[Scan-DC] Fw: United Airlines confiscated my scanner.

[Alan Henney]

This was the text from Earl’s e-mail.  I don’t know why it disappeared:

From: Earl Suitor 
Sent: Sunday, March 27, 2016 10:43 AM
Subject: United Airlines confiscated my scanner.

I just want to let my friends in the radio community know that yesterday United Airlines confiscated my $500.00 scanner & my $500.00 ham radio, and embarrassed the hell out of me at the Denver Airport. I am being made to ship these items home at my expense [and nothing better be broken]. This is not a TSA rule/regulation. Both radios are allowed by TSA in the carry-on. Both radios have passed through TSA screenings 8 times in the past w/o so much as an inquiry. On this flight the radios were even openly placed in the basket for visual inspection [not in my luggage] and passed. On the flight the stewardess asked me about the ham radio & I told her what it was, and showed her my Federal FCC Amateur Radio license. She had a hard time finding it but showed me the United list of what may or may not be carried in carry on. Scanners & two-way radios are on the list. So she took them [I was very nice but steamed] and then had three customer service people escort me and my wife from the aircraft at Denver [not TSA.... just United folks]. They treated me like a criminal & publicly embarrassed me and my wife. I offered to remove the batteries from both and was denied this. I pointed out that neither can transmit on aircraft frequencies. As I said I am being made to ship these items home at my expense.

Hopefully [for them] both will arrive shipped to my home w/o damage.

They also lost our luggage for 4 days out of a seven day trip & offered no compensation. We are pressing them on this. So, needless to say I am not too happy w/ United.

So I am and encourage you to boycott United and if you must fly "The Friendly Skies" and for Gods sake, put your radios in the luggage and not in the carry-on. BTW: I like to put valuables like radios in my carry-on so they will not get lost or broken.

Please tell all you friends.

Earl C Suitor
WV4NSS