Sorry, hijacking this thread a bit...

I've been wondering, if I walked through the security with a bottle of coke, they would obviously stop me. Now, normally they ask you to drink up and keep the bottle or throw the bottle with its content. Imagine if I filled a bottle of vodka with water, and emptied the bottle in front of them, then kept the bottle…

Any one in that industry, how would you react? I'm quite an open guy, love the occasional joke and don't take life too seriously, but seeing that I have a Middle Eastern heritage, this is not something I will try……

Cheers,

I changed planes in Frankfurt once and was made to pass through security again. I had kept the free water bottle they had given me on the previous flight and forgotten about it.

The guy at the scanner told me to take it out so I drank it and handed him the empty bottle. He said, no, I have to take it with me. So I put it into his bin.

He then said, I'm not allowed to put stuff in that bin. The bin is for staff only. So I took it out. Then he took it away from me, and said it's forbidden to take stuff out of the bin of the security department.

Totally bonkers.

Sure it's totally bonkers and the reason is the security staff are not well paid, therefore the people are usualy not the sharpest knives in the box and as such, they will not take any initiative.

It's basicaly a repetitive production line job where they follow the rules and make opur lives hell becuase they have no thought about what they do.

Had my ipad swabbed in Basel this year. Guess the reading was (just) below the acceptable limit.

I went to the Expo and bought a designer sieve.

On my way home, I didn't half freak out when the security guy asked if I'd packed any expo sieve.

Rubber glove sales are up in CH...

I've encountered far more idiot travelers at security then jobsworth security people

At Zürich airport are not all security staff members of the canton police?

Just flew back from New York JFK last week and was extemely pleasantly surprised to go through security with:

• no taking laptop out of bag
• no removing shoes
• no removing jacket
• no removing liquids from bag
• no body scan
• no pat down

Not quite sure what has caused the change but I didn't complain and was so surprised I think I even thanked the security person...

Flew out of Zurich on Sunday, when I was picking up my bag after scanning, looked across to the next station and my jaw literally dropped, a family were having all their fireworks confiscated

I'm not talking small fireworks here, rather a dozen or so rockets about 2" diameter and 2' long, along with a box of about 50 bangers or something similar - I can't believe in this day and age they thought it would be ok!!

Seeing if you have a drink that's over the limit, you can still drink it and take the empty bottle, I would have lit all the fireworks in front of the security man and taken the empty box on the plane.

Talk about dealing with security in style.

Why should they (all) be?

The airport is private property (Flughafen Zürich is exchange listed, 33% owned by the Kanton and 5% by Zürich city), just with a special license.

Granted there's an increased density of Kanton police, as well as federal employees (customs for example). Yet some personnel have essentially the same job as the bouncer at your local club or Securitas personnel on patrol at night, employing qualified personnel would be more expensive than necessary.

Shouldn't that actually be normalcy?

Honestly, I'm quite doubtful the effort undertaken is really necessary. And don't even mention efficiency. But at least many companies make good money.

the masterminds seriously think that only airport security can buy gloves. This is better than the genius of the TSA

It's not only hands that are swabbed

Going on a long holiday? Why not give all your plants some nutrition just before you leave?
http://www.baldur-garten.ch/produkt/...C48292E.app1t2

(Disclaimer: Better do it a few days before you go to the airport and not in the last seconds just before you are about to leave. Or expect some beeping, explanation, and delays if you get swapped.)

French apparently intend to finger print and use face recognition tehcnology for people who cross into France

Any link, or did someone mention it in the village?

From statewatch.org:

EU
France says protect free movement with mass fingerprinting, face scans and entry-exit logs
9.10.2015
France has proposed extending the EU's proposed "smart borders" systems from non-EU nationals to all EU nationals and residents as well, a move which would require fingerprinting, face scans, systematic database searches and entry and exit logging for everyone entering the EU. The smart borders proposals are one of many items on the agenda of the JHA Council meeting today (8 October).
Under the Commission's 2013 smart borders proposals (which are soon to be redrafted), a new database known as the Entry/Exit System (EES) would require the fingerprinting of all non-residents entering the Schengen area, with the aim of making it easier to calculate and detect who has "overstayed" their visa entitlement. A Registered Traveller Programme (RTP), for the vetting of certain travellers before they reach EU borders, would also be introduced, along with amendments to the Schengen Borders Code. [1]


It was also in our local paper, but we now get the internet version on tablet- and OH has tablet with him elsewhere at the mo.

You'd need a lot of wishful thinking to make this go bang !

It doesn't have to go bang, only beep.