Airports & Knives

RDaneel

RDaneel

Joined
Apr 23, 2000
Messages
5,501
I travel a lot because of work (16 weeks a year) and have always carried a small Swiss Army Knife tossed in my briefcase to get through the metal detector. No problems in airports: US, Japan, or Germany.

But I just bought a Benchmade 705 with the 5/100ths of an inch less than 3 inch blade.

So, what can I look forward to as far as hassles, etc?
 
I've asked the same question before with varying responses. Most people have indicated that the FAA allows up to a 4" blade in a folding knife, but individual security guards get the willies about black blades or serrations of any length.

I'm about to travel on UPS, believe it or not, and I plan to carry a 705 with plain edge and no BT2 from Atlanta on an international flight... in my pocket.
I will definitely put it in the change bucket before going thru the detector.

We'll see what happens!!


wayne
 
I carry a plain edged BM705. At the airport I put it in my briefcase. That way the guards only see it on the xray screen, not the little bowl next to the metal detectors. Never had a problem this way at these airports:

Baltimore Washington International
Washington Dulles
La Guardia
Los Angeles (not even when they were checking everyone's bag for bomb residue)

David
 
Aha,
I was wondering when this would come up.
I have successfully carried my BM CQC7 "SpecWar" model the one with the 3.25" blade.
Bead blasted plain edge.
Leatherman Supertool also.

The CQC7 raised an eyebrow in NJ - I just remained calm and confident and stated that federal regulations allow carry of less than 4". After a slight bit of consternation, they let me pass.

Airports:
JAX - several times
Newark - several times
Paris Charles deGaul (sp?) twice
CT -Hartford- several times

Carried SAK - Tinker model and was threatened with confiscation if I did not check it at the gate in NJ - this was 2.5 years ago.
They did not confiscate it.

Has anyone had their knife confiscated at the airport?

What reason did they give you?
Was it returned to you later?

------------------
RKBA!
Click Here To Make $5with Paypal!
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I carried a manual kestral to Oregon last weeks and no problems at all
smile.gif


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Thank you , Mike Kyle.
 
My brother just lost a spydercard in canada on the way to london..... They said he could not take it with him unless checked in baggage.....serrations... They xrayed his wallet and saw the square with the hole ...say bye bye

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You can tell a knife nut by their hairless arms....
 
My experience: never had problems, always followed guidelines:
  • nonserrated blade under 3".
  • Always put it in the basket.
  • Be cool and show that you know it is legal.

My opinion: "hiding" a knife in your briefcase is just not worthy. They may see it on X-ray or even when they ask you to open for some other reason. Then, if your knife is totally OK legal, you may just get away with some "nasty" looks. If it is questionable, you may lose it.

So, always put it in the basket and in the worst case you'll be asked to check it in.

And also, there is a stereotype formed here in the forums that airport security guards are undereducated rent-a-cops. Well, some may be but some are not. In few ocassions I had doubts about my knife, so I looked for a "responsibly looking" guard and asked a question. They're people too.
smile.gif


Kris


[This message has been edited by jeegeet (edited 04-24-2000).]
 
I carry a Spyderco "Q" on me at all times, even when flying (and even a cruise).

I leave it clipped to the adjustment band of my baseball cap, and it has never set off a metal detector yet.

------------------
Clay
www.balisongxtreme.com
Because......
getting 'em open
is half the fun!
 
Oh yes, I need to add that I put ALL my stuff in the little tray.

CQC7
Supertool
Large bunch of keys with Micra attached
Wallet
Surefire 6P
Pens
(this makes a big pile!)
wink.gif


It is odd though, I have noticed that stuff put in there does not receive a great deal of scrutiny - generally.

Not one "guard" bothered to open my leatherman to see what was inside the handles.

------------------
RKBA!
Click Here To Make $5with Paypal!
Pay ANYONE With Your Visa/MC Over the Internet!
 
I know airports hate serrations because my wife had a Spyderco Pink LadyBug and it was confiscated by an airport security official. It was seen in her carry on pack when going through the xray machine.
Her car keys were even attached to it. The reasons were given: NO serrations of any sort what so ever no matter what the blade length is. Also, they told me NO blades over 3.5" allowed either, even though the LadyBug's blade was much shorter. Never did get her knife back, I gotta stinkin feeling that the airport security female official that took it away from my wife now has it on her key ring
frown.gif
At least the keys were taken off and given back to my wife!

Mark


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" Knife Collectors Are Sharp People - Most of the time that is! "
 
Case Peanut, they don't even look twice. Matter of fact I do a bit of carving on the plane, I guess that 1" blade just doesn't invoke the dark powers of fear in the flight staff....
smile.gif


Brandon

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"You should never never doubt what nobody is sure about..."
 
At D/FW there is a big chain restaraunt just INSIDE security where they put big steak knices (4.3" blade measured tip to handle!) that are > half serrated. have to be because they aren't real sharp. Imagine trying to carry one in the airport....

BTW, if you carry an auto, better make sure it is D/A and very hidden release...D/A bolster release??

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Dances with lemmings
Accept M/C, VISA free, 5$ bonus to sign on.
 
The conventional wisdom (gleaned from the forums and mostly confirmed by my experience) for USA domestic flights is "Plain edge, under 4" with most folks keeping it down to 3", nothing that's in-your-face "nasty," no autos, no fixed blades.

The conventional wisdom (gleaned from the forums) for flying in or to or from anywhere in the UK is "Nothing sharp, and clip your fingernails short," but you can get away with a Swiss Army or Leatherman in public, and maybe a modest lockblade folder as long as you stay out of the sort of watering holes that have security checks at the door, and don't go out of your way to annoy a cop.

Other jurisdictions - ??


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- JKM
www.chaicutlery.com
AKTI Member # SA00001
 
A while back traveling to central America I was able to get down there ok with a swiss army knife but comeing back I almost lost it. No knives period (unless checked) that was in the late 80s.

Last year traveling to singapore and Sydney I carried a Spyderco drangon Fly as a money clip and a Harpy (with a serrated blade) in my small tool kit. No problem in singapore however leaving Sydney the guy looked at the Harpy for a second without opening it then tossed it back in the tool kit.

I'am flying to Canada in a couple of weeks and I think I will take my CS small voyager and the dragon fly and my Leatherman.
will see what happens.

I was thinking about my carring my custom Buck 110 but I think I will pass since it is an international flight even though the blade is only 3 7/8" long.

Has anyone tryed to carry a Buck 110 on domestic flights?
What problems if any did you encounter?

There is no man worth a leke,
Be he sturdy, be he meke,
But he bear a basilard.




 
There was a good suggestion in a similar thread some time ago. Take a padded, Stamped self adressed envelope with you when you travel on the airlines.If anyone gives you a hassle, you can just stick the knife in the envelope and mail it in the main concourse area.There are always mailboxes there.Might save you from losing a nice knife.One thing is for sure, there is an incredible amount of inconsistency in the enforcement of carry-on blades.
David

AKTI#150
NCCKG
 
Well, I'm doing some travelling soon, so I checked with the FAA. It turns out that "4-inch folder" is a guideline, not a law. It's up to local laws (where the airport in question is located) and individual airlines, as to what is allowed. So call the airline ahead of time. Get their rules, get the name and number for whoever you talk to (give a security guard some specific person to call, and there shouldn't be a problem), and follow the previous suggestion of mailing your knife home, rather than losing it (probably a good reason to be a little extra early to the airport, huh?).

--JB

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e_utopia@hotmail.com
 
With the different laws from state to state, & not even considering other countries, I feel one of the smartest things to do is to carry a knife that you are willing to leave behind if necessary. Usually in this situation, you don't have enough time to get it put in your carry-on bag & sent to the cargo hold with the rest of your luggage. I know it has to hurt to give up one of your knives unjustly, but hey, another plane ticket in most cases would cost you more than the knife would. Just I.M.H.O.
smile.gif
.
 
Thanks for all the input. This forum is great. I'll speak softly and carry a small knife at the airport next week.

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"When I get a little money I buy [knives]; and if any is left I buy food and clothes." Erasmus (slightly edited)
 
Sunday night I dropped my wife off for a United Airlines flight at Denver International Airport. In the United baggage checkin area they had a display case showing things that were forbidden to bring into the concourse area and on the planes. Included was a belt sheath for a folding knive (but someone had swiped the knife) and a slide-blade razor utility knife.

It's funny, but they are real particular about the razor knife. My wife cuts a lot of boxes in her work. I got her a small slide blade utility knife for her keyring. It made it to Phoenix on her last trip, but they made her remove the blades on the return flight.

I go through airport security a couple times a month. I usually confine myself to carrying an Adventurer model SAK at these times. It has a locking 3.25" blade and has never been a problem. I always drop it with a lot of stuff in the pass-through tray. This time the guard looked at it and measured the blade against a mark on the X-ray machine. I estimate that he was comparing it to 4". He also looked at a funny little knife that I gave my wife for the trip. It is mostly plastic with a thin 2" sliding blade of "surgical steel".
 
On a recent trip to Europe I carried a medium stockman in a small pouch and a Tool Logic card in my wallet and had no problems. I've had no problems with a large stockman at the Portland, OR airport, which is also in a small pouch. Security in Frankfurt, Germany said folders the size of Swiss Army knives were no problems, but no lockblades or fixed blades. A few years back security in Madrid made the flight crew carry my medium sized Puma lockblade.
 
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