I always seem to be pulled aside in airport security checks!

therecklessone · 07-07-2006 01:13PM

Extended trip to Oz/NZ/US last year.

Questioned by Special Branch in Heathrow.
In Hong Kong I was told I didn't look like the picture in my passport when I was checking in, managed to convince her I am who I am!
Questioned by four seperate immigration officers at 4am in Cairns, eventually they got the message that I was only staying 3 weeks.
Arrived in Dunedin (NZ) to be asked did I mind helping with sniffer dog training, had some foreign fauna put in my pockets for pooch to sniff out.
Arrived in LA, sailed though immigration then got grilled by customs, over what exactly I don't know, I could hardly keep my eyes open after an 11 hour flight with no sleep.

Is it because I is ginger?

I wouldn't mind, but the closest I came to a security risk was when I reported a suspicious looking bag to a member of staff in LAX after it lay abandoned on the floor for ages...

Good story from years ago in Dublin. New cabin crew with Aer Lingus used to have a prank pulled on them on their first overnight. Prankster would place a vibrator in the young lady's overnight bag, she would then proceed through security, set off alarm and have her bag searched. Everyone was usually in on it. Imagine their surprise when they pulled out not one, but...;)

Altoid · 10-07-2006 10:56AM

Once when coming home from Stansted I was late for the plane. I was running to get through everything as quickly as I could and with carrying my bags I was sweating quite a lot. I heard the security guys talking about the big guy sweating in the queue and sure enough I got checked.

I do remember watching a TV show about customs people, it said there were some US official travelers that review the security checks, unfortunately I match a description of one of these so I get checked regularly as they think I could report them.

DamienH · 10-07-2006 11:22AM

GAA widow wrote:

No, I'm not, I don't even have dark hair, I'm blonde ffs! One thing I have learned from this is how to pack more carefully (dirty clothes etc) after the whole French thing. When my baggage was checked in America I was even told "I must complement you on your packing Ma'am!"

Yah I've had at least two conversations when people have gone through my bags about my choice in music. I'm 18 and it's always with like 40yo men. Dosen't bother me at all tbh.

I know a fella that has the same name as some IRA activist that gets stopped all the time aswell

AngryBadger · 10-07-2006 12:16PM

Used to happen to me all the time too, but then i used to have my hair shaved fairly tight, and wore a long black leather jacket

HelterSkelter · 10-07-2006 01:01PM

Despite what everyone seems to think you are allowed to bring Mach3 or similar blades on board the plane...

http://www.dublinairport.com/at-airport/airport-security/

"Razor blades (razors that have the blade set into a plastic moulding are allowed, but razors that can be opened and the razor blade removed are prohibited)

bullrunner · 10-07-2006 01:04PM

was coming back from washington a little while after the 911 thing with a friend...hes Irish but of middle eastern origin. FBI/airport security said they were carrying out 'random' security searches...funnily enough my friend was asked to do one of them!! cant imagine why.:D

His bag was put on some machine that checked it for something (assuming it was checking for some chemicals)

but other than that (and remember we are talking DAYS after 911) airport security was a bit of a joke getting on the planes! Quick run through a metal detector and a check of your passport and that was pretty much it!

chamlis · 10-07-2006 01:22PM

Well I remember when your one was checking my bag, before she found the penknife. My digital camera was in there. She took it out, put it on some scales, brushed it with something (same with my mobile phone). Then found the penknife, but didn't seem too bothered, just said they're not alowed, need to destroy it. Damn good knife that was.....

Hobbes · 10-07-2006 01:43PM

There is a no-fly list. This is a long list of various names of people who either (a) should not be allowed on a plane or (b) should be searched before going on the plane.

Odds on your on that list or someone with the same name is.

Also other factors can trigger a search (beyond it being random). From how you dress, to the amount of luggage you bring to how much money you spent on a ticket or if you paid by cash or credit card.

bean · 10-07-2006 02:32PM

I believe that you automatically get searched if:

You buy tickets with cash

or

If you buy a one way ticket (not round trip)

HelterSkelter · 10-07-2006 02:39PM

bean wrote:

I believe that you automatically get searched if:

You buy tickets with cash

or

If you buy a one way ticket (not round trip)

Not true about the one way ticket. Bought a ticket with cash about 10 years ago and was not searched but things may have changed since 9/11

GAA widow · 10-07-2006 03:52PM

Hobbes wrote:

There is a no-fly list. This is a long list of various names of people who either (a) should not be allowed on a plane or (b) should be searched before going on the plane.

Odds on your on that list or someone with the same name is.

Also other factors can trigger a search (beyond it being random). From how you dress, to the amount of luggage you bring to how much money you spent on a ticket or if you paid by cash or credit card.

I don't think anybody else has my name, actually (have weird surname)

I think my boyfriend would probably agree about the luggage thing though!

CrazyGirl · 10-07-2006 04:47PM

Tazzle wrote:

on a slightly similar note, i hate having to practically undress just to take a flight these days. shoes, belt, phones, wallet, jacket, whatever. bleh.

These are Standig Operation Procedures!!! They just doing their job!I fly out a lot and it doesn't bother me at all.

Red Alert · 10-07-2006 04:47PM

i wonder under data protection legislation can you access your 'threat' level?

HelterSkelter · 10-07-2006 04:50PM

CrazyGirl wrote:

These are Standig Operation Procedures!!! They just doing their job!I fly out a lot and it doesn't bother me at all.

It's just window dressing to make ordinary Joes feel more comfortable about flying. The flight crew have to go through the same checks as everyone else which is a complete joke!!

seamus · 10-07-2006 04:51PM

Ìf the guys standing at security screening don't look at your ticket (i.e. only the guy at the entrance does), then how would they know that you're "high risk"?

I'm talking about Dublin and Heathrow specifically.

GAA widow · 10-07-2006 04:59PM

Red Alert wrote:

i wonder under data protection legislation can you access your 'threat' level?

Yeah, actually. Freedom of information and all that.
Have a friend who ticked "no" to the "Have you ever been in contact with biological substances...." question on the way back to the U.S. (works in a lab over there) for a speedy exit. He was hauled in by security who questioned him extensively on why he hadn't ticked the "yes" box and his occupation. What they didn't know about him wasn't worth knowing apparently.
Seems big brother is watching alright...

CrazyGirl · 10-07-2006 05:43PM

seamus wrote:

Dublin airport no longer require you to remove all footwear - only shoes, or if the detector goes off.

I know exactly what will and won't go off, so now it's just off with with the watch, off with the belt, and out with the change. Nothing else goes off.

I did get my bag searched going through Dublin on Wednesday though. There was nothing in my bag - the only thing I can think of is that they scanned my hard-disk MP3 player and thought that the read/write heads on the disk were a sharp stabbing implement.

(This is what a hard disk would look like under the X-Ray)

one in twenty have to remove shoes and belt if get asked to!

CrazyGirl · 10-07-2006 05:46PM

HelterSkelter wrote:

It's just window dressing to make ordinary Joes feel more comfortable about flying. The flight crew have to go through the same checks as everyone else which is a complete joke!!

So does the search unit before start of their shift [edit] and everytime they leave airside!

have you ever heard bout the fed ex employee in the states?

HelterSkelter · 10-07-2006 05:59PM

CrazyGirl wrote:

So does the search unit before start of their shift!

have you ever heard bout the fed ex employee in the states?

If a pilot wants to crash the airplane the last thing he needs is a pen knife, he has all the needs with access to the controls!! Plus there is an axe in the cockpit if he wants to smash someone's head in for good measure! Why they stop pilots bringing on screwdrivers, pen knifes, etc is beyond me.

seamus · 10-07-2006 06:10PM

HelterSkelter wrote:

If a pilot wants to crash the airplane the last thing he needs is a pen knife, he has all the needs with access to the controls!! Plus there is an axe in the cockpit if he wants to smash someone's head in for good measure! Why they stop pilots bringing on screwdrivers, pen knifes, etc is beyond me.

Person X pays pilot A an undisclosed sum to carry an offensive weapon through to the boarding area. Person X has already passed through the security check clean. Pilot A meets up with person X, hands him the weapon and boards Plane W. Person X boards plane Z and uses the weapon for his own means. Pilot A gets off scott free and without having to hurt anyone.

CrazyGirl · 10-07-2006 06:17PM

seamus wrote:

Person X pays pilot A an undisclosed sum to carry an offensive weapon through to the boarding area. Person X has already passed through the security check clean. Pilot A meets up with person X, hands him the weapon and boards Plane W. Person X boards plane Z and uses the weapon for his own means. Pilot A gets off scott free and without having to hurt anyone.

very good example! and i nearly forgot! all airport staff that works airside has to go through security check everytime they go fom land- to airside!

trillianv · 10-07-2006 06:32PM

My mother ALWAYS gets her bags searched. She is 4'11" blonde hair blue eyes petite little thing....but jeez I'd be scared of her

The funniest thing happened when she came over to Ireland to visit me recently, she had to fly from Portland, Oregon to Cincinnati to London to Dublin. Her bag was scanned at all airports but was only searched in London and it was there they found............a FORK!! A full metal fork. It was in the top pocket of her suitcase. What amazed me the most it that her bag was x-rayed at the 2 previous American airports and got through...and this was her carry-on luggage. The security officer told her that if she wanted it back she would have to pay £5. What nonsense is this? Yes you can take metal stabbing implements but only if you pay the fee....she decided it wasn't worth the fiver and told the secuity officer........"May the forks be with you." :eek:

CrazyGirl · 10-07-2006 06:48PM

trillianv wrote:

My mother ALWAYS gets her bags searched. She is 4'11" blonde hair blue eyes petite little thing....but jeez I'd be scared of her

I don't think it has anything to do what you look like. I'd say it's just bad luck!

trillianv · 10-07-2006 07:01PM

CrazyGirl wrote:

I don't think it has anything to do what you look like. I'd say it's just bad luck!

Well like i said...I am afraid of her and would search her bags! And look they found a fork this time!! I knew she couldn't be trusted.

LegallyBlonde · 10-07-2006 07:28PM

I'm working and travelling in the US for the summer and have flown internally to a couple of places. Everytime i have flown, me and my irish friends are the only ones who ever get 'random selection' (or so they told us) to be searched.

After it happened a few times we were really pissed. One of my friends bags got completely searched..i mean, toothpaste taken out of box, pairs or socks opened up and checked, ridiculous stuff. This took around half an hour to complete so whilst waiting for the idiot searcher to finish we noticed that in that half hour we were the only people 'randomly' searched.

This really pissed us off and wonndered that we could not have been the only foreigners passing through the hige internation airport's security area within a half hour, which led us to wonder: Were we being searched just because we were Irish and if so does that amount to discrimination?

If anybody has had a similar experince I would love to hear about it as I intend to look into this randmo search policy in American airports.

Happy Flying

simu · 10-07-2006 07:31PM

I've been stopped a few times. Probably because I'm the opposite of a stereotypical terrorist in terms of appearance so they can say they're being unbiased.

Ruu_Old · 10-07-2006 07:37PM

LegallyBlonde wrote:

I'm working and travelling in the US for the summer and have flown internally to a couple of places. Everytime i have flown, me and my irish friends are the only ones who ever get 'random selection' (or so they told us) to be searched.

After it happened a few times we were really pissed. One of my friends bags got completely searched..i mean, toothpaste taken out of box, pairs or socks opened up and checked, ridiculous stuff. This took around half an hour to complete so whilst waiting for the idiot searcher to finish we noticed that in that half hour we were the only people 'randomly' searched.

This really pissed us off and wonndered that we could not have been the only foreigners passing through the hige internation airport's security area within a half hour, which led us to wonder: Were we being searched just because we were Irish and if so does that amount to discrimination?

If anybody has had a similar experince I would love to hear about it as I intend to look into this randmo search policy in American airports.

Happy Flying

Yep, everytime I leave Chicago O'Hare for Dublin, EVERY single bag is checked by the Department of Transport (I think thats what their badge said). I had a monopoly board in my bag, they took it out and were all checking the different names of it. Some people need to be thumped though bringing fruit through customs in the US, flies and the smell!.

killbillvol2 · 11-07-2006 01:46AM

Rushed to Dublin Airport one evening a couple of years ago to make a flight to Donegal. Had been at a kids football match which went to extra time and penalties. Dumped the car, flew through Aer Arann check in and relaxed a bit.

As I threw my big, waterproof, very-handy-for-standing-in-the-pissing-rain, manager's jacket (which I'd forgotten to change for my normal coat) on the conveyer belt to be x-rayed I had an "oh sh1t" moment.

I'd taken down the nets after the game and had my tools of the trade in the jacket pockets: 2 pliers, a roll of masking tape, a large number of cable ties and a f***ing STANLEY KNIFE! :eek:

The security guys looked at me in utter disbelief. I had enough gear to take the plane AND tie up passengers and crew!

Luckily they believed my story on the basis that no one could be so stupid as to try it for real. I can still feel the mixture of horror and embarrassment.

Chakar · 11-07-2006 03:59AM

I never go through the metal detector, can't actually because I had an operation and so I have to be frisked every time.

Ruu_Old · 11-07-2006 05:01AM

Chakar wrote:

I never go through the metal detector, can't actually because I had an operation and so I have to be frisked every time.

Hopefully some nice wimmens.

I always seem to be pulled aside in airport security checks!

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