Airport Confiscations

S

sfitterman

Joined
Jun 15, 2004
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I don't know if this thread has been done yet, but if not I'd be surprised!

How many of us have found ourselves going through screening at the airport only to realize we forgot to leave our SAK at home!

I have had 1 Vic Classic and 1 Wenger Serrated Master confiscated...

Where do these knives go? They never mail them to you like they say they might... I also heard about a woman who started a company that contracts with airports in the NYC area to mail home anything that is confiscated. Any truth to this?

What have you had confiscated? Just to make me feel better... :mad:
 
My wife had her Leatherman Micra confiscated from her keychain on the way home from our trip. It wasn't dangerous enough to confiscate on the way to our destination though. :rolleyes:
 
About a year ago the family and I went to FLA. Kids had scissors in their crayon boxes, that were not even given a second look. My SAK etc. were safetly packed away in suitcases. The two things that were upsetting is that:
1. There were two women on-board with knitting needles.
2. On our layover at a very large mid-western airport I went shopping and saw a rather unusual personal grooming package. Unusual because in this post 9/11 era they were selling this package that contained a nail clipper, steel file, and steel tweezers. The last two of which more than three inches in length.

They were housed in a rather nice looking leather slip case. Maybe that is the difference!

We cant carry even a basic tool to perform basic hygene, or open those wonderful little bags of nuts that explode all over because of the way they package them. :mad:
 
I myself have had an unintentionally packaged Calypso Jr. confiscated, and there was no option of having it mailed to me or anything. My firm belief is that these objects are simply pocketed and taken home in the majority of cases. An extra perk of working TSA I guess.

Nitin
 
I had a small SAK copy that I got as a additional gift from Knifecenter when I ordered my Spyderco Military. I forgot that it was in my laptop bag so it was confiscated. The screeners offered to allow me to package it as checked luggage, which would require checking in again, or to give it up. I gave it up but would have gone to the trouble if it was something more valuable.

As an aside, I was in the bush at a gold mine one day and one of the drillers got me to hold some Ampho (explosive). The next day (about 16 hours later) I was checking to a flight to Darwin and the special sniffer machine that detects traces of es went off. I was detained for 2-hours, grilled repeatedly and missed my flight. We had to track down the feloow who got me to touch the explsives, get him up to the surface and on the phone to confirm my story before they would let me go. Won't do that again.
 
I have a friend in the TSA and acording to her all of the confiscated items are destroyed. Anyone caught stealing anything is fired and possibly prosecuted.

I'm sure people still do it but it is pretty severe if you get caught.

I can also tell quite a few horror stories of people losing some pretty expensive items at the airports.

I think a great business opportunity for a FedEx or UPS would be to setup a kiosk where you could ship your "banned" item safely back home. Even just a drop box with packaging would work.

Neko2
 
I fly a lot, and try to be careful, 'cause I don't won't to loose any of my stuff. I have wound up checking what was intended to be a carry-on bag at the last minute because I realized I was still carrying my edc's when I was in the ticket line.

Not only can't you take sharp, pointy things, but you can't carry a butane "torch" lighter, or butane fuel. I use a Zippo, which is okay, but can't carry on extra fuel.
 
A lot of your confiscated stuff winds up on Ebay. I've California do it, they simply lump it under lost and abandoned property.
 
sfitterman said:
I don't know if this thread has been done yet, but if not I'd be surprised!

How many of us have found ourselves going through screening at the airport only to realize we forgot to leave our SAK at home!

I have had 1 Vic Classic and 1 Wenger Serrated Master confiscated...

Where do these knives go? They never mail them to you like they say they might... I also heard about a woman who started a company that contracts with airports in the NYC area to mail home anything that is confiscated. Any truth to this?

What have you had confiscated? Just to make me feel better... :mad:
Click to expand...


I got my Vic Classic confiscated as well (Jan 2002 , pretty close to 9/11) but when I lost all hope @ Vacouver Airport I saw a little yellow box moving toward me with my name on it and you guy know what inside, right :).

But this was a GOOD lesson and I'm really cautious from that on. And sman, sorry to hear that :(, I knew your pain.
 
My dad's SAK Tinker was confiscated at a Hong Kong airport. The Hong Kongnese security guard gave him the option of giving it up or mailing it home. Since my dad was on a tight schedule, he had to give it up. The security guard dropped the Tinker into a garbage bin and smiled gently, but my dad said he was certian the security guard did not let the garbage man take out the trash... The funny thing was the "yellow alert" USA airport didn't detect the SAK, but the Hong Kong airport did.
Another story involving my dad was when the Phillipean (sp) airport confiscated his SAK Hunter. However, the Phillipean airport was alot nicer and fairer IMO. The Phillipean airport locked the Hunter in a secure safe on the airplane, and the Hunter was returned to my dad after the plane had landed.
 
The airlines should implemnt a 'Fess Up' or 'Opps I forgot' or "DUH Im dumb as a bowl of mice' section where you can just hand it over for the duration of the flight, seriously, how much stuff would there really be? There is so much metal on an airplane anyway, anyone determined enough could use any number of things as a weapon.
 
I think the safe idea would be the most fair, I honestly don't know why they don't just do that. It's much less of a hassle and will probably piss off alot less customers...
 
Temper said:
The airlines should implemnt a 'Fess Up' or 'Opps I forgot' or "DUH Im dumb as a bowl of mice' section where you can just hand it over for the duration of the flight, seriously, how much stuff would there really be? There is so much metal on an airplane anyway, anyone determined enough could use any number of things as a weapon.
Click to expand...

This is a great idea, but it will never 'fly', because if they give it to you after the flight, then you are inside security for your connecting flight, they would have no way of detecting it before you got on the next leg of your journey.

They should always give you the option to check it to your final destination though, assuming you have time...
 
In Canada they are going to start a "dropbox" of sorts so that you may claim your tool on the way back......about time.
Since 911 the Airports in Canada have seized more than 800,000 knives scissors tweezers etc at our airports. :eek:
I do know that in Vancouver the seized goods....at least whats left after being gleaned by staff insiders.....all end up at the Womens Hospital Auxilliary where the profits for them go to the hospital.

Kap
 
911 has done some serious damage to both Wenger and Victorinox.
Wenger N.A.(the U.S. distributor) in fact had to go under the bankruptcy protection act and I hear that Vic-Nox's sales after 911 slipped by up to 70%!
The Swiss army companys are just starting to see improvement to their sales this year after a long dark period. :grumpy:

Kap
 
kapt kopter said:
911 has done some serious damage to both Wenger and Victorinox.
Wenger N.A.(the U.S. distributor) in fact had to go under the bankruptcy protection act and I hear that Vic-Nox's sales after 911 slipped by up to 70%!
The Swiss army companys are just starting to see improvement to their sales this year after a long dark period. :grumpy:

Kap
Click to expand...

it must of had the same effect on leatherman and other companys like gerber or spyderco but i cant see people saying ' i wont buy that as i cant take it on my carry on luggage ' . I would of thought that there sales might have gone up due to peoples awareness going up .If your switched on then you would make sure it was safely in the hold baggage .
 
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