quote:

Originally posted by ulsterman:

There were items in my luggage that wasn't mine.

Yeah, that happens sometimes.

I flew out of Phoenix with a gun last weekend. I've done it countless times. It really isn't bad at PHX. The regs are so stupid and the swabbing of the luggage really tries my patience and ability to keep from asking the TSA drone why he thinks I'd invite the extra scrutiny a checked gun involves if I were also bringing a bomb. God, the TSA is so mindless and useless. But seriously, there are worse airports for this stuff than PHX. I had to clear my P220 in front of a huge line of people at the ticket counter at Chicago Midway about 25 yrs. ago. That was fun.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by ulsterman:

There were items in my luggage that wasn't mine.

Yeah, that happens sometimes.

I ended up with 4 small brown canvas zippered bags. I called our son "not mine." I called the mental midgets at TSA and they gave me the "that occassionally happens." I threw them away.

quote:

Originally posted by ulsterman:
When I fly with firearms, I stay with them while they get inspected.

Why?

I flew out of an Oregon airport. When I got home, there was a notice that my luggage was randomly selected for a search.

There were items in my luggage that wasn't mine.

I filed a report with the TSA, their response?

"Occasionally that happens."

da fuq??? In a sensible world, I cannot see how that happens.

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH:
da fuq??? In a sensible world, I cannot see how that happens.

Whenever I flew out of SeaTac, I'd bring my suitcase to the TSA window at the end of the ticketing area and hand it to the guy, who would open it up on said big table and remove essentially everything from the suitcase. More than one agent checking more than one bag on a big table, I'm guessing in his case. It all comes out, gets put on the table, and someone gets careless. It's ridiculous that it actually happened that ulsterman got stuff that wasn't his, but I can imagine how it could.

quote:

Originally posted by P220 Smudge:
Whenever I flew out of SeaTac, I'd bring my suitcase to the TSA window at the end of the ticketing area and hand it to the guy, who would open it up on said big table and remove essentially everything from the suitcase. More than one agent checking more than one bag on a big table, I'm guessing in his case. It all comes out, gets put on the table, and someone gets careless. It's ridiculous that it actually happened that ulsterman got stuff that wasn't his, but I can imagine how it could.

That's interesting. The last several times I've flown out of SeaTac (granted, it's been a few years), after checking in, you walked your bag to a partitioned TSA screening area where the TSA agent would have you unlock your bag, do a relatively cursory poke around, the standard chem sniffer wand, and then have you lock it up again and escort you back to the ticket counter to put the bag on the conveyor belt with their blessing.

Couldn't have fit another person, let alone another bag, in that space.

Is what you're describing more recent?

-Rob

A few times yearly between 2010 and 2022. Often enough it was what you describe, but it seems like the last few times, whole piles of clothes came out of my bag. There was room to walk around in there, and some of those folding tables. Definitely wasn't the size of a small closet or something.

quote:

Originally posted by P220 Smudge:

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH:
da fuq??? In a sensible world, I cannot see how that happens.

Whenever I flew out of SeaTac, I'd bring my suitcase to the TSA window at the end of the ticketing area and hand it to the guy, who would open it up on said big table and remove essentially everything from the suitcase. More than one agent checking more than one bag on a big table, I'm guessing in his case. It all comes out, gets put on the table, and someone gets careless. It's ridiculous that it actually happened that ulsterman got stuff that wasn't his, but I can imagine how it could.

I now lock my luggage with non TSA locks. If they want in it, they can escort me to the search area.

Getting some one elses items was bad enough but their attitude "Meh, sometimes it happens", was amazing to me.

One time at some airport, I can't remember where I had to go down to the end of the counter and a female TSA agent had me show her the guns in the case were not loaded... every other time I just either showed or told the Delta or American Clerk that the guns were unloaded and filled out the paper work and they actually put it in the case and I locked it up and then closed up my checked bag it was in and they took it and told me to wait 20 minutes... I usually wait about 10 and then head up to the barefoot beltless line.

There is no rhyme or reason on how firearms are treated.

Once place, I open the bag, they glance in it, I fill out the form and put it on to.

Another place takes me to TSA and opens the containers.

Another makes me wait while they just xray the bag.

I've been around a long time, I guess. In my younger days, as a Cop and later a Prosecutor I could fly on "official business" with my trusty old Smith snubbie by showing my badge. Then it morphed to putting it in my checked bag and, again, showing my badge. I did also put it in a hard case and unloaded it, but don't recall anyone ever checking it.

Then I didn't fly anywhere for a long time, till, last year-probably 30+ years, actually. I went to Philly for a meet and greet with my new-found Vietnamese daughters and their families. Planned to drive, but my wife put her foot down, reminded me what a decrepit mess I was and paid for first class tickets on American.

I packed a couple of guns (Glock 42 and
Ruger LCR) in the suitcases, in hard cases, unloaded and we reluctantly went very, very early to the airport in Tampa expecting to get jerked around by TSA. I figgered if it was too bad, I'd stash the guns in my Pilot and borrow something from one of my grandsons on the Philly PD.

We checked in at the American desk, and then, a nice young American employee led us to the TSA desk where a big ol' TSA guy asked if the guns were unloaded. I told him yes (we'd filled out a card for the airline saying that, but he did not look at it), and offered the key to the suitcase and case inside, but he said "Nah, we don't need that, but we gotta x-ray the bag." He took my bag to a room just off the desk area where we were and was back in 30 seconds, and told us to go check in at security, we were all set. In Philly, my bag still had our guns and ammo in it, so I was a happy guy.

Coming home a month later, I figgered we'd had an easy time at TIA because it was Florida and expected the bad stuff to happen at the Philly airport.

Nope! It was an exact duplicate of our treatment/experience at TIA. Yankees, but still nice folks to deal with, no inspection, no complaints.

Then a couple of months later, I went to visit the Texas daughter in Houston, flying United and meet Q, aka 12131, (who is small of stature, but a BBQ eating machine).

Same treatment at TIA, and coming home 3 weeks later, exactly the same treatment at Houston's airport.

I don't know if it was because I am just so pretty and honest looking or because the TSA crews I dealt with are just more common-sense possessed than others, but I could not find one single thing to complain about in my treatment at any of the three airports.

I don't know that I'll fly anywhere again, but, if I do, I'm gonna be more daring and take one of my better EDCs with me trusting that it'll get there in my bag.

Bob

This message has been edited. Last edited by: straightshooter1,

quote:

Originally posted by straightshooter1:
I don't know if it was because I am just so pretty and honest looking or because the TSA crews I dealt with are just more common-sense possessed than others, but I could not find one single thing to complain about in my treatment at any of the three airports.

Don't know about pretty and honest looking, but 90% of the time, I've had no difficulty flying with firearms.

Here's the thing... every airport is different - maybe having to do with the physical setup, maybe having to do with the TSA flunky running the show. Some have private screening areas where TSA will look in your bag with you present and clear it before the airline accepts it (like SEATAC), others just let the airline counter agent handle it and will find you if necessary (like BWI) so you don't have to interact directly with TSA at all in most cases.

What does NOT change is the regulations. 49 CFR 1544.203(f) applies to all commercial aircraft operators at all airports and if whatever screening procedures TSA has established at a particular airport aren't set up to comply with the regulations, that's where the fun starts.

Just know the federal regulations as well as those of the airline (which, if they're going to be different, are usually only different with regards to how ammunition may be packed), and be prepared to either stand your ground or roll over if TSA decides to break the law. Those are your only two options.

-Rob

Yes about slightly different regulations... I have not checked in two years but the TSA regulations say ammo can be in a factory box or in a magazine but Delta says it can only be in a factory box or the like...not loaded in a magazine.

quote:

Originally posted by Blume9mm:

TSA regulations say ammo can be in a factory box or in a magazine but Delta says it can only be in a factory box or the like...not loaded in a magazine.

Airlines are permitted to have requirements that are more restrictive than the TSA rules.

Apparently, Delta wants the ammunition packed so that the rounds are separated from each other; a magazine does not accomplish this.

quote:

From the Delta website:

Ensure small arms ammunition is packed in the manufacturer's original package or securely packed in fiber, wood, plastic or metal boxes and provide separation for cartridges

I refuse to fly until they fix the airline system. A couple of years back I got barked at by a stewardess (I know, not PC) because my mask slipped. They didn't give a shit about my having COPD. Now, if I can't drive I don't go..

quote:

Originally posted by Fredward:

A couple of years back I got barked at by a stewardess (I know, not PC)

I learned from John Lithgow (3rd Rock From The Sun) that the correct term is "Sky Waitress."

Chicago O’Hare, pre-9/11. After I declared the firearm upon checking in, the United counter agent asked me to open the suitcase and show me the firearm so she could confirm it was unloaded.

I refused, she got pissy, I asked for supervisor. Agent said supervisor would say the same thing. I stood my ground and agent did stompy feet to get supervisor.

Supervisor comes over, I explain what happened, supervisor looks at agent and says “Are you retarded?” Apologizes to me, takes bag finishes checking me in.

I laughed all the way to the gate.

Just about every time I've flown the clerk at the counter wants to see and I open the case and they can see the pistols are unloaded because I have flags in them.... one time I was flying out of Manchester New Hampshire after attending the Sig Academy and I started to open the case and the clerk said don't worry about it the Security in the back has a machine that can tell if they are loaded or not.

Wednesday might be interesting because I've got two 9mm pistols in the case and under them are two extra slides in 357 Sig and also in the case are magazines in both calibers.... this case is packed.

Way pre-911 (mid-late 80s) I threw a bunch of guns (mix of long and pistol) in a big heavy duffel, padded them with clothing and other stuff, and just checked it. Didn't declare or anything. Made it round trip from DEN-SEA no problem.

Recently, many times, no problems. Sometimes they want to see, sometimes not, never a big issue. A couple of times in smaller airports (Roswell NM, Augusta GA) they held the bag on arrival so it wasn't able to be picked up by anyone but me. A little bit of an inconvenience, as in smaller airports the people that unload the baggage are the same people that load the baggage, and that run boarding, and that run the ticket counter, so I had to wat until they were filling the role of handing out held baggage. But I do appreciate the extra security.

At least with Delta the last 4 or more times I've flown they put a label on the bag that it must go to the baggage claim office. This flight last week when I got to Tallahassee they had put one of those big nylon tie straps on the bag.. But when I came back to Greenville Spartanburg the Delta clerk in the office did not do this.. but it might have been because she went out back and got the bag and gave it to me in the lobby after I showed her my I.D. (passport)

Neither going or coming did the clerk at check in ask to see the pistols they just asked if they were unloaded and if any ammo was loose.

But keep in mind that one of the requirements for flying is that your bags.. both checked and carry on can be inspected and searched at any time.