well, just geeezeum. I wish someone had clued in the handlers at the Portland airport on my recent flight.
I'm a white haired ole white gramma in my 70's and caused a big stir with my carry-on.
As it went through the machine...it was stopped, peered at closely, then first one then the head honcho was called to look.
Everyone is now gawking.
Head honcho: "Whose bag is this!"
"Ah, Mine."
"Come with me!" (not even a please)
HH puts bag on table and demands:
"Open it!"
By now all eyes are on old gramma and I am wondering "What the heck do they think they see?"
HH rifles through my bag and comes up with the dangerous articles. (Now keep in mind that this is the same week, last July, that you are once again allowed to carry cigarette lighters on board...even tho' you can't smoke on board)
HH - gruffly, in his most puffed up authoritative manner: "You can't take these on board!"
"These" were two factory wrapped boxes of tube watercolors 1/4 oz.
My mind not connecting to the reasoning, I blurted out: " But I have too, they're for my grandkids."
HH, not impressed; "You CANNOT take these on board!"
With visions of being cuffed and hauled off to a back room, I said:"But I can't arrive with presents for all but two grandkids!"
HH repeats his demand.
I answer: Well, I can't leave them here!.
HH then backs down a bit and says: "Then you'll have to go back downstairs and put the bag through there - you can't take it on board..."
Fortunately, I was at the airport early enough to leave security, go down and stand in line to check the bag through, go back up and go thru' security again and not miss my flight.
So I guess the Portland honchos didn't get the memo re age etc...
When I flew down to Texas to pick up my car (I bought it from my brother), I carried on a license plate in my bag!
Right before the bag went through the machine, I said “It has a license plate in it.” The security guy looked at me, looked at the bag going through and said “Ok.”
I put my shoes back on, got my bag and went on my way.
I thought it was unbelievable they let me carry a large plate of thin metal on the plane in my bag!
You sound like a terrorist. It wouldn’t be safe to seat you next to somebody with a bunch of knives or a boxcutter. You might get paint on them.