Travel...airlines...TSA....a rant...bear with me

[Falcon99]

BigJetDriver69 once bubbled...


James,

Pieces of a combat aircraft??? That 's about the best I've heard!!! We love our Business-First travellers!

OK, conceptually that was a stretch, but for humor purposes only ut: I haven't tried to get a turbine stage through as a carry-on or anything similat. (While that would be fun to watch.. "really, sir, it's a cookie wheel!")

However, the "mean" looking hard drive enclosures do get a few raised eyes.

James

 

[DandyDon]

For whatever it's worth...

(1) Spoke with Delta Air Reservations, and the agent read me the file from their computer. Delta does indeed allow tanks to be complete and have up to 40 lbs of pressure. After discussing worse possibilities with a LDS, though - I agree: Drain the tank completely.

(2) Delta Connection Airlines have different rules. Although most are owned by Delta, their rules vary, and THEY DO NOT ALLOW TANKS TO HAVE PRESSURE.

(3) Aside from pony bottles - I said I carry my tube shaped Oxygen analyzer in my carryone. NO MORE. From what I've read lately, TSA is looking closer at electronic gadgets, and as rare as these are - harly anyone will know what it is. I'll check in in baggage now...

 

[dc4bs]

If at all possible, ship the tanks and stuff a few days early... (UPS/FedEx/Etc...)

If you have a trusted person to receive them at the other end, this works well.

My budy and I each have a large Pelican case. We have the foam cutout to hold 2xAL40 bottles, the valves (removed and bagged seperately), and 4 regs. in each (2 primary & 2 deco).

It's possable to bring them as check bags if you put 1 tank in the suitcase and put light stuff in the emptied space in the pelican but it's a pain in the butt, especially with the new, reduced, weight limits.

We simply send the case a few days ahead of time and travle with clothes, BCs, wetsuits, Etc. Lots less questions and much less heavy stuff to haul around the airport.

What with the large fee for overweight/extra checked bags, it really doesn't cost any more overall and makes for a much more relaxing trip.

Last trip I went on where we didn't pre-ship the heavy stuff, my budy asked me to carry his canister light in my carryon as his was full and he also had a laptop.

The TSA guy made me go back to the ticketing desk and check my carryon. NOT because it had the light in it, but because he thought it was too heavy... RIGHT! I watched another guy in our group in another line sail through the security check with a carryon twice the limited size and with at least 60 pounds of stuff including his similar light...

I was not forced to pay for an extra checed bag as the woman at the ticket counter couldn't believe the TSA guy was making me check the bag. We weighted it at 17 pounds if I recall correctly. She just rolled her eyes and checked the bag for me after complaining a bit about the "idiots at the x-ray machines" making her job harder for no good reason.

Of course, I took all the dive computers out and strapped them on my arms as I was not about to let them go in the cargo hold. It specificaly states in some of the manuals that you should NEVER let them travel that way.

So there I am, wandering through the airport with 6 computers strapped three to each arm as well as my watch. (I had ended up with several other peoples computers to cary...). I got lots of funny looks from everyone I walked passed.

I also gut stuck in the SAME xray machine line on my return trip through security. The same anoying jerk started to say something to me about the computers so I whipped out the manuals (I had wisely put them in my pocket) and pointed to the entry about cargo holds and he shut up and FINALY let me go through.

I plan to NEVER take anyone elses dive gear through an airport again. If they can't figure out how to pack so they can bring it then tough luck. IT AINT GOIN IN **MY** BAG!

 

[scubajoe]

I have made several dive trips post 9/11. I always carry my spare air in my checked bag. Yeah I know they are pretty much worthless but I carry it anyway. I have had no problems with it so far. I have never mentioned it one way or another. I figured I play stupid if things went awry. I'm good at that.

I carry my reg and computer in my carryon of course. You should try to explain to a screener in Amarillo Texas what a regulator is. Then they always ask me if I'm afraid of sharks!

A little off the topic but I can understand a screener in Amarillo not knowing what a reg is but the ones in Cozumel? 90% of the luggage there has dive gear in it!

One thing good for me that has come out of 9/11 is that they threw away the " you look like a druggy and I'm going through your stuff you freakin longhair" profile!

=-)

 

[XJae]

BigJetDriver69 once bubbled...
I have to say that, on the whole, the TSA folks (white shirts and eagle patches) are much more knowledgeable and pleasant than some of the folks who used to be hired directly by the airlines. (I can say this for sure, after many moons of this stuff!)

I would have to agree, I have had many good experiences, mostly when I'm traveling with my wife and 3 kids and all our stuff, lots of stuff comes along with little kids. I think they are somewhat sympathetic.

Anyway I feel the need to share a story that is actually funny in hind sight, although I don't usually laugh too hard.

I'm flying with my brother to Orlando at noon out of Newark, we plan on getting there in the afternoon meeting my cousin and driving up to High Springs for a cavern class that starts the next morning.

The TSA agent turns out to be a trainee. She stops the convevor over my brothers Pelican case containing his camera and strobe. She's taking too long and we realize theres a problem. They ask us to step aside. We wait just under an hour for the Port Authority Police to arrive, we don't know the deal until they arrive. Turns out that the agent though the case contained an uzi. Can you believe it, an uzi. I think the senior agent that came over could tell it wasn't an uzi but decided to turn it into a procedural training lesson.

They eventually let us go, another half hour or so. As you can guess we missed the flight.

We decide we are going to figure out a way to get down there. The next flight to Orlando was the next day at noon. So we wait standby on a 3pm flight to Ft. Lauderdale, it turns out to be full and we cant get on. Theres another at 6pm but we are 12th on the standby list, they state "fat chance" of getting on it. We were just about to give up when we find a flight out of Laguardia going to Ft. Meyers. They get us a cab, send us over, and we just make the flight. (We ask for a visual inspection on the camera case and don't sent it through the scanner; yeah, yeah lots of 1000 speed film in here.) We get to Ft. Meyers rent a car and do the long drive to Orlando; I think we got there around 1 in the morning. We drove up in the morning and made it for the class. The kicker is they lost my luggage for three days.

Turns out that the gin clear spring water makes you forget all your troubles.
It still remains the best class I've taken and one of our best dive trips.

 

[Windwalker]

I posted a "funny" in the scuba Humor section. It sorta pertains to this topic..... sorta.. http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=33756

It has to do with carrying large masses of machineguns and what not through Airline checkpoints in Japan. This was Pre-9/11 Wonder what it would be like now.

Sorry for the Hijack

 

[Charlie99]

Diver Lori once bubbled...
On a side note.....I heard on the local news this morning that starting today.....the TSA is going to look "closer" at all electronic device....cameras, walkman....etc. This doesn't bode well for dive computers!

Yesterday I flew Boston to SFO. ALL electronic items such as PDAs and cellphones are supposed to be removed from carry on baggage and run through the x-ray in a separate box.

They stopped my bag and made me remove a cellphone charger that I had left in, but didn't say anthing about my regs and the console mounted dive computer that I left in the my bag.

The process of everyone removing all of their electronic gadgets from carryon bags didn't seem to slow things much.

 

[Windwalker]

I think that all this extra security is a bunch of crap. I mean, All it does is provide a false sense of security. Anyone who has had ANY training knows how to make explosives out of many commonly found things (such as Non-Dairy Creamer, or Lithium Ion batteries)

Women are taught in self defence class all sorts of nice things that can be useful weapons such as keys and High Heels. If someone wants to do something bad enough, they will find a way.

Further more, not one Airport security scanner has found my CIA letter opener!?!! Why? Because its not metal.

A friend who travels a lot, got her toe nail clippers taken away, but they seem to have missed a couple of .22 bullets in the bottom of the purse.

What is the Purpose of this security??
</Rant>

Just something to think about... I like Brazils way of dealing with it.


Those who give up liberty for the sake of security deserve neither liberty nor security.

--- Ben Franklin

 

[dc4bs]

My Dad almost got shot in an airport in asia once...

He and my stepmother were on the way home from the Philipeans and as they put their bags through the x-ray machines, the checker gave out a yell and several guards with machine guns sourounded them...

It took a while to straighten out as there was noone available at the airport to translate.

Eventualy, one guard drew a picture of a suitcase and then drew a gun shape in the suitcase.

My Dad started laughing and then stopped as the guards got very tense... He drew a flame on top of the gun, took out his lighter and pointed to the lighter and then the drawing.

They had completely forgotton about the gun shaped cigaret lighter they had bought on the trip to give to someone back home.

Finaly, they let him open the suitcase and show them (while several guardes had him under close cover). Everyone laughed and calmed down.

My dad gave the 'funny' lighter to the chief guard there at the x-ray station as they had several more airports to pass through to get back home and really didn't want that sort of excitement again on that trip...

 

[DandyDon]

scubajoe once bubbled...
I have made several dive trips post 9/11. I always carry my spare air in my checked bag. Yeah I know they are pretty much worthless but I carry it anyway. I have had no problems with it so far. I have never mentioned it one way or another. I figured I play stupid if things went awry. I'm good at that.

I carry my reg and computer in my carryon of course. You should try to explain to a screener in Amarillo Texas what a regulator is. Then they always ask me if I'm afraid of sharks!

=-)

Dude, how'd the operation go? You going to be back in the water soon? Had a great time in Roatan; getting ready for Catalina Island CALF and 30 degree colder water.

You might want to skip carrying the spare air cannister for a while. With the G.W.Bush employees checking closer now, I'm putting more in my checked bags.

Afraid of sharks? "Oh, not really, but with falling coconuts killing 15 times as many people worldwide, :tree: I was sorry I couldn't bring my chain saw on this trip!?"

Got to remember - a lot of these G.W.Bush employees are a lot like the prison guards I used to work around - essentially unemployable in the real world.