Last Friday I flew from Canberra to Sydney. It's been a while since I've flown but I was familiar with the more stringent requirements of security checks prior to boarding one's aircraft.
The walk-through at Canberra terminal was fine.
I removed my glasses and 'phone, placed them in the little blue tray and walked through the arch without any problem.
The experience that afternoon at Sydney terminal for the return trip was a horror story.
Again, I placed my mobile 'phone and glasses in the tray and walked through the archway.
"SQUE-E-E-AL"!
I backed up and grabbed another tray (the first one had disappeared into the "black hole") and placed my watch & wallet in it and also removed my shoes and placed them in the same tray.
"SQUE-E-E-AL"!
My two travelling colleagues were watching this from the "we passed okay" side of the barrier and behind me I had a rapidly-growing queue of passengers waiting to go through the same process.
I removed my belt and my small change...which amounted to about four dollars...and placed this lot on top of my jacket (I thought I should take it off too, just in case) in yet another blue tray and then asked one of the guards if he thinks I should strip down to my underwear. No reaction; he just stood there with a dull, bovine look on his face. He certainly found the right job to fit his outgoing personality.
This time I walked through without the alarm sounding and then attempted to find three blue trays which contained all my worldly possessions.
In my haste to get dressed and put away all my bits 'n' pieces, I picked up the tray that contained my belt and jacket, with the coins sitting on top, swung around to place it on an empty bit of bench-top and scattered coins the length and breadth of the entire lobby area.
They were still there when, swearing and cursing (and not under my breath, either), I left this three-ring circus and headed for the boarding gate.
I can only put this fiasco down to the fact that the metal detector in the archway in Sydney was set at a much higher sensitivity level than its cousin in Canberra.
The next time, I'm wearing shorts, T-shirt and thongs and carrying nothing!
The walk-through at Canberra terminal was fine.
I removed my glasses and 'phone, placed them in the little blue tray and walked through the arch without any problem.
The experience that afternoon at Sydney terminal for the return trip was a horror story.
Again, I placed my mobile 'phone and glasses in the tray and walked through the archway.
"SQUE-E-E-AL"!
I backed up and grabbed another tray (the first one had disappeared into the "black hole") and placed my watch & wallet in it and also removed my shoes and placed them in the same tray.
"SQUE-E-E-AL"!
My two travelling colleagues were watching this from the "we passed okay" side of the barrier and behind me I had a rapidly-growing queue of passengers waiting to go through the same process.
I removed my belt and my small change...which amounted to about four dollars...and placed this lot on top of my jacket (I thought I should take it off too, just in case) in yet another blue tray and then asked one of the guards if he thinks I should strip down to my underwear. No reaction; he just stood there with a dull, bovine look on his face. He certainly found the right job to fit his outgoing personality.
This time I walked through without the alarm sounding and then attempted to find three blue trays which contained all my worldly possessions.
In my haste to get dressed and put away all my bits 'n' pieces, I picked up the tray that contained my belt and jacket, with the coins sitting on top, swung around to place it on an empty bit of bench-top and scattered coins the length and breadth of the entire lobby area.
They were still there when, swearing and cursing (and not under my breath, either), I left this three-ring circus and headed for the boarding gate.
I can only put this fiasco down to the fact that the metal detector in the archway in Sydney was set at a much higher sensitivity level than its cousin in Canberra.
The next time, I'm wearing shorts, T-shirt and thongs and carrying nothing!
When you said thongs, Bruce, over here that means ..... ahem ..... a G-String. Now I'd pay good money to see a photo of that
ReplyDeleteRoger, you will a LOT of money before you'll see that! :)
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