Airport CT scanners

boojum said:
When I was shooting film I always asked for hand inspection. The agents always did so willingly. But they are obliged. It is a good habit to have. Why take the risk? Just always ask for hand scans.
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With the new scanners the risk is greatly increased. In many european airports it is problematic. The agents are not "obliged" to hand check.
 
Deardorff38 said:
With the new scanners the risk is greatly increased. In many european airports it is problematic. The agents are not "obliged" to hand check.
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The last time I took an international fight with film it was to Orly. I had brought my bike and was heading south to La Ferté-Alais, south of Paris and Orly. It was so long ago that scanning was not being done. Additionally the passengers had to take turns rowing. It was along time ago.
 
boojum said:
Tell them hand scan or you will have a literal screaming fit. This is if "please" does not work. Happy shooting.
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i guess you haven't flown in a while. Having a tantrum gets you nowhere, except maybe missing your flight. "Privilege" doesn't necessarily extend to hand inspection of film.
 
Deardorff38 said:
i guess you haven't flown in a while. Having a tantrum gets you nowhere, except maybe missing your flight. "Privilege" doesn't necessarily extend to hand inspection of film.
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I should have found a way to insert an indication this was in jest. My regrets.

No, I have not flown recently. Last trip was to the Balkans, Before that two months in France and The Netherlands. I dislike flying. The seats and passenger space have shrunk and the general class of the passengers makes me think that perhaps I am on a Greyhound bus. I do not normally associate with folks in torn shorts and grubby T-shirts and the prospect of being locked up with them in aluminum tube for hours is unpleasant at best.

One not too recent flight was from Guadalajara to CA and back. I ordered Kosher as the food is better. I was having a nice-broken-Spanish, broken-English chat with my Mexican neighbor on the way to San Jose. When my Kosher lunch showed up with Kosher written in Hebrew across the top my lunch my Mexican neighbor scrunched as far away from me as he could. I wasn't Jewish for 60 seconds and already I did not like it.

Squalling infants, getting the back of my seat kicked repeatedly, screaming children running up and down the aisles and rude, belching, farting, smelly seatmates just makes me wish I were driving and staying in a Motel 6.

And I don't shoot film now anyway. LOL

I can drive within North America, see he scenery and enjoy the local food treats. As much as I would like to go back to France I dread being in what is essentially a phone booth for 12 - 14 hours,
 
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boojum said:
Tell them hand scan or you will have a literal screaming fit. This is if "please" does not work. Happy shooting.
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Screaming fits with TSA are not recommended! "Please" is always a good place to start, and no more should be necessary; in the US, TSA is required to give your film a hand inspection if you so request. Outside the US, it's a crapshoot.
 
Retro-Grouch said:
Screaming fits with TSA are not recommended! "Please" is always a good place to start, and no more should be necessary; in the US, TSA is required to give your film a hand inspection if you so request. Outside the US, it's a crapshoot.
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I said before and I say again that I wish I had indicated that comment was in jest. The closest I have had to a problem was in the Balkans trip. They wanted me to raise my arms over my head and I could not. I explained I just had had a total shoulder replacement, They smiled and said, "OK." In actuality I do not argue with authorities. It is a losing battle.

I do enjoy watching other folks argue with the authorities, The results are predictable. And unnecessary.
 
Earlier this month I flew from Schiphol (Amsterdam) to O'Hare (Chicago) and back. In both airports I requested a hand check for my film (35mm rolls loose in ziplock). And this was no problem at all. I haven't developed any of the rolls yet, but I guess everything is o.k.
At O'Hare there was even a sign at check-in, warning to remove film from check-in luggage.
 
Retro-Grouch said:
Perhaps the resurgence in film use will promote a greater sensitivity to the problem in overseas airports. Let's hope!
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Despite my seemingly flippant approach to hand checking I have found that just about 100% of the time a gentle, amiable approach works. Just being pleasant while being slightly insistent seems to work. Acting rash will alarm customs and TSA folks. They do not like being alarmed.

The only scary time i have encountered was in Schiphol.. I was lost and asked one of those super cops, you know the ones, about two meters tall, buzz cuts, garrison caps, bloused trousers in their boots and a large pistol, if he could speak English. His response was so adamant, forceful and positive I feared I had broken some law and was going to be arrested. LMAO "Of course!" Just about all Dutch speak English and many as well or better than I. That cop really scared me. LOL
 
Saw most of Greenville/Spartanburg Airport had a bunch of CT scanners for the non precheck lines, however, the TSA precheck line was still using the older xray machines. Regardless I still had it hand checked without an issue. TSA agent was cool with it and also was ok with hand checking the Olympus MJU II I had with a roll of film still inside it. (I was fine letting it go through the old style machine as I never had issues with running film through it.

Most of Tampa International have the old style still, except I think the Southwest airlines terminal has a few CT scanners...
 
Question: TSA looks through the viewfinder on a damerra to check that it is functioning. That works on R's but means nothing on RF cameras. Take a picture and chimp it to prove it is not a bomb?
 
Had my Nikon Z7 II swapped for explosives this March when flying out of Düsseldorf Airport in Germany. "Stand in two meter distance!", "Don't move" "Can I take your camera out of the bag, I need to check it". The guy then took the swap, checked it and let me put it back. I was somehow happy that it wasn't a Leica in case he would have dropped it and I was happy not to have any film with me. Depending on how busy the situation at the security check is the security staff in German airports can get quite rough.
 
boojum said:
Question: TSA looks through the viewfinder on a damerra to check that it is functioning. That works on R's but means nothing on RF cameras. Take a picture and chimp it to prove it is not a bomb?
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Oh yeah, when I went through yesterday, the TSA agent had me open the sliding cover on my MJU II to check something, but didnt take a picture or anything.

I left my filmless Canon L1 in my bag as I finished the roll and it went through without question.
 
At one handcheck at an airport earlier this year ( I think it was Sydney, or it could have been Tokyo), the agent made me take a picture, or rather fire the shutter, with my film camera. I pointed it to the floor so as to not look aggressive. I had no film in it.
 
pyeh said:
At one handcheck at an airport earlier this year ( I think it was Sydney, or it could have been Tokyo), the agent made me take a picture, or rather fire the shutter, with my film camera. I pointed it to the floor so as to not look aggressive. I had no film in it.
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Anything, anything to keep the TSA folks calm.
 
I know airport security is necessary, but I have to believe the absurd level of government surveillance, intrusion, and general overreach in airports is conditioning people to accept more authoritarian government in general. Certainly the political spectrum in many countries has shifted far to the right in the years since 9/11. Sorry for the OT rant.
 
AAlfano said:
I know airport security is necessary, but I have to believe the absurd level of government surveillance, intrusion, and general overreach in airports is conditioning people to accept more authoritarian government in general. Certainly the political spectrum in many countries has shifted far to the right in the years since 9/11. Sorry for the OT rant.
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Couldn’t agree more. So much hysterical, nonsensical BS. It is not logical, yet most are compelled to accept the intrusion without rebuttal, since you would quickly be vetoed. It is the ultimate form of oppression under the guise of protection. A very slippery slope.

I had a security staff query my M262 scan because it presented as ‘very dense’. I just explained it was all aluminium and he took another look at the scan and let me move on. I can’t imagine what a brass camera and lens combination would cause. I was just thrilled my camera stayed safely packed in its bag!
 
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