TSA Courtesy Notice

[macado]

For those that say TSA doesn't care or read notes in checked inspected bags, I've had them write personalized messages on my notices (ike "Dive Safe" and "Thanks for the notice") or tape the TSA inspection pamphlet to my notice. I'm not saying they're all oblivious but sometimes they do care and read things.

I do try to carry-on my rebreather head or in some circumstances my entire rebreather on the flight. It's a 50/50 shot whether I get the full inspection or they completely ignore it. They're often more interested in my canister light.

Like others mentioned, sometimes saying the magic words "scuba equipment" gets them to lower their guard a bit.

I've traveled with 3L (23cu/ft) tanks probably a half dozen times. My procedure is to put clear tape over the tank neck and print out TSA's own procedures for empty cylinders on the bottom. I also clearly write on the notice. "This tank is empty."

The worst experience I ever had was trying to fly home from Mexico with my rebreather and 3L bottles from Cancun airport. The Mexican security agent was adamant that tanks and my scuba equipment were not allowed on the flight. He was furious and would not back down. He wouldn't even let me check them (I was carrying them on). I almost missed my flight and had to get a Delta supervisor involved after I exhausted my Spanish-speaking abilities. I had to go back down to check-in desk and have the agent come up to security with me. The Delta agent and Mexican security agent proceeded to argue about what was allowed on the flight. The Mexican security agent finally gave up in disgust and wrote down my passport information and what looked like the Delta supervisor's badge information. If I had not arrived at airport about 2 hours early I would have missed my flight. I no longer travel to Mexico with tanks. I did this 3 times (2 twice to Cozumel and 1 once to Cancun).

 

[rsingler]

With @macado 's encouragement in mind (and the fact that TSA ignored the one I DID prepare, though everything worked out fine), I redid my overly wordy notices to have a little more punch and a little less explanation. There's one for the baggage that contains my head and counterlungs, and another for the one with the can.
I really liked @doctormike 's use of the term "underwater exploration", so I included that. I added pictures. You are all welcome to use it. Here's a generic version without my name and contact info, tho' alas, it does sport JJ pictures . It's in both MS Publisher format (in case you want to change it around), and in PDF format, where you can just write in your name and number at the bottom. Sorry, but trying to save it as a Word document was a disaster. Too hard to arrange the pieces. NOTE: To get around Scubaboard's file upload limitations, it's called TSA_Generic.doc. It is NOT a Word file! Go to File Explorer and rename it TSA_Generic.pub and things should open just fine in Publisher. The PDF file should open as is.

Use it as you wish!

 

[KevinNM]

I'm most proud of what I didn't say to the TSA one time.

On the last of about five flights I had taken one week, a morbidly obese TSA agent rummaged through my carry-on and confiscated a wine opener that had been in that same bag for every flight that week. He unfolded the blade--which was about as long as my pinkie fingernail, barely long enough to achieve its function of cutting foil on a wine bottle, hooded by the curvature of its dull side so that it couldn't stab so much as a martini olive, and less than half the length of the thickness of the thinnest portion of bioprene in which the TSA agent had cleverly ensheathed himself to reduce his chance of sexual contact to zero--and declared, "This is a deadly weapon!"

I'm not in jail today because I bit my tongue and did not utter the thought that sprang to my lips, "You call that a lethal weapon? I guarantee I could kill you faster with my bare hands than I could with that supposedly lethal wine opener."

The 24-ounce stainless steel coffee mug, which could have been an effective weapon, was ignored.

I had some carabiners confiscated at Charles DeGaul airport. The lady mimed using them as brass knuckles. Well, whatever.

Then in Albuquerque they confiscated the loaded glock magazine I’d left in the bag. That was embarrassing and I have no complaints on how that was handled. Not quite as bad as when I tossed my LBE in my carry on, forgetting the 8” long knife, on the way home from Ft Lewis in the 80s. Had to sign something on that one admitting that I should never do that again.

But in general, in my experience , they are not bad. But there are bad people in all large organizations.

 

[Jafo19D]

I had some carabiners confiscated at Charles DeGaul airport. The lady mimed using them as brass knuckles. Well, whatever.

Then in Albuquerque they confiscated the loaded glock magazine I’d left in the bag. That was embarrassing and I have no complaints on how that was handled. Not quite as bad as when I tossed my LBE in my carry on, forgetting the 8” long knife, on the way home from Ft Lewis in the 80s. Had to sign something on that one admitting that I should never do that again.

But in general, in my experience , they are not bad. But there are bad people in all large organizations.

LBE? You're showing your age, LOL. And yes I'm old enough to have worn one.

 

[ScubaDave68]

As my stuff is about to go in the X-ray, I always say. "You guys always freak out and it's only scuba gear". They get defensive and claim that they see scuba gear all the time. They know what it is. And off I go to get a pre flight beer.

 

[VikingDives]

Has anyone got a notice to TSA that they are particularly proud of?
I'm looking to tape something inside my Pelican case, so TSA doesn't kill my new JJ CCR (even tho I'll be carrying the head separately). Actually, the same thing really applies to my carryon when it goes thru x- ray and they want to open it up.

Thanks!

If you're flying in the states, you might want to put a gun in the same bag. You have to declare the gun, have a hard sided case etc., but the case must be locked with a real lock, not a TSA lock... There's more than one way to skin a cat.

 

[EdwinOcean]

If you're flying in the states, you might want to put a gun in the same bag. You have to declare the gun, have a hard sided case etc., but the case must be locked with a real lock, not a TSA lock... There's more than one way to skin a cat.

On that note, you can just get a starter pistol from Dick's and use that to get the locked box treatment. This way, you can fly anywhere in the world and never run afoul of gun laws.

 

[stretchthepenn]

Then in Albuquerque they confiscated the loaded glock magazine I’d left in the bag. That was embarrassing and I have no complaints on how that was handled. Not quite as bad as when I tossed my LBE in my carry on, forgetting the 8” long knife, on the way home from Ft Lewis in the 80s. Had to sign something on that one admitting that I should never do that again.

Back in the '90s, I used a gym bag as my primary luggage, and I always carried a box cutter in the front pocket. Never once did an airport's x-ray machine catch it.

 

[EdwinOcean]

Back in the '90s, I used a gym bag as my primary luggage, and I always carried a box cutter in the front pocket. Never once did an airport's x-ray machine catch it.

Because pre-9/11 box cutters weren't banned. Hence how they were used in 9/11.

 

[stretchthepenn]

Because pre-9/11 box cutters weren't banned. Hence how they were used in 9/11.

That's not entirely true... Boxcutters Weren't Allowed Pre-9/11