Airport Security
Monday, 13 May 2013The trouble – well one of the many troubles – with airport security is it’s inconsistent. What they want done in one place they don’t in another. So it’s shoes on or off, belts on or off and sometimes the scanning sensitivity set so high that a credit card sets it off. Although mysteriously watches never seem to cause trouble. Recent experiences:
Hobart (Australia)
Most, but not all, airports want you to take your laptop and other ‘big’ devices out of your bag and scan them separately. So I take my laptop and iPad out and I’m told ‘put your iPad back in your bag.’ So I do and then something else in my bag causes suspicion and I have to take it out again.
London Heathrow (UK)
Not only do liquids (under 100ml) have to be taken out of your bag and scanned separately they have to be put in Heathrow’s own transparent bag and sealed up. The bag that was quite OK at London Gatwick a week earlier is not good enough for Heathrow.
New York JFK (USA)
No requirement to separately scan liquids and, wonder of wonders, there’s a long enough lead in to the X-ray machine that you’ve got time to sort things out, remove shoes and generally disrobe, before you reach the machine. At the American Airlines terminal at least.
