Taking Camera equipment has hand baggage on Aircraft (1 Viewer)

Taking Camera equipment as hand baggage on Aircraft

Morning All

I usually carry all my camera bodies and lens etc., as hand baggage in a back pack inside one of those regulation sized cabin bags. I have started to have the odd problems.

A few months ago the authorities at Southampton Airport confiscated my Giotto dust blower, (I can post an image if you are not familiar), which is made of rubber - they said that it could be mistaken for a small bomb or grenade. They were adamant that I could not keep it, I asked to see the supervisor be he just backed up the lady who checked my bag.
We normally get stuff like oversized toothpaste tubes etc., taken from us in France as my wife nearly always forgets.

I am starting to get a little worried as all my kit is becoming more and more expensive and I like to have it with me in the aircraft cabin and I am about to take a trip through 5 airport security checks.

I do not like to put it in my hold baggage especially on longer trips, (short trips I only usually have a cabin bag anyway).

Has anyone's had problems or is this just a one off?

It all seems to be down to the vagaries of the individual security people. I once had the carabineer attached to my tripod taken off me, it could be used as knuckleduster!, but they let me take the tripod, which would have been a far more efficient club!

I do think that airport security is going to get even more paranoid and the long term solution is invest in a Pelicase and insurance and stick it in the hold.

That said airlines are getting increasing concerned about the fire risk from Li -Ion batteries. A friend is a professional TV camera man and all the camera and microphone batteries now have to be in hand luggage.

Why would they confiscate something that they have already checked and found harmless ? Regardless of what it 'looks' like ? That is ridiculous.

The obvious stuff goes in the hold (multi-use knives, any sharp objects etc.) but there is little camera gear that could be confiscated and to date I've never had an issue with any piece of photographic equipment (flying mostly within China, Asia, UK and Spain). Weight is more of a concern (my last piece of hand-luggage weighed in at 14kgs - I assured the check-in girl that I would be dispensing some items into a cloth carrier I carry as back up since I was allowed two pieces - naturally I won't unless forced to).

The bigger issue is if using one of the budget airlines and you don't get on early enough - meaning all of the overhead lockers are full and the cabin assistants will insist anything that can not be stowed must go in the hold. Take advantage of the little extra cost to get a priority seat, which also means you get priority boarding and can stash your bag(s) before most others board.

Mono said:

That said airlines are getting increasing concerned about the fire risk from Li -Ion batteries. A friend is a professional TV camera man and all the camera and microphone batteries now have to be in hand luggage.

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I believe all airlines now insist that all batteries should be in hand-luggage. I've been pulled up a couple of times for having batteries in hold luggage. Though batteries in torches were allowed through.

I normally have 2 x Nikon DSLR bodies, a V1 plus an M8
One long tele, a 50mm f1.8, a wide zoom and a mid range zoom and one lens for the Leica.
Maybe 6 spare batteries, a couple of lens brushes, a blower and maybe a grip, my MacBookPro and a tablet. - I always carry them with me and if I get a weight (hand luggage problem), I put as much as I can in my pockets.

The blower, (grenade - that's what the security guys said it looked like and he said I could walk up the cabin isle with it threatening passengers - seriously, I have not made this up, my wife was totally embarrassed by my attitude towards the guys at Southampton), now is not taken or goes in the hold luggage!

What I'm worried about is "an official" taking a dislike to a lens or something - as I have found, on the two occasions that I have had problems, that once they have made their minds up they never budge.

We have had some comical episodes at Bordeaux airport when we have only travelled with cabin baggage and they have confiscated a tin of Foie Gras and similar, but with all this increased security I just have no idea what will come next. We now happily throw anything from our toilet bags that they are not happy with into "The Red Cross" Box.

Stick within the baggage regulations of the airline you are flying with, print a copy of them and take them with you. Then at least you have something to back up your case if you are unlucky and get an overkeen official. Not that it would help with the blower brush/hand grenade dilemma (never heard of that one before).

The advice to get onboard early (priority boarding) and make sure you get your bag in an overhead locker is worth following.

This is the thing that caused the problem

Giottos Rocket Blower

I can see that this might create a problem if held in the air on board a plane.In my opinion the security staff were correct.One can never be too safe....Eddy

also It could use to squirt acid into eye, even lemon juice would disable someone (armed guards) but every object could be used as a weapon

Having spent most of my working life in security, I think I can honestly state that much of what we see today, trotted out as airport security, is nothing more than ill conceived theatre!

Anyone traveling through any major airport can easily buy the items required to make any number of explosive, flammable or otherwise harmful items in duty free shops after all the security checks. I wonder if Dixons tax free have any rocket blowers amongst all the photographic accessories they sell at the airport? |;|

I know we all like to adhere to the rules - even if they do seem a little ridiculous at times - but it's getting more and more difficult to know exactly what the rules are and what can and cannot be carried, and what may be considered a threat. Unfortunately, the days of common sense and reason are no longer with us!

Rant over, I need another coffee! ||

Frogfish said:

Why would they confiscate something that they have already checked and found harmless ? Regardless of what it 'looks' like ? That is ridiculous.

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Well, because it could be mistaken as something that is not harmless by someone who had no chance to check it and doesn't want to take a chance?

UH

I travel every month with multiple cameras and often tripods. I check the tripods in with my luggage. I haven't had any problems anywhere.
Neil.