Tuesday, August 17, 2010

More from the TSA (with comments)

Taken from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-10996471


Rochdale man 'took 200 fireworks on US plane'

An airline passenger claims he was allowed to take more than 200 fireworks on two flights in the United States.

Paul Jones, 29, from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, flew across the US from Kansas to Houston and back to the UK with a bag of bangers - and a lighter.

It was only at Heathrow Airport that officials expressed concern, he said.
You mean the TSA here in the states missed something like this????
Continental Airlines said it did not have a record of the incident, but that it warned customers about hazardous materials prohibited on aircraft.
Oooooh, yes, warning customers is all that you need to do. After all, terrorists and criminals are all well known for following the rules!
Bangers, which are explosives packed in a small tube, are banned from sale in the UK under The Fireworks (Safety) Regulation 1997.

US Federal law prohibits hazardous materials, such as fireworks, from being included in either checked in or carry-on baggage.
In this case, "prohibits" seems to suggest some level of enforcement. How about, "US federal law says that we ask people people to not have these items." Seems more accurate.
Mr Jones has been visiting Wichita, Kansas, during US Independence Day celebrations on 4 July and was left with the bag of Black Cat fireworks.

Deciding to take them home to Greater Manchester, he did not consider the security implications.

"I put them in my pocket, walked through then put them on a grey tray at the customs and security. They had to go through the x-ray," he said.
Even better! They were in the grey tray and went through the x-ray machine and everything! HOWEVER, since they were not liquid, they must have not been a threat!
It was when Mr Jones arrived back at Heathrow last month that his prohibited goods were discovered by UK staff.

This is just yet another classic case and point of why those of us who see TSA work on a very regular basis, think they are a complete and total sham.

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