sir_eccles

BBC News - Heathrow issues must-be-charged gadget advice

None of which makes logical sense to me. If it's a bomb surely it doesn't matter if it is powered off and in your checked luggage or switched on in your carry on. Anyway remember to put fresh batteries in your wife's personal items as they will want to check it works.

Sally Redux

British Airways has said that its customers face being made to rebook if they are found in possession of an uncharged device.

What a Carry On.

Pulaski

If it's in your carry-on you can access it and activate it by hand. If it's in your checked luggage it would need a timer or other form of activation (tilt switch + timer, pressure sensor, etc), which would make the device more complex, and (hopefully) make it show up on the security screening.

lansbury

I haven't seen a device hidden inside something, the size of a laptop or smaller, which hasn't required most of the inside of the object to be removed. If the device works it is a reasonable, but not foolproof, indication it hasn't been tampered with. The powered off in the hold suggests they have specific information about what they are trying to prevent.

markonline1

It may not seem logical, and a farce etc etc, but as someone that worked 6 years at Heathrow doing airport security, they obviously have a credible threat. As mentioned before, one of the checks of electrical items is to have them turned on. Clearly, they aren't taking any chances and are saying if you can't turn it on, you can't take it with you.
Just as a little side note, that's me in the photo stopping the aircraft (genuinely)

BunnyGirl

Seriously? That's awesome!

Pulaski

I think you mean "brilliant", or are you flaunting the fact that you've gone native?

sir_eccles

The best security is the stuff you don't notice. Broadcasting what you are doing is basically hoping that they don't bother trying because they think you are on to them, when in reality everyone knows that the TSA et al have been utterly incompetent at detecting anything.

lansbury

Good idea that. Don't tell anyone that they will need to turn their device on and it must work. Thereby increasing the number of devices with flat batteries and increasing the inconvenience caused. Somehow I think the people putting out the information have the intelligence to say what needs to be said, and keep quiet about the rest.

Pulaski

The funny thing is that pre-flight security made a big deal about turning my SLR camera on, to prove it was a functioning camera eight years ago. I was somewhat purplexed and concerned because security wanted to open it up, and it was a film camera, in the dying days of the era of film cameras, and after digital cameras had already become popular.

I was preparing to have to rewind the partially exposed film back into its canister to save the pictures I had already taken if the security officer continued to make a big deal and to ignore my protestations that it was already "turned on", because it is a film camera, not a digital one. .... The location of this cutting edge security screening and/or concern about a hotbed of terrorist activity? Tel Aviv? Cairo? Lahore? JFK? ..... No, George FL Charles airport, St Lucia!

Sally Redux

*wolf whistle*

BunnyGirl

Oops...

sir_eccles

Sorry what were you saying about farce?

US security at Phoenix, Arizona, airport misses man with loaded gun boarding flight to UK | Metro News

Sally Redux

Too busy checking vibrators.

kimilseung

I thought it was already part of the system for some time now, that electronics had to be useable. Maybe it was just in some countries and not others. I can not remember where I have been asked to turn devices on now.