I flew from Boise to Ohare and back last week with my old EZ-out ( 3.5 inch blade, partly serrated).
Well, like I had decided I took the knife off my waistband put it in the tray:
Boise-Chicago= No problem, they didn't even open it.
Chicago-Boise= The woman opened it and said, "you can't take this." I asked her "why not, whats wrong?" She said, "It's a WEAPON."
To shorten long story, she walked me over to the United counter where you check odd sized stuff and handed me off. They took my knife, and began to tape it onto the inside of a cardboard box, and got it ready to go down the black hole with a conveyor belt.
Well I had a little time on my hands so I said, "what is wrong with this knife exactly, I've been flying for over two years with it and have had no problems till now."
She looked on her computer and said "knives LESS than 4 inches are prohibited." I felt she had read it wrong, so I asked her about carrying a really large knife (5 or 6 inches), would that be OK? Her answer, "It's a weapon." I then asked her about carrying a 1/2 inch bladed knife...Her answer, "No."
I said, "I don't believe it. I would like to see it in the regulations, please."
Well they actually made me a printout (I guess they are not supposed to) she tore off the header so I couln't prove where it came from and handed it to me.
Side note: She was very polite and sedate through our entire exchange, I wonder if they give all the ground agents valum during the holidays?
The list:
"- The following items may be permitted into the sterile area in the airport as long as the items are permitted onboard due to size/ available storage space restrictions.
Baseball bats, cameras, cricket bats, Gold clubs (2), Hockey sticks, Knitting needles, Letter openers, personal audible alarms, POCKET UTILITY KNIVES WITH BLADES LESS THAN 4 INCHES (emphasis added by me), pool cues, scissors, trade tools, bowling balls, camcorders, darts, fishing poles, horse shoes, laptop computers, parachutes - without cartridge, restraining devices, ski poles, "unbrellas"."
By the time I got the printout my knife was gone.
I took the sheet with me through security got the supervisor and pitched a (little) fit. She asked it the knife were SERRATED? I said "yes, a little bit by the handle." She said that that was the reason; "no serrated blades."
I asked a friend, a police officer assigned to the airport, about the incident. He checked into it and confirmed the unwritten no serrated edges policy. However he said you can carry ammunition
(up to 9 lbs. or so) as long as it is in the original packaging.
It seems to me that the knife policy is pretty stupid and arbitrary.
Heck with trying to be low key, I'm going to start carrying my Spyderco Military plain edge (3 7/8 inches) and a 4 inch ruler along with me to prove it.
Got to protect myself from all the baseball bat, ski pole, bowling ball, Gold club, ammunition, and knitting needle wielding maniacs!
Know-what-I-mean?
Regards,
Stocky
[This message has been edited by Stocky (edited 22 December 1999).]
Well, like I had decided I took the knife off my waistband put it in the tray:
Boise-Chicago= No problem, they didn't even open it.
Chicago-Boise= The woman opened it and said, "you can't take this." I asked her "why not, whats wrong?" She said, "It's a WEAPON."
To shorten long story, she walked me over to the United counter where you check odd sized stuff and handed me off. They took my knife, and began to tape it onto the inside of a cardboard box, and got it ready to go down the black hole with a conveyor belt.
Well I had a little time on my hands so I said, "what is wrong with this knife exactly, I've been flying for over two years with it and have had no problems till now."
She looked on her computer and said "knives LESS than 4 inches are prohibited." I felt she had read it wrong, so I asked her about carrying a really large knife (5 or 6 inches), would that be OK? Her answer, "It's a weapon." I then asked her about carrying a 1/2 inch bladed knife...Her answer, "No."
I said, "I don't believe it. I would like to see it in the regulations, please."
Well they actually made me a printout (I guess they are not supposed to) she tore off the header so I couln't prove where it came from and handed it to me.
Side note: She was very polite and sedate through our entire exchange, I wonder if they give all the ground agents valum during the holidays?
The list:
"- The following items may be permitted into the sterile area in the airport as long as the items are permitted onboard due to size/ available storage space restrictions.
Baseball bats, cameras, cricket bats, Gold clubs (2), Hockey sticks, Knitting needles, Letter openers, personal audible alarms, POCKET UTILITY KNIVES WITH BLADES LESS THAN 4 INCHES (emphasis added by me), pool cues, scissors, trade tools, bowling balls, camcorders, darts, fishing poles, horse shoes, laptop computers, parachutes - without cartridge, restraining devices, ski poles, "unbrellas"."
By the time I got the printout my knife was gone.
I took the sheet with me through security got the supervisor and pitched a (little) fit. She asked it the knife were SERRATED? I said "yes, a little bit by the handle." She said that that was the reason; "no serrated blades."
I asked a friend, a police officer assigned to the airport, about the incident. He checked into it and confirmed the unwritten no serrated edges policy. However he said you can carry ammunition
It seems to me that the knife policy is pretty stupid and arbitrary.
Heck with trying to be low key, I'm going to start carrying my Spyderco Military plain edge (3 7/8 inches) and a 4 inch ruler along with me to prove it.
Got to protect myself from all the baseball bat, ski pole, bowling ball, Gold club, ammunition, and knitting needle wielding maniacs!
Know-what-I-mean?
Regards,
Stocky
[This message has been edited by Stocky (edited 22 December 1999).]
