Could anyone have interfered with your bags since you packed them?

rbulph · 28 February 2007 at 12:14PM

I don't understand what the above question (that we all get asked when checking in for a flight) is about.

Suppose your flight home is in the evening. You have to check out of your hotel by midday, so you leave your luggage in the hotel's storage room while you go out for lunch before the transfer to the airport. In this case you have to answer "yes" to the question at check-in, because someone could have interfered with your luggage while it was in the storage room. What happens then? Does the check-in person say "Oh, how interesting!" and check your luggage in regardless? Or do you have to repack your luggage in front of them to check there's nothing dangerous in it? If this is the case, how come I have never seen anyone do this?

I just don't get it. Can someone please explain?

dmg24 · 28 February 2007 at 12:21PM

I think everybody just says no, but yes, they should ask you to repack your case.

Once as a teenager travelling alone, I answered that 'Actually my uncle used the camera after me'. They immediately took me aside and checked it over (took the film out too!).

Had a concerning experience last week. Was at the boarding gate queueing up to board, when the person behind me had 'accidentally' picked up my bag (our bags were completely different?). I laughed it off at the time, but he could have put anything in there, and I wouldn't have known until I got stopped at the other end!

rbulph · 28 February 2007 at 12:31PM

dmg24 wrote:

I think everybody just says no

So this aspect of airport security is a complete farce.

dmg24 · 28 February 2007 at 12:50PM

Yep!

But I suppose they have to ask just to say that they have!

movieman · 28 February 2007 at 2:07PM

So this aspect of airport security is a complete farce.

Most of 'airport security' is a farce, so they can say they're 'doing something' even when that 'something' is actively detrimental to real security. Read Bruce Schneier's articles on 'security theater', for example.

And I'm sure even the airline staff know that 99.999% of people always say 'no' to the questions regardless.

zfrl · 28 February 2007 at 2:16PM

If you say no & they decide to search it then you will probably be liable if something is found - so if you suspect anyone may have tampered with your bag it would be worth saying "Not sure". I imagine this might be important if you are flying out of some countries where drug trafficing is a major problem.

samanthag · 28 February 2007 at 3:37PM

my 14 year old son was frisked at the airport a fortnight ago at paris cdg
iwas with my other son and my eldest was with my husband i was waiting in the departure lounge when i saw them do it.
i was appalled that they can do this to a child are they allowed to do it to minors?
my son is 6 foot tall but that shouldnt excuse him being frisked he was really quite shook up about it.
has anybody else had this happen to their kids?
regards sammy

moonrakerz · 28 February 2007 at 4:19PM

Some while back my mother went to Tasmania. She had a 3 hour wait in Melbourne for the connecting flight, rather than risk a much shorter connection time. She arrived in Melbourne on time, had a leisurely shower and breakfast and caught her flight.
As they stopped at their destination, she saw the baggage lorry drive up to the aircraft - with her bag already on it, having arrived on the earlier flight !

So much for making sure that a passenger flies with their luggage.

Tallulah22 · 28 February 2007 at 6:27PM

samanthag i came home from Paris CDG on Monday night and they were seemingly frisking everyone. Another man had a huge arguement with the security which later ended up with the police being caught. They seem to be ruthless at that airport.

photome · 28 February 2007 at 7:20PM

samanthag wrote:

my 14 year old son was frisked at the airport a fortnight ago at paris cdg
iwas with my other son and my eldest was with my husband i was waiting in the departure lounge when i saw them do it.
i was appalled that they can do this to a child are they allowed to do it to minors?
my son is 6 foot tall but that shouldnt excuse him being frisked he was really quite shook up about it.
has anybody else had this happen to their kids?
regards sammy

Sorry but I dont understand your problem, I assume your 14 year old is your oldest son and that he was with your husband and if he had nothing to hide surely no problem. If he wasnt with your husband why were you both letting him go through by himself?

Voyager2002 · 28 February 2007 at 7:23PM

samanthag wrote:

my 14 year old son was frisked at the airport a fortnight ago at paris cdg
iwas with my other son and my eldest was with my husband i was waiting in the departure lounge when i saw them do it.
i was appalled that they can do this to a child are they allowed to do it to minors?
my son is 6 foot tall but that shouldnt excuse him being frisked he was really quite shook up about it.
has anybody else had this happen to their kids?
regards sammy

What's the big deal? Yes, my 14 year old son was frisked at Gatwick just ten days ago. The metal detector bleeped as he went through, so they just asked my permission and got on with it. He was fine, since of course he understands what it is for.

Could anyone have interfered with your bags since you packed them?

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