Another US Air Travel thread

[Jimbo]

All that sounds similar to my pre-Christmas experience at Heathrow - no liquids; any deodorant, toothpaste etc in carry on had to be put in a plastic bag of certain proportions. I was also made to put my carry on bag inside my laptop bag to get through security - only one piece of carry on luggage was allowed at that point.

I did take two straights and a strop with me to the UK (in the checked-through luggage) and brought back an extra three razors the same way. I had no problems with this, but that may have been more good luck than anything else.

James.

PS I don't have a major problem with this level of security, especially if it deters psychos from exploding my plane mid-air. We had an experience in Melbourne recently where a young guy was refused entry onto an international Qantas flight because he was wearing a t-shirt depicting George W. Bush as a terrorist. Poor taste perhaps, and certainly ill-conceived, but hardly a security threat, I would have thought.

[DMS]

Or being on a puddle-jumper flight where people have brought chickens onboard and the stewardess walks down the isle spraying you (and everything else) with an insecticide... I've actually had that happen in Mexico.

How true. I bet that was after a mad dash for the plane, too.......... with every man, woman, child, goat, and chicken for themself in the race to secure a seat.

Removing your shoes to go through the metal detector isn't such a big a deal when viewed with a little perspective.

[rickw]

Take an extra $100 - $150 with you, per passport, if your passport(s) haven't been to Chile yet. I went last March and it was $100 on a U.S. passport. They hit you with that before you are allowed to go through customs. If you check with the agent you use to go to Europe they can probably tell you the amount.

Rick

[rickw]

If you can avoid mountain roads, do so. The drivers there are just plain crazy. I was on a cruise ship and twelve passengers went off a cliff outside Arica, Chile. Truck on the wrong side of the road forced the van onto the shoulder and from there over the side.

[FiReSTaRT]

Thank you gentlemen. Complications are the last thing I want when travelling, so I'll be extra careful. On a good note the initial checkin happens in Toronto, so I don't expect any anal probing or whatever else they can come up with.
As for the entry fees, they will be about $140CDN (based on the reciprocity principle), and I will have them ready. Those Chilean drivers have nothing on me. I'm a product of Eastern-European and North-Ontario schools of driving, with a risk-taking mentality thrown into the mix

[steve]

Thank you gentlemen. Complications are the last thing I want when travelling, so I'll be extra careful. On a good note the initial checkin happens in Toronto, so I don't expect any anal probing or whatever else they can come up with.

Just be glad you don't go through Roswell, New Mexico. Those ETs are known for their anal probing

[DMS]

Just be glad you don't go through Roswell, New Mexico. Those ETs are known for their anal probing

Yeah, but he wouldn't remember it afterward!

[JLStorm]

I wouldnt sweat it much really. just checked everything like you said and you will be ok. I check my straights every time I fly (generally weekly) and have never once have a problem...other than when I accidentally tried to carry one on lol I dont have much experience in going international other than to london and I dont recall that being a problem. As far as your dress, dont sweat it, I usually wear steel toe motorcycle boots and a LOT of metal, I also refuse to take of my shoes or belt and get "wanded" its quck and often easier if you have to tie big heavy boots. I also check in with my concealed weapons permits as ID just to really piss them off lol

Through all that I have never once had a problem.

[FiReSTaRT]

Thanks Josh. I haven't done any air travel in about 2 years, they got more paranoid since then and I've never been to the States, so I wanted to make sure I made it to Santiago.

[JerseyLawyer]

IIRC, they have you take off your shoes so that they can x-ray the shoes to check for explosives (after the Richard Reed "shoe bomber" incident), rather than because they interfere with the metal detectors - though, as someone pointed out, shoes with steel shanks will make the thing go off. Take it from someone who spends a lot of time going through metal detectors at federal court houses.

Oh, by the way - the covering your belt with your hand thing doesn't work, either. And the precious metals in a ring aren't going to set the detector off.

I fly quite frequently myself, and have flown in lots of other countries (though I admit that I wasn't mad enough to fly Aeroflot - a friend who did said there's nothign quite so exhilarating as never knowing when you might fall out of the sky). Start worrying when not only do they ask how much you weigh, but have a scale on the tarmac next to the plane.