Airport Security

[Admin]

What happened to the memory of 9/11? ???

On boarding at Manchester last time I went to Singapore I got through with nail clippers with a small knife no problem, and on the SIA flight we had metal knives & forks, and razor blades for shaving!! :P

I also never even got frisked on the way back, or put through the metal detector as I was in a wheelchair, out of laziness ;D, but I could have been carrying anything.

Bring an extra cigarette into the UK and they'll have you :o

[ginapeterb]

Airport Security in the Philippines seems to be visible and high profile although its more to me a matter of window dressing as the security is not effective due to the sheer weight of passenger numbers and the time constraint on each passenger being searched

At least when you enter Ninoy Acquino International Airport the only people who can get in our those with tickets........anyone else is regulated to staying outside or waiting for your return in the coffee shop on the left of the airport terminal building.

When you bags go through they are screened by an x ray machine.......then their is a personal search of your hand luggage or x ray of these items.........a body search although I was asked to take my belt off which takes ages........this is inconvenient and they need to get better equipment for this purpose...security should not slow down passenger flow and spoil the experience of travel.

On the way down to the gate for departure there is a further on board bag search and a frisk by one of the many private security companies that frequent the Philippines.

All in all the presence looks good on paper.......also taxis are checked on their way into the airport although I counted at least 11 security guards doing absolutely nothing when I recently passed through the checkpoint towards the terminal building.

I would say the security looks better than at Heathrow although is it as affective......jmaybe technology thrives better at our airports whereas in the Philippines human resources appear to be plentiful..........security always has a weak link........with the number of flights per day in the world..........their is little chance of any harm coming toa passenger..........they say the statistics show that you have more chance of being struck by lightning in the same place twice than you have of being the victim of an incident aboard as a fare paying passenger.

[ivor&mel]

Having just returned to the UK from Cebu via Singapore a couple of weeks ago, I have to say that airport security seems to have been stepped up almost to the point of paranoia... And commonsense seems to have been the major victim...

I can understand the need for vigilance in these times, but surely the screening could be carried out without so much inconvenience and delay for passengers? Cebu in particular was like something out of Kafka. Fine getting in, but a nightmare getting out. Are 3 full scans really necessary before you can get into the waiting lounge? What could I have bought when I was airside that was a potential threat?

I'll tell you one think I could not have bought - a cigarette lighter! Be warned that Cebu is now a non-smoking airport, and they seem very proud of that...As soon as you go airside, there is the first scan, before the check-in desks. That's where I was first made aware of their no-smoking policy:

"You have a cigarette lighter."
"Yes, I use it to light my cigarettes..."
"This is a no smoking airport."
"Oh.. sorry.. I was not aware of that. OK, so I will not smoke here."
"We must keep your lighter."
"Is that necessary? I can wait till we land at Davao before I smoke."
"This is a no smoking airport. We do not allow lighters."
"So I can buy cigarettes here, but I can't smoke them?"
"This is a no smoking airport. You can go outside to smoke."
"You will return my lighter if I go back outside?"
"Yes."
"And then confiscate it again when I come back?"
"Yes."

Hmmm... I pondered over the situation while I was waiting at the inevitably late-opening check-in desk. I actually had 2 lighters: they found the one I put in the tray, but not the one I had in my jacket pocket, which went through the scanner... Maybe the scanner can't detect a plastic disposable lighter? So, I got my lighter back, went back out for a smoke, and then went through the whole rigmarole again. She confiscated my lighter from the tray... but the one in my jacket pocket was not detected. Big inward smile from Smuggins as I felt I had managed to fool them :)

But it did not last, of course :) I soon encountered the second scanner, and went through the same procedure, confident that they would find nothing. Rucksack first.. jacket containing the lighter behind...

"You have a cigarette lighter."

Oh ****... Now I was starting to feel really peed off, and that cheap tacky little lighter suddenly became the most prized possession in the universe to me...

"No - you took my lighter already. Twice."
"You have a lighter in your bag."

Hang on.. the lighter is in my jacket... let's be honest...

"No... I'm sure I have no lighter in my bag."

She checks the scanner screen again...

"We see a lighter in your bag."

I was sure they would soon find it, as the jacket was in front of the woman all this time, so I just thought sod it, it's there, you find it...

"There must be some mistake. I am pretty sure there is no lighter in my bag."
"Open it please."

So I opened it... emptied it slowly... opened all the things inside... Then she put the empty bag back through the scanner...

"We still see a lighter. You have a lighter."

What? Now two of us are taking the piss! You can see a lighter in an empty bag? A lighter that was never there in the first place?

"I have NO lighter! There must be some mistake. You have checked everything in my bag."
"Do you have a camera?"
"Yes I do. It is there in front of you."
"OK. You can go."

I was gob-smacked... Did that really happen?? I turned round to apologise for the delay to whover was behind me in the queue - and he muttered "The .......s have just taken 5 lighters off me!"

Then I saw the 3rd scanner.. and almost gave up the will to live... But thankfully, that was as good as the first one, and they detected nothing - or, if they did, they did not care!

I saw the guy who was behind me at the 2nd scanner again on our stop in Davao, in the smokers' cafe:

"You jammy sod! Have you got a light?!"
"Yes, for the moment! Anyway, you can buy a lighter at Changi?"
"Yeah, that's what I'm intending to do!"

There were 2 Australians there too off the same flight, and they had managed to keep their lighters. Didn't get chance to ask them how they had done it though!

I hate airports, but Changi is a real pleasure to spend time in. Not least because it has an Indian restaurant! They have increased security too, though - they are now doing full scans on incoming flights, on a random basis... And mine was randomly selected, of course...

Didn't see the lighter guy again there, but Changi allows smoking, so he would have no problems... An unforgettable return trip, and I was relieved to be back in Manchester at last... and light up my first cigarette after 14 hours on the plane. Then I heard a familiar voice...

"Can you give us a light again please?"
"What happened? Did you not buy a lighter in Singapore?"
"No - the .......s refused to sell me one!"

The things us poor persecuted smokers have to endure.. it's almost enough to make you want to give up... almost :)

Ivor

[Pauldo]

Originally posted by ivor&mel@Feb 20 2006, 03:57 PM
Having just returned to the UK from Cebu via Singapore a couple of weeks ago, I have to say that airport security seems to have been stepped up almost to the point of paranoia... And commonsense seems to have been the major victim...


Quoted post


Mere weeks after the 9/11 terrorism I flew out of Manila, and during the gestapo interrogation bit they noticed I had a nail clipper in my bag. A tiny little 'Made in China' uselss toy, you know the sort.

BUT, it had a 3/4" long fold out nail file fastened to it. It was useless, a child would be hard pressed to hurt themselves on it, but I had to fold it back and forth, snap it off and throw it in the collection bin, as it was deemed a possible weapon, a terrorist threat, security threat, rules are rules etc etc.

An hour later, on the plane, (Philippine Airlines) I was handed a serrated, three inch blade, stainless steel knive to eat my meal with :yikes: :Doh: :blink:

Only in the Philippines.

In the Philippines nothing is ever quite done 100%. Try as they might, they can never quite get anything completly right :Hellooo: :BouncyHappy:

[Admin]

Even Monty Python couldn't have come up with these sketches :lol:

[Eljohno]

[quote=Pauldo,Feb 20 2006, 10:34 PM]


An hour later, on the plane, (Philippine Airlines) I was handed a serrated, three inch blade, stainless steel knive to eat my meal with :yikes: :Doh: :blink:

(Only in the Philippines) ]





Hi,
i actually found that very unusual myself when i was traveling on Singapore Airlines that they let everyone use stainless steel knives, when if things that i thought were fine are taken of people..


John

[walesrob]

I don't actually mind too much about airport security, even at times its a bit OTT, however the one species that I really hate is the stupid, stupid baggage label inspectors.

On arrival in Manila, you must have your baggage label with you for inspection, if not, you will have a hard time leaving the airport. During our last trip to Philippines, Elsa and I flew domestic about 6 times, and each time, we had to encounter these idiots. A couple of times I got close to raising my voice at these so called "important people".

Having said that I did raise my voice at the tourism desk people at Manila airport when they wanted 1600 Php to let Elsa out of Philippines, even though she shouldn't have paid it. Honestly, talking to these idiots is like talking to a tape machine on loop, I just gave up and left them to it :cwm23: :yikes: