Airport customs.

[Yggdrasil]

I have just talked about going backpacking abroad with my cuz and after explaining how i would want to bring an aze and my knives on the airoplane he laughed at me.
Is there really no way to bring such blades on an a plane even if its in the main hold and not personal luguage?
Is it isnt legal then does a permit need to be applied for or something?
Cheers
rob

 

[Rob]

You should have no problem if your sharps are in the hold baggage. If you are travelling with a rucksack then make sure that it is in a carry bag, or it will have to go through somewhere other than the normal hold baggage route (and your stuff will be removed as if it were hand baggage).

I would check with the airline before you book to make sure there will be no probs.

I dont know what other countries are like, but i would imagine that they are no worse then here,

 

[Kepis]

It's fine to take them on board but the MUST be in your hold luggage, you cannot even take a pair of nail clippers on board in your hand luggage, any sharps must be packed away in the hold, any sharps found in your hand luggage will be confiscated and destroyed.

 

[Longstrider]

The info above pretty well sums it up. I have travelled pretty much all over the place since the 9/11 attacks, and always take my blades away with me. These normally include things like my Swisstol, a Buck Strider folder (About a 4" blade) and whatever EDC knife I choose to take along. I even brought back 5 Buck 110's, a couple of Buck Vanguards a Swisstool and a filletting knife from the States on a US airline not long after the attacks when security was tighter than a ducks whotsits. As long as ANYTHING sharp is packed away inside your "Check In" luggage you should be fine.

 

[razors]

Remember...your problems aren't just the airline but also what is legal to carry in the country you are visiting.You dont want to get slapped with a concealed carry charge in some far away land or you may have a longer than expected stay!!! Always check local laws.A SAK (swiss army knife) is usually ok anywhere,anything else I'd check up on.

 

[8thsinner]

I recently had a thread removed which covered similar inforamtion as in this thread.

It's title was
Aeroplane survival thoughts.
I had mistakenly thought this was a place to share thoughts, Instead the thread was removed due to apparant falsities.
Part of the reply mail is here copied......

“Zippo lighter, I carry mine in a braided leather pouch, the pouch can double as a lashing for spear making shelter making etc”

Zippo type lighters, unlike Bic type lighters and matches are specifically banned on all international aircraft.

“Broken knife kubotan”

kubotans (containing a blade or otherwise) are banned on all international aircraft

”Spectra, or kite line is extremly strong, enough for full on sex in a hammock”

will be confiscated

“Pure capsacian, (Check spelling) mixed into strong purfume, the pure pepper burns hotter than hell and leaves no taste, not sure about scent but I doubt it. Can be used as a pepper spray. For humans and animals.”

If you are caught attempting to take pepper spray on an aircraft you will be arrested



These three things alone I can contest now with picture proof.....



This picture was taken today on my flight home It clearly shows the plane tray, containing a zippo fuel container (full) This did get a second glance but was almost immediatly passed up.
The kubotan that is apparantly illegal to carry contained Kmn04 (potassium permanganate)
And the lighter .......... well thats pretty obvious you can see it.........

I also had cayenne pepper in something, and pointed out to the security person, by the way he was really a nice guy.



I forgot about my own references to spectra, but I had two 15 metre lines of it.


The only thing that I regularily carry is my P38, which was removed from me.
Who said sharps were confiscated, the guy happily let me send it to myself.

This post of mine is probably going to be removed soon, but I don't really care, I have proved myself on several counts.

8th

 

[scanker]

Well, not really. I can photograph myself driving at 100mph, but it doesn't make it legal.

Found this:
http://www.airsafe.com/danger.htm

It lists, amongst loads of other stuff,

Lighters, lighter fluid, and strike-anywhere matches (up to four books of safety matches are allowed)
...other items commonly used in martial arts competitions
Gases and Pressure Containers: Flammable aerosols like hair spray, spray paint, or insect repellant; carbon dioxide cartridges, oxygen tanks (scuba or medical), mace, tear gas, pepper spray....

 

[Tony]

I recently had a thread removed which covered similar inforamtion as in this thread.

It's title was
Aeroplane survival thoughts.
I had mistakenly thought this was a place to share thoughts, Instead the thread was removed due to apparant falsities.

8th

The decision to remove your post titled Aeroplane Survival thoughts was made after researching the accuracy of your post, which after a short period of time was obviously full of information likely to cause trouble with the authorities as well as endanger the lives of anyone that might follow such advice.

The truth is that the post you made contained inaccurate and even dangerous advice. That is fact.

You may feel that you have the right to say what you like on here but that’s not the case, if you post something up as blatantly wrong as the post you quote, it will be removed.

I am quite happy to forward your post to the aviation authorities and if they come back to me and say that the information contained in it is correct I will reinstate the post. If this is what you would like me to do then feel free to PM me.

I also don’t care to know what you get up to with your spectra line, there are other forums more appropriate than this one for such comments, that alone would have got the post edited.

Bottom line….The comments by the moderator contained within your above post are accurate, if you want to flaunt your actions by taking pictures of them to prove that you’re irresponsible then that’s up to you. Shall I include the picture with the post to the Aviation Authority?

What you’ve quoted above is also just a small part of the post you made and also a small part of the explanation by the moderator of why the post was removed, I can post the whole explanation up if that would clarify some of your comments, such as the explanation why superglue will not shut an artery, why you should not suggest that you know a way of carrying a blade on an aircraft and why a coffee enema will not relieve severe shock.

If you have any further issues or you would like me to contact the aviation authority for their opinion please feel free to contact me.

 

[TallMikeM]

as I understand it, a kubotan is now considered an offensive weopon in this country and carrying one in a public place is an offence.
Any legal eagles or coppers on here feel free to contradict me, but I no longer carry mine for that reason.

 

[match]

Remember also that any items you take out of the UK that you may have that are technically illegal (such as locking blades) may be seized from your luggage in the hold on arrival back into the country. Things you might ordinarily use day-to-day because no-one is going to search you or question why you have it should thus be avoided, since the whole point of the airport security and customs is to check everything you're bringing into a country - even if you took it out from there in the first place

 

[BorderReiver]

As even bottles of water are viewed with suspicion in some countries I would not even try to emulate 8th.

Not all security bods are up to the minute on the law and you could could find yourself in deep detritus by trying that on with another one,or worse,in some other country.

Many,many years ago,I was held for a while by some uniformed Egyptians because the young officer was worried about the SAK on my belt.This was well before 9/11 and I had never been bothered before.Luckily the officer's boss wasn't impressed and I caught the plane.

My point is,don't push your luck.

 

[C_Claycomb]

I liked the way that Stuart handled all his sharps etc when I took him to the airport. Everything went in a BIG cardboard box and into the hold as "Fragile!". His reasoning was that fragile items tend to be looked after a little better and that a large box is hard to miss, whereas a small bag, just big enough for some paracord and a puukko, is easily misplaced. If you are back packing you can bin the box on arrival, then find another for your flight home, no lugging a surplus bit of luggage everywhere.

After many years of carrying my pocket knife on planes it was an uncomfortable feeling to put it in the hold luggage. I felt slightly undressed. However, on reflection I could not think of a single time I have ever needed to use a knife in an airport or on a plane. Experience since 9/11 has only borne this out. So, a non-issue really.

Cordage won't always be confiscated. I had never heard of it until someone said that they had nearly lost their hammock to security because of the cord in it. I had just been to the US and had taken a whole roll of Duck Tape onboard, infact security had used some to re-wrap something they had unpacked to have a closer look at. But, in future I won't count on such things getting through, and to be honest, I have never needed to tie anything up on a plane either.

8thsinner, do take your list of suggestions over to Practical Tactical on BladeForums, they discuss such things seriously and I am sure they will get as much enjoyment from your suggestions as we did

REAL Airplane Survival equipment...salt, pepper, basil and tabasco to disguise revolting airline food. Ear plugs to cut out constant drone of engines and the jabbering of small children, your own soft drinks to combat changes in altitude, anti DVT socks and Ibuprofin

 

[BorderReiver]

After many years of carrying my pocket knife on planes it was an uncomfortable feeling to put it in the hold luggage. I felt slightly undressed. However, on reflection I could not think of a single time I have ever needed to use a knife in an airport or on a plane.

Once (pre 9/11) I used my SAK to open up a bundle of blankets that the air hostess couldn't undo.

 

[Stuart]

I liked the way that Stuart handled all his sharps etc when I took him to the airport. Everything went in a BIG cardboard box and into the hold as "Fragile!". His reasoning was that fragile items tend to be looked after a little better and that a large box is hard to miss, whereas a small bag, just big enough for some paracord and a puukko, is easily misplaced. If you are back packing you can bin the box on arrival, then find another for your flight home, no lugging a surplus bit of luggage everywhere.

There is another more important reason why I mark my large but mostly empty(its stuffed with newspaper with my sharps, medical kit and cord in the middle) cardbord box as fragile, one which Chris may not have witnessed.

When I check in my luggage at Heathrow I politely ask if I can take my box to the oversized luggage check-in as it is very fragile, they will point you to a room off to one side where security personnel will X-ray it in front of you allowing you to resolve any issues with its contents there and then. The package will then be transported to the plane on a luggage truck and loaded by hand rather than undergoing the conveyor belt roller coaster.

If possible I also try to do this on the return journey, this helps to reduce the chance of damage, theft or an unsupervised opening of your baggage for security checks.

This large cardboard box containing items prohibited from the cabin is the only item I check into the hold, everything else goes with me as carry on (being careful not to exceed the 7kg limit)

 

[Great Pebble]

your own soft drinks to combat changes in altitude

Believe it or not, you could have problems with those if they're in cans.

 

[C_Claycomb]

Believe it or not, you could have problems with those if they're in cans.

Ahhh. A mystery has been solved!
On my last flight, trans-Atlantic with Delta, they only came around with the drinks trolley twice and didn't give you the whole can to drink, just what went in the dinky plastic cups. Two of those is no where near enough to provide for drinks on an 8 hour flight, I just thought they were being really stingy gits, but you might have it....

Passengers in possession of empty coke cans constitute a security risk!


Sorry Stuart, I remember now you mentioned the x-ray bit, just forgot that was a reason since they didn't bother for your box when I was there. You can get the same service, x-ray while you are there, for your suitcases, at least they are set up for it in Atlanta.

 

[redflex]

A while back I posted thread to see how I could get my bolo back from Philippines.

The airport staff told me it was legal to carry in hold luggage in the Philippines but is illegal to carry in Europe as my onward ticket was to Europe they would not allow it through.They said it would be seized in Europe and I could be arrested.

I know others may say different but when at the airport you are confronted by group of military airport staff with big automatic guns I find it is best to take their advice whatever it is, especially in a country like the Philippines. Call me a coward but I took their advice left it with friend how posted it on when I go back I will post it on ahead of me.

 

[Great Pebble]

Airport security are one of the types of people in life who it is just about pointless to argue or disagree with, they rank alongside nightclub bouncers in that respect.

 

[nameless]

Due to unforseen circumstances on my return trip from Kenya my main luggage bcmae my hand luggage because we were running for a plane, if this happens and they tell you to bring you main luggage onboard forget about it ask for the next plane due to reasons of sharp items.

Cheers
Scott

 

[Wayland]

You should see the hassle we get taking Viking gear overseas by plane.

Last time one of our group lost a sword that had been checked in separately but just never arrived at the other end.

We get much less trouble on the ferries.