[R-390] Flying with boatanchors

[Sheldon Daitch]

I recently went to Tokyo from the US and return, and I had in my briefcase a
Garmin GPS, a Bearcat scanner and a Sony portable SW receiver.  In the back pack
that was also carry-on, I had the Icom HT and charger, plus a camera and
external flash unit.  Airport inspections at Washington National (leaving) and
Tokyo Narita and Detroit (coming back) for the carry on items was basically
cursory, if it worked, it was fine.

The domestic free baggage allowances are normally two pieces up to 50 pounds
each, while most international flights in and out of the US are two pieces, 70
pounds each.  The domestic limit was reduced about two years ago, from the same
70 pounds as international flights, probably to help pay for fuel, with the
charges for over weight.  .  (By the way, most of the rest of the world has much
smaller free baggage limits, ranging from 44 to 66 pounds, depending on the
class of the ticket.)  One of my checked bags was overweight by four pounds,
leaving Narita, but the check-in agent didn't notice it. I guess she figured if
I could pick it up, it wasn't overweight.

On the return leg headed home, neither of my checked bags were bothered, other
than x-ray, at Narita, but one case was re-inspected at Detroit (DTW).
Apparently some of the Japanese chocolate looks like a plastique item, per the
TSA inspector.

When I requested my film to be hand inspected, at DTW, they looked at the film
canisters and did the swap test.  By the way, that swab test is "looking" for
nitrogen compounds, the basic item in explosives.  We have some of the same
machines at our locations overseas, and one in particular gets false positives
all the time, from the nitrogen compounds released from fertilizers used by the
neighboring farmers.

Of course, your mileage may vary.

Agree on the baggage on the Asian flights.  The first few times I flew into
Manila, I realized how much the baggage pickup area looked more like the UPS
shipping dock than an airline carousel.

73
Sheldon
WA4MZZ