I was stopped at security because...
Sep 18th 2005 | 1:16 am
#16
Class 1 Driver and Nurse
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 1,498
From: Kentville, N.S.
Re: I was stopped at security because...
[MarkG]
"Today, if someone pulls a knife and claims they're hijacking the plane, then two hundred passengers will beat them to death within thirty seconds."
Sounds good in theory but would never happen, the 1st thing a hijacker says is that theres a bomb aboard (wether there is or not) do you really think the have a go hero is likely to risk it? or the life of the young girl that he's holding a knife to?
"All this 'security' crap does is annoy legitimate passengers."
It may annoy you but i would rather spend an extra hour at the airport because of stricter security checks and arrive at the other end safely then to be whisked through checks and get blown up mid atlantic
"Today, if someone pulls a knife and claims they're hijacking the plane, then two hundred passengers will beat them to death within thirty seconds."
Sounds good in theory but would never happen, the 1st thing a hijacker says is that theres a bomb aboard (wether there is or not) do you really think the have a go hero is likely to risk it? or the life of the young girl that he's holding a knife to?
"All this 'security' crap does is annoy legitimate passengers."
It may annoy you but i would rather spend an extra hour at the airport because of stricter security checks and arrive at the other end safely then to be whisked through checks and get blown up mid atlantic
Sep 18th 2005 | 1:27 am
#17
Forum Regular
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 296
From: Sydney soon
Re: I was stopped at security because...
Originally Posted by cov-canuck
A post on the immigration forum about setting off the bomb detection paper things got me thinking...surely a lot of us have been stopped at security/customs for silly reasons (both our own fault and them being overly cautious), and yes, it makes you feel embarrassed and occasionally targeted. Anyone want to share some stories so that we don't feel completely alone the next time it happens? (and I'll watch as no one replies to this post, and I'll be the silly person standing alone as the security guards wave my nail clippers over their heads and start patting me down...) 
OK...over the years we've been stopped for:
gameboys...forced to turn them on and show that they work...same with laptops, PDAs, and various other electronic devices
tweezers/nail clippers/nail scissors (my dad refused to give up his swiss army knife last year, and wouldn't let them snap the blade off, it would up travelling in his suitcase instead)
we almost took Christmas crackers over to my parents in SC last year until my husband realised before we packed that they contained gunpowder...duh!
My brother was the worst one. At 15, after watching my mother answer all of the security questions (anything that could be used as a weapon, etc.), his bag went through the x-ray machine, they asked who's bag it was, they hauled him off to one side, emptied his bag, and he had a pair of scissors with 4 inch blades in his carry-on bag. His excuse: he needed them to cut the tape to seal his comic book bags...because apparently they don't have scissors in America. He then caused us to almost miss several flights because he would insist on taking almost 100 CDs in his carry on bag, and later because he would transport dozens of DVDs in cereal boxes (sealed with tons of tape) because he didn't trust them not to lose his suitcase. Of course they set the alarms off and he'd have to unpack everything, then he'd insist on spending 40 minutes repacking everything exactly as it was.
Anyone else want to share?
OK...over the years we've been stopped for:
gameboys...forced to turn them on and show that they work...same with laptops, PDAs, and various other electronic devices
tweezers/nail clippers/nail scissors (my dad refused to give up his swiss army knife last year, and wouldn't let them snap the blade off, it would up travelling in his suitcase instead)
we almost took Christmas crackers over to my parents in SC last year until my husband realised before we packed that they contained gunpowder...duh!
My brother was the worst one. At 15, after watching my mother answer all of the security questions (anything that could be used as a weapon, etc.), his bag went through the x-ray machine, they asked who's bag it was, they hauled him off to one side, emptied his bag, and he had a pair of scissors with 4 inch blades in his carry-on bag. His excuse: he needed them to cut the tape to seal his comic book bags...because apparently they don't have scissors in America. He then caused us to almost miss several flights because he would insist on taking almost 100 CDs in his carry on bag, and later because he would transport dozens of DVDs in cereal boxes (sealed with tons of tape) because he didn't trust them not to lose his suitcase. Of course they set the alarms off and he'd have to unpack everything, then he'd insist on spending 40 minutes repacking everything exactly as it was.
Anyone else want to share?
We recently travelled through Greece I went through the security thingy and set off the alarms and got waved through I guess because I had my daughter in her buggy and didn't look like the "type", I couldn't believe it. BUT when I travel through North America/ New Zealand with the kids the sniffer dogs come straight up to me just to check to see whether I am carrying a piece of fruit!
Sep 18th 2005 | 1:54 am
#18
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 577
From: Poland
Re: I was stopped at security because...
I had a good one actually. They asked me to take my boots off in from of all the queue on the route between Calgary and Vancouver. Lucky I had socks with no holes.
Sep 18th 2005 | 2:01 am
#19
Thinking the unthinkable.
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,136
From: Guelph, Ontario
Re: I was stopped at security because...
Originally Posted by Gezza
I had a good one actually. They asked me to take my boots off in from of all the queue on the route between Calgary and Vancouver. Lucky I had socks with no holes.
Sep 18th 2005 | 4:23 am
#20
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 699
From: Hastings County Ont
Re: I was stopped at security because...
Well I must have a dishonest face because I have been searched so many times I think I know them all by first name.....
First time I come to UK I go home, get searched.....did they find anything NO..
2 months later returning from UK again....did they find anything NO...in fact in both cases I didn't even use my luggage allowance...
Last year going returning home (toronto) to visit my dad, hmmmmmm yep they searched me again....did they find anything....NO...just one nicotine, sleep deprived canadian woman who wanted nothing more then to get out of airport and smoke her brains out and get to Tims...they did however nick my sealed BLT
Everytime I travel alone I get searched....and I am on a canadian passport....but if my husband is with me....THEY NEVER SEARCH ME.....
Going thru security it goes off, they ask me to come to the side...I am wearing a black dress (no pockets) and black heels.....I do the hands out, and get searched once again....,my son who was with me this time, said Look at what she is wearing, WHERE WOULD SHE HIDE ANYTHING....after thinking for a min, the guy laughed and said he has a point, go on thru....
so I do get paranoid every time I go to Pearson...
First time I come to UK I go home, get searched.....did they find anything NO..
2 months later returning from UK again....did they find anything NO...in fact in both cases I didn't even use my luggage allowance...
Last year going returning home (toronto) to visit my dad, hmmmmmm yep they searched me again....did they find anything....NO...just one nicotine, sleep deprived canadian woman who wanted nothing more then to get out of airport and smoke her brains out and get to Tims...they did however nick my sealed BLT
Everytime I travel alone I get searched....and I am on a canadian passport....but if my husband is with me....THEY NEVER SEARCH ME.....
Going thru security it goes off, they ask me to come to the side...I am wearing a black dress (no pockets) and black heels.....I do the hands out, and get searched once again....,my son who was with me this time, said Look at what she is wearing, WHERE WOULD SHE HIDE ANYTHING....after thinking for a min, the guy laughed and said he has a point, go on thru....
so I do get paranoid every time I go to Pearson...
Sep 18th 2005 | 7:26 am
#21
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 257
From: Ontario
Re: I was stopped at security because...
Originally Posted by cov-canuck
A post on the immigration forum about setting off the bomb detection paper things got me thinking...surely a lot of us have been stopped at security/customs for silly reasons (both our own fault and them being overly cautious), and yes, it makes you feel embarrassed and occasionally targeted. Anyone want to share some stories so that we don't feel completely alone the next time it happens? (and I'll watch as no one replies to this post, and I'll be the silly person standing alone as the security guards wave my nail clippers over their heads and start patting me down...)
OK...over the years we've been stopped for:
gameboys...forced to turn them on and show that they work...same with laptops, PDAs, and various other electronic devices
tweezers/nail clippers/nail scissors (my dad refused to give up his swiss army knife last year, and wouldn't let them snap the blade off, it would up travelling in his suitcase instead)
we almost took Christmas crackers over to my parents in SC last year until my husband realised before we packed that they contained gunpowder...duh!
My brother was the worst one. At 15, after watching my mother answer all of the security questions (anything that could be used as a weapon, etc.), his bag went through the x-ray machine, they asked who's bag it was, they hauled him off to one side, emptied his bag, and he had a pair of scissors with 4 inch blades in his carry-on bag. His excuse: he needed them to cut the tape to seal his comic book bags...because apparently they don't have scissors in America. He then caused us to almost miss several flights because he would insist on taking almost 100 CDs in his carry on bag, and later because he would transport dozens of DVDs in cereal boxes (sealed with tons of tape) because he didn't trust them not to lose his suitcase. Of course they set the alarms off and he'd have to unpack everything, then he'd insist on spending 40 minutes repacking everything exactly as it was.
Anyone else want to share?
OK...over the years we've been stopped for:
gameboys...forced to turn them on and show that they work...same with laptops, PDAs, and various other electronic devices
tweezers/nail clippers/nail scissors (my dad refused to give up his swiss army knife last year, and wouldn't let them snap the blade off, it would up travelling in his suitcase instead)
we almost took Christmas crackers over to my parents in SC last year until my husband realised before we packed that they contained gunpowder...duh!
My brother was the worst one. At 15, after watching my mother answer all of the security questions (anything that could be used as a weapon, etc.), his bag went through the x-ray machine, they asked who's bag it was, they hauled him off to one side, emptied his bag, and he had a pair of scissors with 4 inch blades in his carry-on bag. His excuse: he needed them to cut the tape to seal his comic book bags...because apparently they don't have scissors in America. He then caused us to almost miss several flights because he would insist on taking almost 100 CDs in his carry on bag, and later because he would transport dozens of DVDs in cereal boxes (sealed with tons of tape) because he didn't trust them not to lose his suitcase. Of course they set the alarms off and he'd have to unpack everything, then he'd insist on spending 40 minutes repacking everything exactly as it was.
Anyone else want to share?
Sep 18th 2005 | 9:42 am
#22
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 1,664
From: Ottawa
Re: I was stopped at security because...
Mmmm, think I can go one better - never try to get through US airport security with a prosthetic limb - they just don't believe you!!!
Hubbie ALWAYS sets off the walk-thru machine - Canadians and British security are usually rather apologetic once he rolls up the trouser leg, but in the US??? Yeah, its the "Let's see the sole of your shoes" thing - ever tried standing on one leg, that isn't really there at all!!!?? It's like a metal bar with a foot on the end - where's he hiding the bomb then??? Only in America!!Duhh!
Hubbie ALWAYS sets off the walk-thru machine - Canadians and British security are usually rather apologetic once he rolls up the trouser leg, but in the US??? Yeah, its the "Let's see the sole of your shoes" thing - ever tried standing on one leg, that isn't really there at all!!!?? It's like a metal bar with a foot on the end - where's he hiding the bomb then??? Only in America!!Duhh!
Sep 18th 2005 | 9:53 am
#23
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 4,109
From: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Re: I was stopped at security because...
Sounds good in theory but would never happen, the 1st thing a hijacker says is that theres a bomb aboard
And don't forget, the 'shoe bomber' was stopped in just such a manner, when the passengers and crew on the plane tackled him.
It may annoy you but i would rather spend an extra hour at the airport because of stricter security checks and arrive at the other end safely then to be whisked through checks and get blown up mid atlantic
Not to mention, of course, that there are numerous ways to _improvise_ weapons on a plane. Do they still allow you to bring duty-free alcohol on-board, for example?
Last edited by MarkG; Sep 18th 2005 at 9:55 am.
Sep 18th 2005 | 10:14 am
#24
Class 1 Driver and Nurse
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 1,498
From: Kentville, N.S.
Re: I was stopped at security because...
[QUOTE=MarkG]
"You have nothing to lose by tackling them"
Thats not the point, the point is that generally people will DO NOTHING, how many people respond to a car alarm going off? how many rape victims were heard screaming by people who did nothing?
"this isn't the 90s anymore when people assumed they'd survive a hijacking."
I wouldn't think anyone would assume they would survive a hi-jacking, now or in the 90's
"there are numerous ways to _improvise_ weapons on a plane."
Again, not the point, the point is that extra times at security control MINIMISES the risk
"You have nothing to lose by tackling them"
Thats not the point, the point is that generally people will DO NOTHING, how many people respond to a car alarm going off? how many rape victims were heard screaming by people who did nothing?
"this isn't the 90s anymore when people assumed they'd survive a hijacking."
I wouldn't think anyone would assume they would survive a hi-jacking, now or in the 90's
"there are numerous ways to _improvise_ weapons on a plane."
Again, not the point, the point is that extra times at security control MINIMISES the risk
Last edited by andy_sheila; Sep 18th 2005 at 10:21 am.
Sep 18th 2005 | 8:34 pm
#25
Thread Starter
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,215
From: Milton, Ontario
Re: I was stopped at security because...
[QUOTE=andy_sheila]
"You have nothing to lose by tackling them"
Thats not the point, the point is that generally people will DO NOTHING, how many people respond to a car alarm going off? how many rape victims were heard screaming by people who did nothing?
"this isn't the 90s anymore when people assumed they'd survive a hijacking."
I wouldn't think anyone would assume they would survive a hi-jacking, now or in the 90's
"there are numerous ways to _improvise_ weapons on a plane."
Again, not the point, the point is that extra times at security control MINIMISES the risk
I'll admit, I'm frustrated by the queues trying to get through security, I hate having to take my shoes off so they can be x-rayed, and I always wind up behind the slowest people on earth, but I'd still rather the security be there than have nothing.
Originally Posted by MarkG
"You have nothing to lose by tackling them"
Thats not the point, the point is that generally people will DO NOTHING, how many people respond to a car alarm going off? how many rape victims were heard screaming by people who did nothing?
"this isn't the 90s anymore when people assumed they'd survive a hijacking."
I wouldn't think anyone would assume they would survive a hi-jacking, now or in the 90's
"there are numerous ways to _improvise_ weapons on a plane."
Again, not the point, the point is that extra times at security control MINIMISES the risk
I'll admit, I'm frustrated by the queues trying to get through security, I hate having to take my shoes off so they can be x-rayed, and I always wind up behind the slowest people on earth, but I'd still rather the security be there than have nothing.
Sep 18th 2005 | 9:04 pm
#26
Just Joined
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 15
From: Bristol UK
Re: I was stopped at security because...
I agree with Trish B, false legs are the worst! My husband has a false leg and he gets searched every time! We allow extra time as we know he'll be searched.
Everytime he goes through he explains that his left leg is false. As you say Canada and the UK are usually pretty good but the Americans were awful. He told one security guard he had a false leg and she screamed in his face "I'll be the judge of that!" We got searched 4 times on the way to the plane, they too tried to make him stand on the false leg to show them his shoes (eh duh?) all the time he was carrying a walking stick (one of those metal Leki trekking poles) which is basically a 4ft pole with a steel spike in the end, no one said anything about that but god forbid if you had nail clippers...
Everytime he goes through he explains that his left leg is false. As you say Canada and the UK are usually pretty good but the Americans were awful. He told one security guard he had a false leg and she screamed in his face "I'll be the judge of that!" We got searched 4 times on the way to the plane, they too tried to make him stand on the false leg to show them his shoes (eh duh?) all the time he was carrying a walking stick (one of those metal Leki trekking poles) which is basically a 4ft pole with a steel spike in the end, no one said anything about that but god forbid if you had nail clippers...
Sep 20th 2005 | 5:14 am
#27
Just beginning...
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 65
From: Norfolk
Re: I was stopped at security because...
I've several times been stopped by a leering customs officer because 'the X-ray machine has shown something odd in your hand luggage'. I know exactly what they've seen - a cylinder about an inch and a half in diameter, tapering at one end, about 8 inches long, with a battery inside.
I say nothing.
The leering and sniggering continues while they empty out my washbag, take out a box, and open it to find ... my electric toothbrush.
They generally look rather sheepish after that.
I say nothing.
The leering and sniggering continues while they empty out my washbag, take out a box, and open it to find ... my electric toothbrush.
They generally look rather sheepish after that.
Sep 23rd 2005 | 1:23 am
#28
Forum Regular
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 153
Re: I was stopped at security because...
[having travelled back and fore from canada 5 times in 10 months, i have had my fair share of security ordeals. IK have been askec to take my shoes, belt and hat off, with my hand luggage being searched, they take out the contents, (after hours of trying to cram it in in the first place). After finding that there's nothing there, I'm asked to step aside while the the security officer proceedes with the line.
Here I am, already in a mad panic for my connecting flight from Toronto to Winipeg with a BIG ski coat sow shoes, belt, hat and scarves ...AND my luggage trying to put myself back together again before I miss my flight. Talk about panic... and obviously I wouldnt get any help from the officer to even help me gather my things.
This happens to me every time I reach Toronto Airport, perhaps there's something dodgy looking about a british female aged 20 (at the time) travelling on her own to Canada.
However my worst story is when travelled from heathrow to Toronto WITH a pair of sharp scissors in my bag!
Here I am, already in a mad panic for my connecting flight from Toronto to Winipeg with a BIG ski coat sow shoes, belt, hat and scarves ...AND my luggage trying to put myself back together again before I miss my flight. Talk about panic... and obviously I wouldnt get any help from the officer to even help me gather my things.
This happens to me every time I reach Toronto Airport, perhaps there's something dodgy looking about a british female aged 20 (at the time) travelling on her own to Canada.
However my worst story is when travelled from heathrow to Toronto WITH a pair of sharp scissors in my bag!
Sep 23rd 2005 | 2:29 am
#29
Slightly Canadian
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 10,146
From: St. John's, Newfoundland
Re: I was stopped at security because...
Toronto strikes me a spectacularly inefficient at managing security for connecting flights based on my admittedly limited experience of traveling through Pearson airport. Flying from Boston via Toronto to St Johns involved a bus ride and mad dash following the flashing light to a transit security check where there was a massive line up for the one X-ray machine out of two that was manned and working. The process seemed to take no notice at all of the limited time available between connecting flights - you'd think that you'd have sufficient resource and equipment to make it speedy and safe!
Mind you it was better than security at Boston which is an absolute zoo with much shouting by security guards for no apparent gain. St John's being a small airport, security is an altogher more friendly, pleasant and efficient experience.
Mind you it was better than security at Boston which is an absolute zoo with much shouting by security guards for no apparent gain. St John's being a small airport, security is an altogher more friendly, pleasant and efficient experience.
