airline travel problems

[Diver Dave1]

I have always checked my dive equipment with no issues. I do carry on the dive computer. Been on dozens of dive trips all by plane with no issues. I always check the bag weight with a portable scale after packing as I approach the wt limit. On flights in Indonesia, I had to pay extra for wt but it was a small amount.
Never an issue with any of the air carriers and I have been on most of the major players in the US.

 

[Kimela]

@gcarter - my husband likes to carry a few 1 and 2 pound wts for the same reason as @2airishuman - sometimes it's hard to find those lighter wts for trim. The good news is that the let him keep his weight belt!

 

[Saniflush]

The Mrs and I pack our 1st and 2nd stages along with computers in our carry ons and then check everything else. We have only been flying in and out of destinations in the Caribbean and the states though. TSA almost always singles them out for further testing but we have had no real problem other than that.

 

[jonhall]

Since about the first year I got my own gear, has my carryon suitcase, in which I carry my reg been checked (nor has my backpack for that matter.) Hasn't been questioned/opened for at least the last 40 times through security. My checked luggage on the other hand has been tossed on every trip the last 3 ½ years both going and coming home.

Think I learned something on trip to Mexico a couple of weeks ago. I changed one non-diving item, purchased about 3 ½ years ago, that I always put in checked luggage and moved it to my carryon. You can guess what occurred - my carryon was pulled out twice on the way to destination and that was through the TSA pre-check line. And of course, my checked back wasn't opened by security at all. I was able to see the area of my carryon that had been identified the second time, so on the way home, I put the item I was pretty sure was the culprit in my backpack and then pulled it out at security and placed it in a tray on the conveyor. Of the 2 times I did it, it was stopped the 2nd time and the guy scanning it pulled it out, opened it, and looked through it before placing it back on the conveyor.

The culprit:

 

[60plus]

I asked an airline about fishing kit. Rods in hold only, reels OK in hand luggage so long as line is removed (line OK in hold). Reason given was that a full spool of line could tie up a lot of people. They might think you intend to ties someone up with your hoses!
Cable ties - a few OK, A bag of 100 probably confiscated.
I once left a drill bit in my brief case on a flight from Heathrow to Charles de gaulle, Result - got Heckler and Kochs pointed me as soon as it went through the hand baggage scanner, they thought it was rifling in a gun barrel. Very embarrassing, they were shouting and I was not sure what they wanted me to do. I did not know if I should lay on the floor, put my hands above my head or dive for cover so they could shoot someone behind me. I sort of stood there flapping my arms between straight up and straight out.

 

[agilis]

@gcarter - my husband likes to carry a few 1 and 2 pound wts for the same reason as @2airishuman - sometimes it's hard to find those lighter wts for trim. The good news is that the let him keep his weight belt!

I do the same, for the same reason. I also wear about 5 lbs of lead when snorkeling, which I do a lot of, for near neutral buoyancy. I have never had a problem with the weights (or with my regs.) in carry on luggage. Most of my traveling is in the Caribbean.

 

[TMHeimer]

On my only "dive" flight I had several 2 pound weights in the carry-on. They picked them up and made a swing motion, I guess to see if they could be a weapon. Probably not a good idea to konk someone on the head and have 150 passengers jump on you.

Things have changed. Around 1990 I was passing through Canadian Customs in T.O. with one of those "fire boxes" that you store important stuff in should the house burn down. One guy didn't know what it was, and the other described it, saying he owned one himself. Of course, I believe it's lead lined, or at least know they couldn't see inside. So they let me go without opening it (well, if they could've seen inside with the Xray they wouldn't have been curious to start with). Could've had anything in there.

 

[tomcatbubba]

I always carry regs and my computer as carry-on, everything else gets checked. Only time I had an issue was in St Louis and the TSA agent wanted to do a swab of the regs. I begged him to please change his gloves prior to fingering the mouthpieces. I explained I saw him getting in "deep" with the dude prior to me during the patdown. He chuckled and said no problem.