padded down, and was honestly very surprised when I didn't get strip searched.

I never complain about thorough security after that--not that I did before.  I want to fly on safe airplanes.

funny, but I've found the people at airport security in the UK to be much stricter than in the states.

Our last trip back to the US - they were way stricter over here (UK) on the outgoing flight than we experienced in the US.  Although they (US) had the repeating recorded announcements about the liquids/gels in your hand luggage, no one in the US really paid much attention or even checked it that I could tell.  I even forgot to take my little plastic baggie out separate from our hand luggage at least once & no one even noticed.  Whereas here, they were stopping you before you went through the security checkpoint - handing out baggies & making sure you'd emptied everything liquid, etc out of your pockets & hand luggage before you got up to the checkpoint.  It was an interesting contrast.

Security at Gatwick Airport could do with a review. A few years ago, my brother and I swapped passports, just to see what would happen. We look nothing alike, as my brother has longish red hair and freckles and I have dark brown hair and no freckles. They just glanced at my brothers passport, and nodded me through, which in actual fact is quite scary. I know the majority of people look nothing like their passport photos, but makes you wonder...   

Typical boys.

Doesn't surprise me, really, since they see a maroon passport & automatically switch their brains off .  I get SCOLDED because I don't look my (7 year old) passport photo anymore.

That said, I've never had a problem with my underwire bras setting off the sensors - in fact, half the time I wear a belt through it too just fine.  Was at Luton one time and the girl behind me (who has a similarly large chest ) got the 'wand' shoved BETWEEN the girls just to make sure she wasn't storing anything in there!  Quite rude in front of everyone .

That said, I've never had a problem with my underwire bras setting off the sensors - in fact, half the time I wear a belt through it too just fine.  Was at Luton one time and the girl behind me (who has a similarly large chest ) got the 'wand' shoved BETWEEN the girls just to make sure she wasn't storing anything in there!  Quite rude in front of everyone .

I don't think the machines are that sensitive where an underwire would set them off are they?
As for the wand between 'the girls'. That sounds like cause for a major major complaint!     I would have refused!

I don't think the machines are that sensitive where an underwire would set them off are they?

Oh my yes - my underwire has set them off before & on several occasions!

Oh my yes - my underwire has set them off before & on several occasions!

LOL how thick is your underwire? I'm a bigger sized gal and I've never had my underwires set off the machine before.

LOL how thick is your underwire? I'm a bigger sized gal and I've never had my underwires set off the machine before.

Not that thick & I'm right there with you on size.  But it was the only possible thing on me that would have set it off & that's right where the wand thingie beeped!  It's happened to me enough times that I'm more surprised when it doesn't go off than when it does.

From what I understand, those machines can be set to various sensitivity levels - at least that's what my pilot relative tells me.

I walked through Indian airport security with a nail kit, including scissors and metal nail file.

In Canada I was with my dad and got pulled into immigration for half an hour, with them trying to find out if he was abducting me (I was 10, we both had new passports and we weren't with my mum as they're divorced). He wasn't abducting me!

In America, shortly after the time when the British guy tried to blow up a plane with his shoe, we were made to take off our shoes, whilst the people behind us with American accents walked straight through

However, I have three metal rods and twenty-something screws supporting my spine (scoliosis) and that is yet to set off the metal detectors. This is probably because it is made of titanium, not steel, but what I want to know is why terrorists don't make guns from titanium

I walked through Frankfurt security with all the metal in my back, but then had my German-English dictionary bomb swabbed 

Although I haven't flown as much as some, I do find the UK to be tougher than the US side as well.

On my last flight out of Gatwick I *did* have to remove my shoes. I also was one of the ones randomly selected to be thoroughly searched..this was annoying as I had a set of large  coffee mugs packed into my carryon, (a handbag/tote kinda thing) and it was a TIGHT squeeze... they pulled them out, unwrapped them, etc..took me a while to get them repacked etc...that wasn't bad enough, at the NEXT checkpoint, before getting on the plane I was again chosen for the random search..mugs unpacked again..rewrap..try to get them secure so they don't break AND make my flight still...LOL  At that point I had to laugh, although I felt like they maybe missed a potential terrorist in searching me twice...hehe

Ahh flying is just a real pain, what with checkpoints and IO's and stuff....it all makes it a very harrowing experience.

hmmm...just returned from travelling from the UK to the states...stepped into mexico for the afternoon...and then flew out of vancouver.

a few observations...at gatwick they were doing searches at the gate...hmmm...if you've made it that far..it's a bit scary to do another search. the thing i found strange is that even when not asked, people lined up to have their carry-on searched. i think it's just a bit all too much...and everyone seems to just go along with it. i mean come on...how many other people have had bombs in their shoes? i really don't like walking in my stocking feet where lots of other people with stinky feet have walked. i once saw a guy that brought plastic bags to put over their feet. and...and...you can get on a train or a ferry...without any search...i think it's just all a bit absurd.

flying out of vancouver was the most respectful and sensible experience. my husband forgot he had a ...hmm...some kind of spark plug setting tester in his pocket that he bought in the states. it actually looked like some kind of ninja star! but they said ...yeah...they're a bit paranoid about tools...but after checking with someone else said...sure no problem.

i just really don't like the paranoia that exists...that for the most part isn't based on reality.

Security at Gatwick Airport could do with a review. A few years ago, my brother and I swapped passports, just to see what would happen. We look nothing alike, as my brother has longish red hair and freckles and I have dark brown hair and no freckles. They just glanced at my brothers passport, and nodded me through, which in actual fact is quite scary. I know the majority of people look nothing like their passport photos, but makes you wonder...   

It's not Securities job to look at your passport that's down to the IO. So it doesn't matter how different you are or if you show your passport to Security.

That said, I've never had a problem with my underwire bras setting off the sensors - in fact, half the time I wear a belt through it too just fine.  Was at Luton one time and the girl behind me (who has a similarly large chest ) got the 'wand' shoved BETWEEN the girls just to make sure she wasn't storing anything in there!  Quite rude in front of everyone .

If anything happens like that again report it. It's a DIGNITY issue. Everyone has a right to be treated with respect even in this day and age.   

Although I haven't flown as much as some, I do find the UK to be tougher than the US side as well.

On my last flight out of Gatwick I *did* have to remove my shoes. I also was one of the ones randomly selected to be thoroughly searched..this was annoying as I had a set of large  coffee mugs packed into my carryon, (a handbag/tote kinda thing) and it was a TIGHT squeeze... they pulled them out, unwrapped them, etc..took me a while to get them repacked etc...that wasn't bad enough, at the NEXT checkpoint, before getting on the plane I was again chosen for the random search..mugs unpacked again..rewrap..try to get them secure so they don't break AND make my flight still...LOL  At that point I had to laugh, although I felt like they maybe missed a potential terrorist in searching me twice...hehe

Ahh flying is just a real pain, what with checkpoints and IO's and stuff....it all makes it a very harrowing experience.

Next time you're in an airport and you spot a terrorist let Security know - they'll be very grateful! Nobody knows what a potential terrorist looks like that's why the checks are in place.