Skip to main content

Questions tagged [airport-security]

The checks and scans for illegal or dangerous items required at airports for passengers and baggage.

144 votes
8 answers
17k views

Passing through airport security with autism

I am a young adult with autism (Asperger's to be precise). While there are many resources on how to travel with kids with autism, resources on how to do so if you have it yourself are rare to ...
Belle's user avatar
  • 6,295
120 votes
13 answers
21k views

Prohibited item forgotten in hand luggage: what to do with it?

I guess it happens quite frequently: you have already checked in, and at the security check you realize that you have in your backpack your grandmother's Klingon bat'leth blade, an item that has been ...
Federico Poloni's user avatar
118 votes
11 answers
33k views

How can I convince airport screeners to stop asking why I prefer pat-downs?

At a London airport, a security screener ordered my granddad to the full-body scanner. As a Luddite, he requested a full pat-down. But this screener, and 3 others, kept rebuffing him: Screener: Why ...
user avatar
105 votes
8 answers
60k views

How to convince airport security that I am not dangerous when having metallic parts in my body?

I had an operation some time ago and now I have small screws in my shoulder which will not be removed anymore. When I decided to fly for vacation, I supposed that these will may bring me into trouble ...
Uooo's user avatar
  • 969
84 votes
5 answers
80k views

Can I safely eat whatever goes through the x-ray machine?

This might be an odd question, but I often take a sandwich or fruit to eat while waiting for the airplane. This means that my food goes through the security x-ray machine. I don't understand much ...
nsn's user avatar
  • 32k
82 votes
13 answers
32k views

Asking same flight customers if they would agree to put my knife in their checked luggage

Issue When flying with only a carry-on allowed, I am often bothered by not being allowed to carry a small knife that I will need at my destination (backpacking trips). So far, every time I faced this ...
Remi.b's user avatar
  • 2,167
69 votes
7 answers
36k views

What to do if drugs / a bomb are planted in your travel bag?

So the scene: You're flying from Bogota, Colombia to New York, USA. You arrive, pick up your bag from the carousel, and figure you'll stuff your netbook you used on the flight into your bag now ...
Mark Mayo's user avatar
  • 160k
67 votes
7 answers
21k views

I was allowed to enter the airport terminal by showing a boarding pass for a future flight. Should I be concerned about "security"?

I take the same flight with the same company between two European neighboring countries once a month. My boarding passes are on my smartphone, but as I book my flights months in advance, I often ...
AlexB's user avatar
  • 1,379
67 votes
4 answers
8k views

What rules govern forced removal from flights (due to overbooking)?

I was recently surprised to see a man roughly and forcibly physically removed from an overbooked flight by three police officers because his flight was overbooked. He was reportedly a doctor who ...
WBT's user avatar
  • 3,245
62 votes
8 answers
90k views

Can growing a beard cause problems in crossing borders?

I just recently renewed my passport with a picture taken just after I shaved. I haven't shaved since (>3 weeks) and I kind of like it. I am even looking into how to maintain a beard, but that is a ...
user avatar
59 votes
6 answers
31k views

Do airport metal scanners occasionally flash a false alarm on purpose?

I've noticed that occasionally when passing through the metal scanners I am getting flagged despite not having a single metal thing on me. This usually results in a manual search or a hand swipe on ...
JonathanReez's user avatar
  • 81.9k
59 votes
6 answers
342k views

Are battery packs allowed in hand luggage?

When flying, are you allowed to bring battery packs / power banks? I'd like to bring my ACC 10400mAh Power Bank on several flights.
MmM's user avatar
  • 3,198
53 votes
4 answers
113k views

What are the exact reasons why one cannot take a bottle of water on the plane?

So what exactly are the reasons: policy by the airlines? slowing down security? What if it's 100mL of water filled in one of those tiny travel bottles that people use to downsize their toiletries? ...
verve's user avatar
  • 3,639
51 votes
4 answers
242k views

Why did airport security swab my hands with wet paper?

Before entering a commercial plane, I had to go through the usual security check at Prague airport (PRG). When I passed the metal detector, it went off. I assume it was because I forgot to take off my ...
Pavel Janicek's user avatar
48 votes
3 answers
24k views

Can I wear a bulletproof vest while traveling on British Airways from Heathrow?

I'll be wearing it all the time anyway once I arrive at my hostile destination but how about wearing it during the flight? It makes sense to wear it in case someone try to hijack the plane.
Ulkoma's user avatar
  • 9,228

15 30 50 per page
1
2 3 4 5
44