Questions tagged [airport-security]
The checks and scans for illegal or dangerous items required at airports for passengers and baggage.
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How much electronics and other valuables can I bring duty-free when going to India?
I am planning to travel to India (COK airport, Kerala) from United States. I want to take my laptop as well as my tablet (iPad). Am I allowed to take both in my backpack with my documents related my ...
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Can I bring my desktop computer as check-in baggage on a flight? [duplicate]
I am moving from Malaysia to the US, and planning to bring my desktop computer with me. I plan to pack it in my checked-in luggage. Will the computer risk being damaged? Any precaution should I take ...
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Are battery packs allowed in hand luggage?
When flying, are you allowed to bring battery packs / power banks? I'd like to bring my ACC 10400mAh Power Bank on several flights.
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My name has "Mr" appended on airline ticket reservation. Would that cause problems at the airport?
I recently booked tickets to travel by plane from the UK to Greece. The website I booked through (airfasttickets.co.uk) lists my name correctly, as "Mr Georgios [My surname]", exactly the same as in ...
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Can I take two laptops to India from United States? One bought in India and one in US [duplicate]
I will be landing at New Delhi airport. The worth of new laptop (Lenovo Yoga Idea Pad 13) is about $1000 and old one (Macbook Pro) is > 1 lakh INR. I want to leave the new laptop in India. I have a ...
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Am I allowed to take a graphics card in my carry-on luggage?
As I will be travelling to the US in July, I was thinking of buying two graphics cards (R9 390X) over there and bring them back to Switzerland, as computer components are mostly a bit cheaper over ...
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US and Canada border crossing and computer privacy: What do I need to know?
I've read stories about border officials searching laptops when crossing the border in one direction or the other. Does this really happen, typically speaking?
As a US citizen, can I be forced to ...
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How to convince airport security that I am not dangerous when having metallic parts in my body?
I had an operation some time ago and now I have small screws in my shoulder which will not be removed anymore. When I decided to fly for vacation, I supposed that these will may bring me into trouble ...
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Can growing a beard cause problems in crossing borders?
I just recently renewed my passport with a picture taken just after I shaved. I haven't shaved since (>3 weeks) and I kind of like it. I am even looking into how to maintain a beard, but that is a ...
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How do I get an engagement ring past security/customs in an airport without alerting my significant other?
A related post, made me wonder how you can hide a ring from a "special one" traveling with you to a place where you will propose and yet get it legally through security or customs?
You don't want the ...
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Airport security: what if I carry an item with traces of explosive?
One day I was travelling from UK to Switzerland, the security officer at Gatwick airport check (with a kind of swab) all my electronic devices (mainly phone and camera chargers + cables) to see if it ...
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If I don't declare a not-yet-used engagement ring at airport security, am I smuggling jewelry?
In How do I get an engagement ring past security/customs in an airport without alerting my significant other?, MikeV posted a pertinent question which is worth asking:
If I buy a ring in the US, ...
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Laptop w/o battery US bound flight?
According to some reports, your electronic devices are checked whether they turn on before you can get on a US bound flight. What if I carry around a laptop without a battery?
user4188
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Is the TSA Lock acceptable in European Airports?
I understand if you travelling in or to the US, you can lock your luggage using the TSA Luggage Lock. (Immigration is still able to open your luggage using their own special keys.)
How about Europe? ...
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Why is security screening done at the gate in some airports?
I've noticed that when taking non-Schengen flights at AMS (Schiphol airport, Amsterdam), there is no centralized security check after you enter the airport and go through passport control. Instead, ...
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What happens if you miss a connecting flight?
What happens if you book tickets through an airline or travel agent, but on the travel date miss a connecting flight (either because the first flight was delayed, or because immigration/security took ...
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Why are passports checked at the check-in counter, Immigration and even at the gate?
I was wondering, why there are passport checks at the check-in counter, Immigration and even at the gate?
For example, I was at Istanbul flying to either UK or US. There's a security check at the ...
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When are U.S.-bound flights required to confiscate liquids at the gate?
In a recent question, I found that the U.S. requires flights from Hong Kong that are bound for the U.S. to confiscate liquids in containers above 100 mL from carry-on luggage in a secondary screening ...
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Why did airport security swab my hands with wet paper?
Before entering a commercial plane, I had to go through the usual security check at Prague airport (PRG). When I passed the metal detector, it went off. I assume it was because I forgot to take off my ...
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Can I wear a bulletproof vest while traveling on British Airways from Heathrow?
I'll be wearing it all the time anyway once I arrive at my hostile destination but how about wearing it during the flight? It makes sense to wear it in case someone try to hijack the plane.
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What does "SSSS" on my boarding pass mean?
When I checked in for my American Airlines flight from Costa Rica back to the States, I noticed that my boarding pass had "SSSS" printed across the top left corner.
Nobody else in my party had this ...
user82
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Can others in my party go through TSA PreCheck?
If I have TSA PreCheck (i.e. I have a KTN from TSA and the "pre-check" logo gets printed on my boarding pass) and a travel companion does not, can they go with me through the PreCheck security lines? ...
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Can you freeze liquids to pass security checks?
Once I read a suggestion saying that frozen "liquids" are not subject to the 100 ml restriction of security checks in airports. I've found other references of this googling, but they all refer to TSA (...
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Travelling with beach sand in carry-on
I'm making a trip back home (to the coast) shortly, and I would like to bring back sand from the beach with me as a keepsake or memento. It's just a short weekend trip, and I won't be checking any ...
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Why were water bottles confiscated in a boarding gate jetway in Hong Kong?
Seeing another question about taking water bottles onto planes reminded me of an interesting incident I ran into once. During a layover in Hong Kong in late May of 2013, as we were boarding a flight ...
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Can I bring a shoebox PC in my carry-on bag?
It's a shoebox PC that I custom built and I'd like to keep it in carry-on.
It has wires hanging out and the top is removable so they can see it's actually a computer not something like a bomb. And I'...
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Laptop with no battery [duplicate]
I am traveling from the US to the UK and then to Portugal. Round trip. I have a laptop without a battery, so I am hesitant to bring it as carry-on in the plane because I had troubles already with a ...
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What to do if you need to fly in the Schengen area and lose your ID card?
A friend recently got her ID stolen while she was in the Netherlands. She will soon need to fly to her home country Italy, but she doesn't know what to do.
What can one do in such a situation? As far ...
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Passing through airport security with autism
I am a young adult with autism (Asperger's to be precise). While there are many resources on how to travel with kids with autism, resources on how to do so if you have it yourself are rare to ...
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Can I take an AVR development board on a plane?
I'm travelling to the UK and while I'm away, I have a university assignment due, and I'm concerned that I might not be able to get it finished before I leave, and would therefore need to work on it ...
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Can you bring an empty water bottle with you on the plane?
I know you can't bring bottled water and such with you on the plane. However, is it safe to bring an empty bottle with you to fill up later? Or do you risk losing your possibly expensive/fancy/awesome ...
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Can I fly with white powder in a transparent bag?
Instead of plain old coffee, I sometimes like to get my daily caffeine ration from other drinks, e.g. fruit juice. For this purpose I have bought some pure caffeine, which takes the form of white ...
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Can I pass through the airport security with a de-activated Bazooka?
My flight is from Washington, D.C. (IAD) to London Heathrow , with British Airways.
Important Details
The Bazooka will be bought legally from a shop in Maryland
British Airways' website explains in ...
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How do airports differentiate supplements from drugs?
I was just packing for an international flight, and realized that my little plastic bags of protein powder and creatine look an awful lot like the bags of cocain I see on tv. Does the airport have ...
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How early can you go through airport security for an International flight?
I'm not sure if this is airline or airport-specific? (assuming airport)
I know that if I have an early morning flight and show up the night before, I'm denied because the date on my ticket is for the ...
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Tripod in Carry-on Luggage
Many years ago someone told me about travel with a Camera Tripod is not allowed. I have a trip to Europe from Australia, and I have a 10 hour layover in Dubai. I would like take photos at night in ...
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Can you put an ordinary Mac laptop (with the battery) in checked luggage?
Note that ordinary new Mac laptops (like many devices) have batteries which are simply built-in as part of the structure of the device. There's no concept of "removing" the battery or anything like ...
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Can I bring whey protein powder on US domestic flight as carry on?
I have searched for a definitive answer to this question on google but found conflicting opinions. My question and situation is as follows:
I am traveling from Ithaca, NY to Detroit, MI and back ...
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Can you enter the departures area without a boarding pass at London Heathrow airport?
My girlfriend is leaving the UK from Heathrow tomorrow. Is it possible for me to go through security with her so that we can be together until she goes to her departure gate?
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At JFK, can you move between terminals airside on domestic flights?
When arriving at JFK (or any US airport) on an international flight that didn't have pre-clearance, I know that you have to clear immigration, collect your bags, clear customs, re-drop bags, change ...
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Can I take my disassembled desktop computer on a flight from Turkey to the UK? (some new regulations)
I've read that there are some new regulations for electronic devices at UK airports. If the devices are in your hand baggage, they must be fully charged and you have to demonstrate, that they are ...
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What to do if drugs / a bomb are planted in your travel bag?
So the scene: You're flying from Bogota, Colombia to New York, USA. You arrive, pick up your bag from the carousel, and figure you'll stuff your netbook you used on the flight into your bag now ...
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What rules govern forced removal from flights (due to overbooking)?
I was recently surprised to see a man roughly and forcibly physically removed from an overbooked flight by three police officers because his flight was overbooked. He was reportedly a doctor who ...
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Do airport metal scanners occasionally flash a false alarm on purpose?
I've noticed that occasionally when passing through the metal scanners I am getting flagged despite not having a single metal thing on me. This usually results in a manual search or a hand swipe on ...
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What does this sticker on the back of my passport mean?
I am currently travelling in the USA and when checking in on the boarding flight to enter the country, the security personnel attached a small yellow-white sticker to my passport (see a somewhat ...
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How many smartphones can I take on an airplane?
I'm a software developer and I need multiple different mobile devices for testing and debugging purposes. I also work on-the-go sometimes, so this is important. Furthermore, not everything can be ...
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Can airport security in Israel force me to provide my access credentials to laptop or online accounts?
I've read that going through airport security at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport can sometimes be a nightmare. Being asked a bunch of questions and having someone going through your every ...
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Carry on cheese grater on domestic U.S. flight?
Will I be permitted to pack a cheese grater in my carry-on bag for a domestic U.S. flight, or will this be considered a "potential weapon" and prohibited?
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Can I put 3.4oz (100ml) of liquid in a larger bottle, when traveling in the US?
Is the restriction on the amount of liquid in the container, or the size of the container itself?
The 3-1-1 page says:
Liquids, gels, aerosols, creams and pastes must be 3.4 ounces (100ml) or less ...
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Can I take balloons on a flight?
Mother's day in my family always involves a bouquet of balloons. Mom wanted to take the balloons we gave her home on the plane but in this hyper security aware atmosphere we doubted it was possible. ...
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