"Excuse me Sir, You've tested Positive for explosives."

[2infinity]

I was travelling with my mum a few years back through Townsville. She lived on a farm at the time. I told her I try to time collecting my carry-on gear to miss being tested. She said she'd do that to, but was as subtle as a brick to the head. Needless to say she got called out and tested positive to GSR (gun shot residue). Not sure how, she doesn't even use the guns on the property. Anyway they said just put your name down here (form presented to her) and that was it. No second test. no checked bag test. No nothing. Made me feel the whole process is a complete waste of time.

Don't talk to me about the dreaded 4 letter boarding pass. That cost me a flight between Vegas and LAX. Was stuck in that line for hours. Not happy Jan. Unfortunately my checked luggage was allowed to fly though.

 

[robtemt]

It's a bit long winded, but I think its funny, so I'll tell you the best part of my (hopefully) last unwanted four letter love note boarding pass experience..... We were flying QF from SYD to LAX via MEL in J. The extra screening in SYD was really no big deal that I remember. In Melbourne, I was immediately told to "No!" (I was apparently a bad puppy, but was thankfully not smacked on the nose with a newspaper), while the barely english speaking security guard moved the queue rope to open up the secondary area and block the boarding pathway. I was escorted to a seat, and told 'do not move". Meanwhile, another security guard moved the rope back to normal position and waved my partner through.

Now, by wave through, I don't mean looked at his boarding pass and moved aside, he just waved him past, no checking the boarding pass, and my partner walked through the open, unstaffed door at the gate. No further security, no QF staff. He walked right onto the plane, and to his seat without speaking to or showing his boarding pass to ONE single person.

Meanwhile, I'm sitting waiting for my special attention, alone. About 5 minutes later, the same guy who who told me to not move, came over and patted me down, and scanned me with the wand, and asked "Do you have a carry-on"? Me: "No". And then in my head...... because I handed it off to my partner to carry on the plane and get it into an overhead bin, RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU. "You go" I was told.

I joined my partner, and immediately a FA walked up to me. "Has anyone talked to you about your IFE"..... To shorten it up, they had to move staff travelers to give us two seats together with working IFE..... Everyone seemed to be boarded, and pre-departure drink glasses were being collected, when they overhead paged my partner to press his call button if on-board. QF had let him board, and reassigned his seat without ever looking at his boarding pass and somehow not even checking him in on the system. "There you are, we've been paging you in the boarding area, what are you doing here?".

My confidence in traveler safety was sealed after that.

The upside to the whole flight, our mate was a FA in F, and made sure we had plenty of Champagne and PJs from his cabin.

 

[mattm199]

I used to travel to and from TSV quite a lot, and always wondered if they had more positive tests what with workers from the mines, and the Army guys; but never really saw anyone test positive!

 

[clazman]

Tested positive for explosives many times when I worked in mining, just about came a non event.

 

[Drpopper]

Tested about 50 times probably.... never tested positive but had highly varied levels of civility from the security staff. T3 in SYD seems to be the most polite .... OOL are just terrible humans.

 

[Travelqueen]

Ok....what am I missing?
What is the four letter on boarding pass?

TQ

 

[TomVexille]

Ok....what am I missing?
What is the four letter on boarding pass?

TQ

That would be the S's

 

[leadman]

i had the dreaded four letters the other day with EVA Air in Taipei and surprisingly little hassle. Was directed once i was scanned to a curtained area, a pat down, check the bag and was off. the staff was very pleasant, as i was expecting more checking like in OZ.

 

[Milboo]

I have had the 4S on my boarding pass in Sydney (on way to LAX) and it was painless - bag looked in, patted down and I was on my way pretty quickly.

 

[N860CR]

Best way to get "randomly" selected is to be a pilot in full uniform about to fly an aeroplane with nearly 400 people on it half way around the world. That makes you a real target for "additional testing".

At the end of the day, it's all a show designed to make dumb people feel safe. Australia is the worst country I operate in when it comes to BS security.

 

[OzEire]

Best way to get "randomly" selected is to be a pilot in full uniform about to fly an aeroplane with nearly 400 people on it half way around the world. That makes you a real target for "additional testing".

This must be frustrating @N860CR when you have to do this so often. I was scanned every time I travelled out of Australia to the Middle East to do my bit to protect us from those who want to cause us harm.

TL/DR

A "trusted traveller" program could help. ie. pre-enrolled background checking with passport-level multi factor verification so that a lost pass could not be used by someone else. It could not rely on appearances.

How can contracted airport security tell the difference between a real pilot in full uniform and someone who bought the gear online? Anyone working airside (baggage handler, private pilot) would have the passes, or these could be stolen, forged/copied.

 

[Sprucegoose]

I try to avoid the explosives test like the plague but managed to get "randomly" chosen twice within an hour in SYD T3 and T2 yesterday.

Avoidance is an art form. Fiddling about while the next bunny whose’s in a hurry gets nabbed. Never look directly at the tester.

 

[Milboo]

I don't get the obsession with avoiding the explosive test - it takes 30 secs max and is painless! It's just part and parcel of air travel.

 

[JohnK]

Avoidance is an art form. Fiddling about while the next bunny whose’s in a hurry gets nabbed. Never look directly at the tester.

Sometimes they have deliberately chosen you and waive all others through.

Explosive testing is a waste of time. It's all about perception.

 

[jastel]

Tested positive just now at SYD...while I have used backpack to hold bullets on a shooting trip 6 months back there has been nothing recently.
I was climbing over old WW2 planes on the weekend but....

 

[G00r]

Explosive testing is a waste of time. It's all about perception.

Absolutely it is. I was going through LHR security on the way back from TXL last week. There is a family ahead of me.
Mum has to pull the baby out of the pram and go through the metal detector.
Security were summing up the pram and realise it's too big to go through x-ray and so they just take it straight through.
I raised the question with security, "How do you know that they metal tubes in the pram are actually hollow? They are prime spots for storing all sorts of nasties, sharp knives, explosives etc? Why don't you send it down to oversized baggage?"
Of course no direct response, just "you shouldn't be talking about such things"

I get that it's 'all for show' but get we please have some level of uniformity

 

[OzEire]

Why don't you send it down to oversized baggage?"

That family can't have been impressed by your helpful suggestion

I thought the airline would treat a pram as checked luggage and substitute an airline (or airport) supplied pram after the security barrier (ie. pre-cleared).

 

[andyhui01]

Domestic security is so inconsistent I don't even think it does anything.

I once had 6 rolls of carton tape in my HL. Went through first time, no issues, explosive tester person even saw it and swiped over it. Flight got delayed so went back out the terminal for a smoke and back in.

This time, this guy makes a big fuss about it. Brings a laminated sheet to say it is not allowed and I have to check in. I said the check in is closed and I need it at 0700 tomorrow morning for my work. I can't throw it out now, everything is closed by the time I arrive in SYD. I asked to see the manager. I apologised and said I didn't realise this was not allowed in HL and asked to be escorted to the gate so I can gate check it. I also mentioned after that I went through the same check point 1 hour ago (can't be sure if it was the same staff) and had no issues. He just shrugged it off and just said it depends on the operator....

The fact that they had a laminate to explain what type of tape is allowed and what isn't shows that this isn't a debatable item. What I had was clearly not allowed and the manager showed no concern or care that I went through with 6 rolls of tape an hour earlier.

 

[kiwitripper64]

I went through CBR last year and was the ONLY person in sight. Of course I was selected and had a joke with the tester about how random the sample of 1 was. The reply was random AND continuous. All in good spirit, but really, what is the logic.
Years ago we took our 15 year old large son and he decided it would be cool to wear a " I am a bomb disposal expert....T shirt. We warned him, and of course he was selected at SYD.

 

[rechoboam]

I thought the airline would treat a pram as checked luggage and substitute an airline (or airport) supplied pram after the security barrier (ie. pre-cleared).

Nope, I have a Japanese travel pram that folds up as small as a briefcase. You sling it over your shoulder up the stairs or skybridge and it goes in an overhead locker.