Confiscated at the airport

[+ purplekow]

On my way home from Palm Springs, in the Phoenix airport, I had an item confiscated for the first time.  I had a half a tube of tooth paste which was deemed to contain too much liquid.  The agent was insistent on telling me methods I could use to reclaim the item even after I had told him several times to just keep it. 

Anyone else have items confiscated while traveling?  

[+ friendofsheila]

Metal water bottle.  And they wouldn't let me drink it to empty it.

[+ azdr0710]

a few things over the years, but nothing utterly priceless or irreplaceable.....water bottles (had planned to drink it before security, but forgot), other liquids bigger than the 3.2 oz. rule, etc.......

the best story is carrying home some backpacking stove fuel in checked luggage (a large backpack)....another "I forgot" moment at the checked luggage hand-off spot.....this was about 15 years ago just as TSA was really getting into high gear......I even received my very own "terrorism warning letter" (my own nomenclature for it) a few weeks later warning that backpacking fuel is not allowed and that the matter is now closed.......the letter is now attractively framed and sits on my entryway table.....yes, I understand the rules and outreach and all, but the letter was very stiff and bureaucratic...... 

[+ azdr0710]

1 hour ago, purplekow said:

 The agent was insistent on telling me methods I could use to reclaim the item even after I had told him several times to just keep it. 

 

[Epigonos]

Early in the days of limiting liquids I forgot and packed a bottle of wine.  When they wouldn't let me take it I insisted on giving it to one of the people behind the United Airlines desk.  The TSA agents were NOT happy with my decision. 

Edited April 17, 2022 by Epigonos

[+ The Big Guy]

Embarrassingly, they confiscated my preparation H wipes after a thorough search of my bags.  WTF 

Edited April 17, 2022 by The Big Guy

[+ nycman]

I once had a metal caliper confiscated (the kind you use to measure things on graph paper)
because it had two pointy ends. I guess they were worried I was going to “prick” someone
to death? First I had to explain what they were (doesn’t anyone take high school geometry 
anymore?), then the TSA agent wouldn’t let me throw them in the trash because she deemed
them a “scientific instrument". It took a supervisor to resolve the issue and allow me to throw
away the cheap item and board the plane.

I’ve also had nail clippers confiscated. 

A ridiculously large metal cocking however was deemed a "piece of building equipment" 
by a 90 year old TSA agent named Edna, (who first waved it around over her head asking
if any of her coworkers knew what "this thing is") and I was allowed to keep it. I’m still
amazed my beet red face didn’t make them more suspicious.

[Luv2play]

4 hours ago, nycman said:

I once had a metal caliper confiscated (the kind you use to measure things on graph paper)
because it had two pointy ends. I guess they were worried I was going to “prick” someone
to death? First I had to explain what they were (doesn’t anyone take high school geometry 
anymore?), then the TSA agent wouldn’t let me throw them in the trash because she deemed
them a “scientific instrument". It took a supervisor to resolve the issue and allow me to throw
away the cheap item and board the plane.

I’ve also had nail clippers confiscated. 

A ridiculously large metal cocking however was deemed a "piece of building equipment" 
by a 90 year old TSA agent named Edna, (who first waved it around over her head asking
if any of her coworkers knew what "this thing is") and I was allowed to keep it. I’m still
amazed my beet red face didn’t make them more suspicious.

Did you mean to write cockring?

[+ Pensant]

7 years ago they confiscated an expensive tube of Zenagen shampoo. I’ve packed other things over 4 oz., but they’ve let them through in pre-check.

[+ poolboy48220]

I keep a tiny swiss army knife on my keychain. I've lost countless of them when I forget to take them off before I go through security.

[Rudynate]

I had a small jar of pre-workout formula with the inconvenient brand name "C4"  in my luggage. They ran all sorts of tests on it and called in an explosives expert to examine it.  I told them "just forget it, I don't need it."  But they said they had to go through their testing protocol.  It didn't take that long - 20 minutes or so.   But the notion that I would be carrying a jar of C4 explosive, that was labeled C4, and that I could be detained for it, seemed completely absurd to.  After they ran all their tests, they gave it back to me.

Edited April 17, 2022 by Rudynate
typo

[LaffingBear]

Tube of sunscreen... it was 4 Oz or 6 Oz.  Had made it back and forth several trips, before one agent confiscated. Same drill as others... I told them to just keep it

[leeper]

I had a carabiner that I used to attach one bag to another.  Actually I had two, but one was much sturdier than the other, and I had traveled all over the world with them.  That is, until I flew out of the Bordeaux airport.  The local airport manager had decided that carabiners could be used like brass knuckles, so that airport banned them on carry-ons.  I talked them out of taking the lighter weight one as it wasn't really sturdy enough for that purpose.  The far more expensive, heavy-duty one was confiscated.  It was purely a local airport decision.

[+ nycman]

22 hours ago, Luv2play said:

Did you mean to write cockring?

Yes….fucking spell check.

Thank you for the correction. 

[dbar123]

I had several CO2 capsules that I use for inflating bike tires in my checked bag. TSA confiscated them. At least they left the valve

[Act25]

A bottle of lube and condoms.  I probably could've kept the condoms but didn't wish to ask the TSA agent to remove them from the baggie with the lube in it.    It was my fault as I usually checked that bag and carried it on that flight forgetting I had the lube in it.  

[samhexum]

On 4/16/2022 at 6:23 PM, purplekow said:

Anyone else have items confiscated while traveling?  

 

On 4/16/2022 at 8:18 PM, azdr0710 said:

a few things over the years, but nothing utterly priceless or irreplaceable...

 

On 4/16/2022 at 9:32 PM, The Big Guy said:

Embarrassingly, they confiscated my preparation H wipes after a thorough search of my bags.  WTF 

 

On 4/16/2022 at 10:02 PM, nycman said:

I once had a metal caliper confiscated (the kind you use to measure things on graph paper)
because it had two pointy ends. I guess they were worried I was going to “prick” someone
to death? First I had to explain what they were (doesn’t anyone take high school geometry 
anymore?), then the TSA agent wouldn’t let me throw them in the trash because she deemed
them a “scientific instrument". It took a supervisor to resolve the issue and allow me to throw
away the cheap item and board the plane.  I’ve also had nail clippers confiscated.

 

20 hours ago, Pensant said:

7 years ago they confiscated an expensive tube of Zenagen shampoo. I’ve packed other things over 4 oz., but they’ve let them through in pre-check.

 

19 hours ago, poolboy48220 said:

I keep a tiny swiss army knife on my keychain. I've lost countless of them when I forget to take them off before I go through security.

I once had a problem getting something out of Turkey.  Brad Davis played me in the movie.

 

Edited April 18, 2022 by samhexum
just for the hell of it

[former lurker]

Two times fellow passengers had items confiscated.

First, pre-9/11, 5 of us were returning from a college trip to Japan.  One of the other students attempted to bring an ornate sword in her carry on luggage. She reasoned that it was a "gift” for her brother.  I whispered in her ear to ask that the crew store it.  I explained to her that buying a weapon as a gift didn't transform into a non-weapon.  Had she visited Israel, she wouldn't be allowed to carry an uzi onto the plane. Ultimately the pilot offered to hold the sword for the flight.  Unfortunately, we flew from Tokyo/Nariata to Chicago/O'Hare where we to connect for the last leg of the flight.  The delay boarding our party because of the sword snafu left our names off the passengers list.  United Airlines cancelled all of its flights due to a strike.  We were booked on Northwest, but all of the airlines were taking bumped United passengers.  We ended up waiting for about 12 hours to get rebooked.

Second, post-9/11, the guy in front of me was stopped, and the security line delayed when he tried to bring a set of electric tools onto the plane.  Also an international flight, so the delay made some of us nervous about getting through customs screening on time. We did, but it was close

 

 

[Guest]

Last month on an domestic flight from Guatemala City to Flores (Tikal), they confiscated a geode I'd bought in the market. I wasn't sure why. Maybe they thought I'd hit someone on the head with the stone?

[+ purplekow]

5 hours ago, samhexum said:

 

 

 

 

 

I once had a problem getting something out of Turkey.  Brad Davis played me in the movie.

 

Billy is that you?   Brad Davis another victim of the Plague.

[+ Charlie]

8 hours ago, Unicorn said:

Last month on an domestic flight from Guatemala City to Flores (Tikal), they confiscated a geode I'd bought in the market. I wasn't sure why. Maybe they thought I'd hit someone on the head with the stone?

Does that flight still use those old DC-3s with the wooden benches inside along the walls? Maybe they feared the extra weight would bring the plane down😱

[Guest]

17 minutes ago, Charlie said:

Does that flight still use those old DC-3s with the wooden benches inside along the walls? Maybe they feared the extra weight would bring the plane down😱

No, I think it was an ERJ-140 or something like that.

[+ Charlie]

12 minutes ago, Unicorn said:

No, I think it was an ERJ-140 or something like that.

That's good. When I made that flight almost a half century ago, it was a real nail-biter.

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, Charlie said:

That's good. When I made that flight almost a half century ago, it was a real nail-biter.

Considering they stopped making the DC3 in 1942, that plane must have been quite old in 1972!!

[Beancounter]

Had a can of shaving cream confiscated one time at Dallas Ft. Worth airport. Too large of a can they said.