Getting the "Random" Explosives Test when no other PAX around

[pshepvic]

Re: Now You're Flying Virgin Australia

I also try to time my way through the screening point carefully. If someone is at the explosive check point, I grab my stuff, run to the seat just past security and put the computer away. If they are standing there counting fingers I put my stuff away on the roller bench thing, taking my time until someone else walk away and then takes the bullet (so to speak). This has only failed once where the guy let 3 people go and waited for me. Clearly I must have looked like I was avoiding him. :shock:

That's also my tactic and it works every time. Put my belt back on, slow and pack up slow until someone else gets selected, or if they're already being screened, grab everything and run!

Mind you, bringing it back to the topic of Virgin Premium lounge entry (and I know I inadvertantly started the explosive check conversation with my one line flippant remark earlier) I'd rather not queue at all and take 30 sec for the explosives check, than spend 10 min in the main hall and through security and then have to make an effort not to get checked to try to get 30 seconds of my life back.

 

[LiamR]

Re: Now You're Flying Virgin Australia

Has anyone seemed to notice they tick negative on their little sheet thing while the machine is still checking?

Might be quite the shock to them if they get a positive reading for once. Has anyone ever been around and witnessed a positive reading by any chance?

Yes, we are extremely off topic.

 

[777]

Re: Now You're Flying Virgin Australia

Has anyone seemed to notice they tick negative on their little sheet thing while the machine is still checking?

Might be quite the shock to them if they get a positive reading for once. Has anyone ever been around and witnessed a positive reading by any chance?

Yes, we are extremely off topic.

I've set it off at BNE.

No idea why. Was a false positive, they ran the test again and it came out negative - the tester was incredibly happy to send me on my way. At least two positives are required to escalate it i think.

I believe i did actually say "Are you SURE you don't want to test me again, or check through my stuff?" "No, your fine. Happens sometimes"

 

[LiamR]

Re: Now You're Flying Virgin Australia

I've set it off at BNE.

Did the SWAT team arrive?

Don't get me started on BNE's inconsistencies, the metal detector on the far right sets of my watch. The far left machine dosen't. Thankfully the far left is not the express lane for Premium Pax.

 

[samh004]

Re: Now You're Flying Virgin Australia

I did this in Sydney the other day. He asked me how my day was! I said it was fine until now! :shock: He did not look too impressed.

I should not have been rude. They are only trying to do a job but sometimes it gets frustrating getting chosen all the time.

I didn’t see it as being rude, I was telling the truth! Would security prefer people to lie? Because if they would, surely that’s sending the wrong message.

 

[JohnK]

Re: Now You're Flying Virgin Australia

But there's the trick, I just need to work out the RGB, Hex, or CMYK numbers for my colour, feed them into a computer and show them. Robert is my father's uncle.

Cheeky!

Your challenge is to describe the colour without using anything scientific. You have no spectrometers or any scientific equipment. You have just seen the most beautiful colour you have ever seen. Better than crimson or lilac. How would you describe the colour?

 

[Reggie]

Re: Now You're Flying Virgin Australia

Has anyone seemed to notice they tick negative on their little sheet thing while the machine is still checking?

Might be quite the shock to them if they get a positive reading for once. Has anyone ever been around and witnessed a positive reading by any chance?

Yes, we are extremely off topic.

Luckily not me (this time), but a mate of mine was done in BNE Dom.

The checker "lady" said to him several times "Please remain calm sir, please remain calm" and he was unaware of what was going on, he looked around to see all the security people had stocked scanning luggage and letting pax through the metal detectors. The people at the metal detectors attendants were blocking the detectors so pax couldn't get through, he then looked to towards the escalators up to the departures levels and about 3 federal cops came running down the "up escalators, and came and surrounded him. The whole time, the lady kept saying please remain remain calm sir. H e was then taken way to a room, within 10mins his checked in baggage was in the room with him, and he got grilled severely.

In the end he was allowed to fly, the lane was waiting for him, but his luggage, checked and carryon was sent by road, all he was allowed to take was his phone and laptop.

Interestingly enough a guy got on just after him, wet hair, plastic bag, burly type and sat directly behind him. When the planed landed at destination, my mate turned to the guy and last minute flight hey, and the guy grunted at him. Whilst he was waiting for a lift he noticed the burly guy go straight back through security to board the return flight.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Re: Now You're Flying Virgin Australia

Don't get me started on BNE's inconsistencies, the metal detector on the far right sets of my watch. The far left machine dosen't. Thankfully the far left is not the express lane for Premium Pax.

Far left is Premium express for VA!

 

[Oneworldplus2]

SYD T3 - Main security gate

(While getting swabbed)
Me; So what happens if it picks up explosives?
Security; We do another swab.
Me; Oh, so it could just be a mistake?
Security; Yeah, and if that comes up positive, we do a 3rd swab
Me; Then what?
Security; We ask them how they came into contact with the substance, and if the story seems plausible, we let them go
Me; Ok. Have a nice day, bye.
:shock:


Or @SYD T3 - Side screening area

(While getting swabbed)
Security; Excuse me Sir, mind if we do a swab
Me; No worries mate, fire away
Security; So, hows you day going?
Me; All good. How's yours?
Security; Can't complain, jobs a job
Me; l reckon that these swabs are useless
Security; Your telling me....
:shock:


And no, l am don't go in with a grudge (as someone posted earlier in this thread!). It's the whole, "This is a random test", when your the only person in the que that ruffles me. The test doesn't phase me one bit, as l have nothing to hide and only takes 1 minute.

Consistency could also be addressed.
I had a fork in my carry on (guess from lunch somewhere, l even forgot it was in my bag as it was hiding in a separate pocket).
I did BNE-SYD x2 and BNE-ROK return in the last 2 weeks.
On the 4th leg security noticed it (at BNE) and it was deemed fine to take on-board as the tips weren't sharp. 5th leg, ROK-BNE, security confiscated it.

 

[dajop]

I understand this an important part of airport security, and it's relatively painless. I was selected twice out of my three recent flights from Australian airports. However in all my travels, I can't recall when I was last chosen for explosive testing in a non-Australian airport (and 90% of my flights are outside Australia). Trying to recall where else they do this? I assume US and UK, but can't recall ever being chosen for such tests, whereas in Australia my hit rate is probably 33%.

 

[Flying Fox]

Whilst I have been tested quite a number of times in AUS, I must say that everyone was polite and professional. Much better than in the USA where the TSA staff seem almost disgruntle about doing their jobs and over zealous (I was very bad in thinking that they seemed angry at being a TSA member and probably failed the police academy entrance exam).

AUS, still a great place to live & work.

 

[medhead]

Cheeky!

Your challenge is to describe the colour without using anything scientific. You have no spectrometers or any scientific equipment.

Oh come on! I fly to the other side of the galaxy and don't take a spectrophotometer?

I would describe how it makes me feel - think I mentioned that before.

 

[medhead]

Trying to recall where else they do this?

Germany. But it's a "special test" conducted in a side room. Had to do this with the kids singing barbies - long, skinny, round plastic things with a battery and wires inside! Fair enough. Bit more strange was I had to do it with my CPAP machine everytime. It was weird as they took a stupid amount of time xraying my bag, then searched it and got all interested in the machine and then I had to go for a "special test" which was just explosives screening of the machine. Unless I was supposed to remove all electronics but didn't see a sign to do so.

 

[pshepvic]

Trying to recall where else they do this? I assume US and UK, but can't recall ever being chosen for such tests, whereas in Australia my hit rate is probably 33%.

US definitely. In Vegas they have these machines that look like a bad Doctor Who prop:

You step inside, it fires jets of air at you, and a vacuum at the bottom collects the particles for analysis. Every person going through is checked (although this was a few years ago I saw this - it was being trialled at the time).

The funny thing is, every single person jumps a little when it starts firing the air jets. I stood there waiting and giggling thinking "I'm not going to do that!" But yes, I did jump a little bit as well!

 

[clifford]

Re: Now You're Flying Virgin Australia

These checks have been proven as a necessary encumbrance with air travel

"proven"?. By whom and where? No doubt by "Australians".

I travel all over the world on a regular basis, and haven't come across this "proven" test anywhere else!

 

[Smackbum]

Re: Now You're Flying Virgin Australia

"proven"?. By whom and where? No doubt by "Australians".

I travel all over the world on a regular basis, and haven't come across this "proven" test anywhere else!

Perhaps by the "shoe bomber" and other instances of pax trying to take the makings of bombs on board planes.

Sure - to be perfectly safe they should swab each pax, but RBT has managed to change a lot of peoples' behaviour even though the sampling is fairly sparse.

I got selected this morning. I could see it coming and if I had really wanted to could have delayed my re-pack until someone else copped the "random" check, but what is the big deal? 30 seconds of having clothes and bag swabbed and waiting for the green light. If that ruins your day then you need to have a long hard look at yourself in the room full of mirrors.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Re: Now You're Flying Virgin Australia

"proven"?. By whom and where? No doubt by "Australians".

I travel all over the world on a regular basis, and haven't come across this "proven" test anywhere else!

Sorry, I didn't realise we were back in Kindy, so I'll spell it out a tad more clearly. Seems to me it has been proven due to the fact suicidal maniacs thinks it's justified to smuggle bombs aboard planes! TWA, Lockerbie and the shoe bomber ring any bells to you? Well, I am Australian and proud of it, but it seems you want to argue over semantics, so knock yourself out!

 

[Moopere]

I'd caution against assuming that "feeling" safer is actually the same as being completely safe.

There is an effect, as Smackbum says, where the threat of being tested/checked/frisked is perceived to be large enough that casual criminals might decide the risk is too high (if there is such a thing as a casual criminal). This is the effect that the RBT's have on drivers who, without such a threat of detection, might be tempted to drink and drive.

In cases where the threat is high, or the damage caused by single point of failure is high, every perceived aspect of threat reduction needs to be employed. In an imperfect world, 100% threat reduction can never be achieved of course, but, for instance, most mine sites these days will breath test, and some will even swab test, all employees at the start of every shift. Random testing is now being considered as insufficient because the potential for damage caused by a single failure (one drunk employee who is not tested on that particular day) is too high.

This is risk minimisation which also further reduces a casual criminals chances of being successful thereby preventing him even trying.

Professional criminals will simply target the weak link in every system, and bypass the 'feel good' and casual minimisation efforts.

Largely removing unsophisticated criminals from causing damage to air assets is a good thing of course, and I'm sure it can be statistically proven to be of benefit. We should however be careful of making massive generalisations on how safe we really are, or rather, how much of the deadly risk is _actually_ removed as a result of such measures.

 

[Oneworldplus2]

...most mine sites these days will breath test, and some will even swab test, all employees at the start of every shift.

When l first entered in the mining industry about 6 years ago, this was just coming in. When l left last year, it was pretty much all sites doing alcohol testing before shift (0.000 reading, 3 decimals, not 2 like the law enforced limit) and the frequency of urine tests also increased.
Interestingly, for cocaine (on the newer urine tests), they weren't testing for cocaine but another chemical that is used during the process that stays in your system longer. I personally find this an invasion of privacy and think that "24 hour swab tests" are better for this reason. What you do in your R'n'R is up to you (not saying l do drugs in my time off, but l think that if your sober (D&A free), thats fine.)

 

[JohnK]

Oh come on! I fly to the other side of the galaxy and don't take a spectrophotometer?

It would take a long time to fly to the other side of the galaxy!

I would describe how it makes me feel - think I mentioned that before.

How you feel about a colour? Come on be serious! How you feel about a colour does not describe how the colour looks. Doe it?