Things not to take on airlines...

[Digby]

We all know you can't take knives in hand-luggage - but what about climbing ropes? What if they find my petrol stove in my rucsack in the hold?

What can you take, what can't you take? What gets you thrown off the flight and what gets you thrown in jail?

[Ollie]

It's always worth bearing in mind when crossing borders what food you are taking... lots of meat and things is not good and you may even get prosecuted for it! If you have to take your first days food with you, dried foods or pasta or something similar is usually your best bet.

[Digby]

That certainly is good advice. As I understand it, that was how Foot and Mouth got into the UK three years ago.

[Marmot]

stoves are alright
gas canisters and pressureised flamibles are a big no no
fuel bottles should theoretically be cleaned out with an innert gas to remove all fumes, but who has a bottle of inert gas lying about, i find just leaving the fuel bottle to air dry is good enough and just make sure you dont fully seal the bottle with the lid so that it can equalise

[insane_climber]

climbing ropes will be fine in the hold not in hand luggage as i heard the brittish team had an issue on a charter flight to a competition and had to send the ropes in the hold

[Ollie]

Interesting to see what changes are bought in after the recent terror alert in Britain and how they might affect us.

[Marmot]

a friend i know was travelling through an airport somewhere, and somehow managed to end up with his ice axes being allowed onto the plane in his hand luggage, something about connecting flights

[insane_climber]

i bet they wont let me put them in a clear plastic bag and take as hand lugage

[MariaD]

Seriously? Was this pre-9/11 or after?

Last time I got pulled up for having a mini-screwdriver for tightening the screws on my glasses in my hand luggage. It was only an inch long!

[Marmot]

no, was recent, post 9/11 - will try and find out how it happened

[Niall]

Can't Take Hand Luggage now anyway. When we went to switzerland, ropes in the hold were fine, but penknives in the hold were confiscated from our bags. The man said it might have been overlooked in a case, but in a hiking bag, it was taken.

[Hillwalker]

Don't forget that you might also have potential problems with ordinary medicines in some countries.

Codiene for example is not only forbidden in most Arab and middle east countries (and Greece incidentally), you might just find yourself thrown into prison, even if it was prescribed!

[Bigjimlakeakaray]

It's getting ridiculous. I was stopped for the metal eyelets on my boots. Let's be honest, the officials aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer are they?

[insane_climber]

dont take a terrorist, it may upset more than the airport staff

[Bigjimlakeakaray]

:D Nice one

[Marmot]

re hand luggage was that just those flights or is it going national - theyve now shifted the pre flight arrival time to 3 hours for international flights - fact that very nearly caught me out

[Digby]

Can't Take Hand Luggage now anyway. When we went to switzerland, ropes in the hold were fine, but penknives in the hold were confiscated from our bags. The man said it might have been overlooked in a case, but in a hiking bag, it was taken.

Just looking through some old posts: Niall is saying that airline officials found a penknife in his bag. Do they really go through checked luggage that is going in the hold - or was it that it showed up on X-Ray?

[MariaD]

It seems odd that they would confiscate a knife from luggage going into the hold as well - how on earth could it be a danger to anyone? Obviously if it was in the cabin luggage, that would be different.

[Anand]

In some country's its illegal to own detailed maps and might be considered espionage (maps better then 1: 250.000)

[guru]

so..... ropes in the hold,
what about cams, nuts and quickdraws? these items are almost the opposite of dangerous

[MariaD]

what about cams, nuts and quickdraws? these items are almost the opposite of dangerous

Are you serious? A large cam or hex could kill someone if you whacked them round the head with it (not that I've tried, honest! :p). If airlines won't let you take nail clippers into the cabin they almost certainly won't let you take those.

I've never understood the nail clippers thing - what would someone do with it? Clip you to death? If someone tried to threaten me with nail clippers I'd just laugh at them, not hand over an aeroplane!

[David]

dunno - I'd probably be more scared at someone threatening me with nail clippers than with a real weapon!

[MariaD]

I suppose only a complete psycho would even try it...

[Anand]

I will be flying home next week so might give it a try ;) (NOT)

but it seems that my hand luggage is almost as heavy as the hold luggage 12 kilos hand, 20 hold but since easy jet allows alot of weight in the handbag :)

[Marmot]

I suppose only a complete psycho would even try it...
as opposed to those really mentally balanced people who usually hold up planes

[David]

lol :D

[MariaD]

True!