Airport security or lack of...

[devilish]

I've just recently traveled back from Italy through Milano Bergamo airport and really have to question their security measures.

After a cracking day at a local Sunday market enjoying lots of free wine and pizza, one of the pizza vendors handed me a large pizza cutting knife. Now I'm half canned when this happens so I thank him for the gift and put it in my side pocket of my shorts and think nothing else of it.

On the Monday I'm in the airport and go to check-in and my bags get weighed, nice Italian lady tells me my bag is over weight and I need to pay 30 euros or I can transfer a kilo or 2 into my hand luggage and she'll waive the fee. So I transfer some kit only to get home and find said blade still in the side pocket of my shorts which I had transferred into my hand luggage along with some other stuff, this hand luggage had gone through the x-ray machine at the airport! The blade is around 4 inches long, serrated edged with the word 'PIZZA' cut into the blade it's self!

Anyone else ever experienced this lack of security?

 

[mick_sterbs]

Surely it went through as a 'Cultural icon'

or some such

 

[Blogg]

Couple of years back there was a story about a bloke who was found by cabin crew to have taken a half full plastic petrol container through security and on board as hand baggage.

Pretty sure that was Italy as well.

Found it!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/uk/2248706.stm

 

[BrunoNoMedals]

When my gran flew over from Oz a few years ago she thought it would be a brilliant idea to bring some home-cooking with her. Now she's a brilliant cook, so it's not something I'd usually take issue with, but we do have kitchens and a wide variety of ingredients in this country too. But no, she got it all prepared and in a tupperware box then bunged it in her hand luggage for the 24h flight over.

When I first opened our fridge after her arrival I was greeted with the most Godawful blast of garlic I've ever had the misfortune of smelling. It nearly knocked me clean out. I can only imagine, in horror, what the passengers of the plane thought when it all got caught up in the air-con and cycled around the cabin for a full day.

Barring the rules on carriage of food across borders (which I don't really understand), this must surely have been as dangerous as a blade in your pocket or petrol in the overhead! It's not like you even needed an Xray machine to detect it!

 

[zenith69uk]

They let me take my goats cheese back too!!!

 

[devilish]

They let me take my goats cheese back too!!!

As well as the goat?!?

Shouldn't you be working or something?

 

[zenith69uk]

Just leaving now....

 

[vvaannmmaann]

"Look out Sarge,he's armed with a thin,cheap metal wheel on wooden handle!"

 

[devilish]

"Look out Sarge,he's armed with a thin,cheap metal wheel on wooden handle!"

Re-read the post ya muppet. 4 inch serrated blade. Not the shite you buy out of TK Maxx.

 

[fatcakes]

Had to dash for a flight when i was on a course in 2006. Was an internal flight from Bristol to ABZ. Being in a hurry I had not checked through my hand luggage which had come straight out the back of the rover and had my dancing kit shoved in then off to the airport. got through checkin and security no dram at all apart from my boots which set the detectors off..... Got home and unpacked my dancing kit and also found the following items
1) Electrical tool kit including screw drivers, snips and a gas soldering iron amongst other things
2) Imitation leatherman
3) Fuel bottle for stove

 

[devilish]

Had to dash for a flight when i was on a course in 2006. Was an internal flight from Bristol to ABZ. Being in a hurry I had not checked through my hand luggage which had come straight out the back of the rover and had my dancing kit shoved in then off to the airport. got through checkin and security no dram at all apart from my boots which set the detectors off..... Got home and unpacked my dancing kit and also found the following items
1) Electrical tool kit including screw drivers, snips and a gas soldering iron amongst other things
2) Imitation leatherman
3) Fuel bottle for stove
4) Leather gimp mask
5) Dog collar and lead

Sorry mate, couldn't resist.

 

[fatcakes]

Cheers mate. Long time no see.... As you may have guessed I'm not in much these days? Why you not on TOSCA?

 

[devilish]

Wasn't financially worth my while. I'd have ended up breaking out about even on my civvie/TA earnings.

 

[smallbrownprivates]

When my gran flew over from Oz a few years ago she thought it would be a brilliant idea to bring some home-cooking with her. Now she's a brilliant cook, so it's not something I'd usually take issue with, but we do have kitchens and a wide variety of ingredients in this country too. But no, she got it all prepared and in a tupperware box then bunged it in her hand luggage for the 24h flight over.

When I first opened our fridge after her arrival I was greeted with the most Godawful blast of garlic I've ever had the misfortune of smelling. It nearly knocked me clean out. I can only imagine, in horror, what the passengers of the plane thought when it all got caught up in the air-con and cycled around the cabin for a full day.

Barring the rules on carriage of food across borders (which I don't really understand), this must surely have been as dangerous as a blade in your pocket or petrol in the overhead! It's not like you even needed an Xray machine to detect it!

Described by Anthony Bourdain as:
"Its taste can only be described as...indescribable, something you will either love or despise. ...Your breath will smell as if you'd been French-kissing your dead grandmother."[

THESE are banned from most South East asian flights and hotels because of the smell

 

[vvaannmmaann]

"Look out Sarge,he's armed with a thin,cheap metal wheel on wooden handle!"

Re-read the post ya muppet. 4 inch serrated blade. Not the shite you buy out of TK Maxx.

"Look out Sarge,he's armed thin,cheap 4 inch(serrated) knife with Pizza written on it"

 

[jinxy]

The Pizza cuting knife????????????

That would be the handle with a wheel on, yes

 

[FiveAlpha]

Flying with 3 mates from Canada to Las Vegas a few years ago. On returning to Canada mate looks in side of holdall and suddenly pulls out 15 rds of loose 5.56mm. This was pre 9/11 but even so! Later found out it was a malicious stitch-up. Malicious tool was 'maliciously' dealt with.

 

[thegimp]

I've just got off an asskrackistan internal flight, I was tickled to see (and pinch) tie on labels for luggage stating

FIREARMS AND AMMUNITION

They like their hunting out here

 

[scrofula]

It's a well-known fact, especially amongst spooks, that terrorists ONLY travel by air. Especially after Schengen, in Europe, they are pathologically afraid of train and road travel because of their totally unregulated border crossing facility. I mean, going all the way from the outer edge of Hungary all the way to Calais without your passport being looked at once, to say nothing of your bags? Makes the old terrorism a bit peasy, doesn't it? No flair or reputation in that. And as for the jolly old United States of Bewildered People, down the local gunstore, 15,000 rounds of .45 please, just go home and take the powder out of them.... Airport security? Just getting those of us who haven't served used to irritating old faggots in uniform who have an agenda written down for them in capital letters with an accompanying sketch for those hard of hearing. For it is written, such shall be the shufflers of men.

 

[theiftaker]

Its not just the Wop airport security that was lacking. I take it the knife was'nt spotted on landing here?
Always remember the people manning the Xray machines and Metal detection barriers are paid just above minimum wage, When I did a few day at Heathrow on an Xray machine, We were supposed to be on the machine in 20 minute stags to prevent us going bog eyed staring at a screen.
In reality I was on there for 3-4 hours at a time and had to fight to stay motivated and concentrate on what was passing across the screen.
I saw guy sat at the station reading, playing on gameboys or sleeping after being lulled to sleep watching a stream of bags going across the screen.