Being a motorcycle rider I have fallen into carrying a fanny pack everywhere. I keep wallet, cell phone, calculator, map, keys, electronic Bible, company ID, pill bottle, certs, nail clipper, Visine, sun glasses, reading glasses, stop watch (I race), and a comb (sounds like a woman's purse, doesn't it?).
Upon arriving a the security check point I had to remove my coat, remove my computer from its bag, send computer and fanny pack through the metal detector, empty my pockets of all metal items, step through the metal detector, submit to be wanded all over and touched in various places on my body and have my fanny pack emptied of its contents and inspected. To my surprise, security found an Old Timer 3-inch knife in one of the pouches of my fanny pack. I had fogotten I had put it in there. At this point I was approached by a security supervisor who informed me that the knife could not go on the plane. My options were to go back down stairs through ticketing and check it or have it confiscated. I recommended he give it to the pilot, in jest. There apparently weren't any other options (such as one of them checking it for me as a service to a paying customer).
I have been carrying such a knife with me since I was twelve years old after being given one by uncle. Having nervous hands, I often use the knife to push cuticles, trim nails and otherwise fidget with it. Rather than go all the way back down stairs, through the ticket line and back through security I told the security man to dispose of it (I think they just throw such things away). I boarded the plane for Kansas City (switch-over there),
Upon arriving at Kansas City airport I had to walk about a hundred yards from the gate I arrived at to the gate for the flight to Las Vegas. Although I had already been through security at RDU I had to submit to even more intense scrutiny here than I had undergone there.
This time they discover that my money clip has a fold-out fingernail file and small blade (2 inches)! Well, this is really serious, armed guards close in to support the security supervisor as he confronts ke about the clip not being allowed on the plane. I told him to do what he had to do. This response was not sufficient for him. He continued to tell me that the clip was not allowed on the plane. At this point, I got a little irritated and told him that I had just had a pocket knife confiscated at RDU and now it looked like I was going to be out $30.00 worth of perxonal property. I told him this was just harassment. He told me that I was not being harasses, that this was for MY safety. I told him that if this was was what I had to endure I would not be flying agian. Well, with those unpleasantries exchanged, I proceeded on to get my boarding pass less my money clip.
The particular airline I was flying does not assign seats. I got a boarding pass with a number 78 on it. After sitting in the waiting area a few minutes an announcement came over the intercom that the holder of boarding pass 78 was to come to the gate. That being me I went to the gate and was informed that I had been 'randomly' selected for additional security check. I submitted to this without comment while the security supervisor looked on.
Finally, after three very intrusive, offensive security checks I arived in Las Vegas.
On my return trip I went through security three times again, being randomly selected in Kansas City after going through standard checks at the gate. This time however, I was completely out of sharp objects.
Several years ago I went to Uzbekistan on a business trip. When I arrived at the Tashkent airport at 1:00AM I was greeted (if you can call their demeanor a greeting) by dead-pan serious security officials who took my passport and went behind closed doors to evaluate it. After several uncomfortable minutes without my passport in an airport where Russian and Uzbeki were the only spoken languages, my passport was returned and I was allowed to enter their country, No one frisked me or went through my personal belongings. By the way, I was carring the same Old Timer that was confiscated in Raleigh, North Carolina.
by Randy Lucas 11/30/01