jd950
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I know there is another thread discussing this general topic, but thought this deserved a new thread. I just got back from a great trip to Cozumel. The whole trip was wonderful up until we got to the airport for our return flight.
We checked our luggage and then moved on to security and ran everything through the xray. A security man then set our two rollaboards aside and motioned me to the counter where he then set down one bag and pulled everything out and put it in a plastic bin. Dive masks, dive logs, dive computers, regs, everything. He clicked the plastic pens to be sure they were pens(?), opened up mask boxes and pulled out the masks, and so on, and piled everything in a plastic bin. He also opened the pouches I use for batteries and chargers, pulled out all the batteries and dumped them into another bin. He then carried the gear bin and the mostly empty bag back to the xray machine and ran them through.
Security guy first said I could only have four batteries in my bag. Trying to salvage what I could, I said “OK, I will take four and my wife will take four in her bag.” No way… he changed his mind and ruled that no batteries were to be allowed. This was bad. We take backup batteries for our computers and transmitters, and I take extra batteries for lights, strobes, focus light and camera, to rotate in as others are being recharged. I use almost all rechargeable batteries, largely for environmental reasons. Some of these are expensive batteries.
Security guy took all of them, from the little 2430 and cr123a computer batteries to the AA Eneloops to the 18650 battery for the dive light and even the OEM rechargeable camera battery. Alkaline, Lithium-Ion, NiMH, it didn’t matter. He went so far as to pull the little flat backup computer batteries out of the small baggies they were in along with their proper O ring, and threw the O ring into the bin with the other gear and the battery into the battery bin . All told, well over $100.00 in batteries seized. Had I been going on to another dive destination, I would have been really screwed. I package batteries properly when transporting them, in small, see-through plastic boxes or other safe and legal means. That had nothing to do with the issue and just made it easier for security guy to find and seize them all. My wife later told me that she saw a huge tub that was packed full with all kinds of batteries. I am not sure whether these go to a dump or end up for sale somewhere.
I have not traveled to Mexico for about 3 years, and never had this happen before. When we arrived at the Coz airport they had us look at a little placard with a list of prohibited items. Batteries are not included. After security and while waiting to board, there were frequent announcements over the PA system that batteries could not be carried in checked luggage and must be carried on, which comports with U.S. law. Kind of laughable since the checked bags were already checked and the security guys had already looted the carry on bags.
What was worse, for me, was that he then moved on the rollaboard camera bag in which I have my dive camera, housing, ports, lenses, strobes, etc. Again, he pulled everything out, pulled lens caps off of lenses to look through them, put his hand inside two of the ports, and felt around inside the camera housing. He then carried the bag back to the xray machine, put them them on the conveyor and ran them through again. Later today I will need to clean the smudges that now exist on the inside of the dome port. Hopefully it isn’t scratched.
It wasn’t just the one security guy or just me. One woman had managed to pack her backplate, wing and fins with spring straps into a small carry on. Apparently, backplates are forbidden, because they made her go back and check her small bag. I saw one guy lose some sort of small tool (not sure what) from what was obviously a save-a-dive kit. Someone else was being hassled about the size of their ziplock that had liquids in it. There were a lot of people grumbling about losing stuff after security. ASUR had 2-3 people going through the bags and they were all unpleasant about the process. It reminded me of the type of luggage searches one would face when entering some soviet block countries back in those days. Truly, it felt like we were being hassled just for the sake of it. So the lessons? I guess either take no extra batteries beyond what you can install in your gear and make sure they are all installed when you leave Coz (won’t work for me), or take only single use batteries and throw them in the trash before you head home (I guess if they don’t care about filling their dumps with heavy metals I shouldn’t either?), start smuggling batteries, or reconsider whether Mexico is where you want to go.
Since returning home, I checked on the internet and learned that under U.S. and Mexican law and ASUR rules there is no restriction on carrying drycell batteries aboard the plane, including lithium ion batteries. I also learned that this battery seizure is now a common occurrence in Mexico and has become a big enough issue for many travelers that there is no way that ASUR is unaware of the problem (ASUR > Airports > Cozumel > Travel Tips). I wish I had known, but it simply never occurred to me to see if the Mexican airport security guards were seizing non-prohibited items from flyers. Now I know...Mexican airport security guards will very likely seize your batteries. Of course, being Mexico, they will miss a lot of batteries, but you never know when you will be the one.
My wife and I were discussing where to dive in the Fall. I am annoyed enough about this situation that the decision has gotten easier for me. I am not saying I won’t ever return; I am fairly sure I will, but the experience left me with a bad feeling and I am inclined to spend my tourist dollars elsewhere right now.
Hopefully, someone else can avoid a problem by having read this.
We checked our luggage and then moved on to security and ran everything through the xray. A security man then set our two rollaboards aside and motioned me to the counter where he then set down one bag and pulled everything out and put it in a plastic bin. Dive masks, dive logs, dive computers, regs, everything. He clicked the plastic pens to be sure they were pens(?), opened up mask boxes and pulled out the masks, and so on, and piled everything in a plastic bin. He also opened the pouches I use for batteries and chargers, pulled out all the batteries and dumped them into another bin. He then carried the gear bin and the mostly empty bag back to the xray machine and ran them through.
Security guy first said I could only have four batteries in my bag. Trying to salvage what I could, I said “OK, I will take four and my wife will take four in her bag.” No way… he changed his mind and ruled that no batteries were to be allowed. This was bad. We take backup batteries for our computers and transmitters, and I take extra batteries for lights, strobes, focus light and camera, to rotate in as others are being recharged. I use almost all rechargeable batteries, largely for environmental reasons. Some of these are expensive batteries.
Security guy took all of them, from the little 2430 and cr123a computer batteries to the AA Eneloops to the 18650 battery for the dive light and even the OEM rechargeable camera battery. Alkaline, Lithium-Ion, NiMH, it didn’t matter. He went so far as to pull the little flat backup computer batteries out of the small baggies they were in along with their proper O ring, and threw the O ring into the bin with the other gear and the battery into the battery bin . All told, well over $100.00 in batteries seized. Had I been going on to another dive destination, I would have been really screwed. I package batteries properly when transporting them, in small, see-through plastic boxes or other safe and legal means. That had nothing to do with the issue and just made it easier for security guy to find and seize them all. My wife later told me that she saw a huge tub that was packed full with all kinds of batteries. I am not sure whether these go to a dump or end up for sale somewhere.
I have not traveled to Mexico for about 3 years, and never had this happen before. When we arrived at the Coz airport they had us look at a little placard with a list of prohibited items. Batteries are not included. After security and while waiting to board, there were frequent announcements over the PA system that batteries could not be carried in checked luggage and must be carried on, which comports with U.S. law. Kind of laughable since the checked bags were already checked and the security guys had already looted the carry on bags.
What was worse, for me, was that he then moved on the rollaboard camera bag in which I have my dive camera, housing, ports, lenses, strobes, etc. Again, he pulled everything out, pulled lens caps off of lenses to look through them, put his hand inside two of the ports, and felt around inside the camera housing. He then carried the bag back to the xray machine, put them them on the conveyor and ran them through again. Later today I will need to clean the smudges that now exist on the inside of the dome port. Hopefully it isn’t scratched.
It wasn’t just the one security guy or just me. One woman had managed to pack her backplate, wing and fins with spring straps into a small carry on. Apparently, backplates are forbidden, because they made her go back and check her small bag. I saw one guy lose some sort of small tool (not sure what) from what was obviously a save-a-dive kit. Someone else was being hassled about the size of their ziplock that had liquids in it. There were a lot of people grumbling about losing stuff after security. ASUR had 2-3 people going through the bags and they were all unpleasant about the process. It reminded me of the type of luggage searches one would face when entering some soviet block countries back in those days. Truly, it felt like we were being hassled just for the sake of it. So the lessons? I guess either take no extra batteries beyond what you can install in your gear and make sure they are all installed when you leave Coz (won’t work for me), or take only single use batteries and throw them in the trash before you head home (I guess if they don’t care about filling their dumps with heavy metals I shouldn’t either?), start smuggling batteries, or reconsider whether Mexico is where you want to go.
Since returning home, I checked on the internet and learned that under U.S. and Mexican law and ASUR rules there is no restriction on carrying drycell batteries aboard the plane, including lithium ion batteries. I also learned that this battery seizure is now a common occurrence in Mexico and has become a big enough issue for many travelers that there is no way that ASUR is unaware of the problem (ASUR > Airports > Cozumel > Travel Tips). I wish I had known, but it simply never occurred to me to see if the Mexican airport security guards were seizing non-prohibited items from flyers. Now I know...Mexican airport security guards will very likely seize your batteries. Of course, being Mexico, they will miss a lot of batteries, but you never know when you will be the one.
My wife and I were discussing where to dive in the Fall. I am annoyed enough about this situation that the decision has gotten easier for me. I am not saying I won’t ever return; I am fairly sure I will, but the experience left me with a bad feeling and I am inclined to spend my tourist dollars elsewhere right now.
Hopefully, someone else can avoid a problem by having read this.
