Recent TSA Experience

[ronald lamarsh]

I'd just let them x-ray it! I've done this many times with B&W film with no problems even on multiple screenings! I can't vouch for color material though. The actual x-ray dose in the carry-on machines is not enough to cause the film to fog unless you plan on rating it at 3200ASA or something. I've stated this elsewhere on this site. You'd have to go through the x-ray machine probably at least 10 times to be able to measure any fog on B&W material up to 400ASA. Remember that film reacts to visible light which is low energy photons of a certain spectrum. X-rays are gamma radiation of a much higher photon energy and it takes a very long exposure to cause film darkening. That is why the mediacl industry went to the use of double emulsion film sandwiched between to radio-flourecent screens: without doing this exposures were on the order of minutes not milliseconds and at much higher energy levels than those achieved by the machines used for carry-on bags. The baggage scanners are a different story they will toast almost anything.

[Ellis Vener]

" I travel all over the world with my photo gear and have never had a hassle anywhere but the US." Then you are a lucky guy! I know dozens of people who have bad stories about airport security in Britain, France and Germany.

[Kirk Gittings]

Since shortly after 9/11 I haven't taken a commercial job I couldn't drive to. It is not just the film problem. It is the strobe and camera cases, which you can no longer lock. They go thru them with little regard for the safety of the equipment and no apologies when something goes wrong. I once watched a guard fumble with my Schneider 47mm XL wrapped in lens wrap and drop it on his foot! His foot saved my lens. Since my commercial work is in 6X9 that lens is crucial. It is a chance I cannot take. I drive. Luckily I have had tons of work within driving distance. Otherwise on my personel assignments, I ship film directly to and from my hotel.

[Doremus Scudder]

I'm with Ron on this one. I have had my 4x5 film (Tri-X, BPF 200, T-Max 100 and 400, HP-5) x-rayed up to five times per trip with no fogging or ill effects of any kind. This on frequent trips back and forth to Europe and in many different airports (Seattle, Heathrow, JFK, Washington D.C., Amsterdam, Vienna, Frankfurt, Paris...)

I carry film in my carry-on bag and run it through the hand-luggage scanners. No hassle, no "hand inspection" (which, BTW, Heathrow will NOT do) and no time lost. My biggest problem is the steel shanks in my travelling shoes that set off the metal detector!

I have also expressed this viewpoint often and asked if anyone out there has an example of ISO 400-speed film or less that has been damaged by an airport hand-luggage scanner. I have yet to see one.

That said, since I have residences in both the US and Europe, I try to buy film locally. Nowadays, I usually fly internationally without film and pick up what I need from my respective refrigerators. However, I have no fears about taking film with me in my carry-on when I fly to a location to shoot.

Regards,

[Ed Workman]

My first flight in 5 years or so was from LAX a month ago, to Asia. I removed all my 120 film from the boxes (the foil wrappers identify the film) and placed them in clear bags..about a gross of rolls. TSA was very friendly about hand inspection and very thorough, including removal of shoes, belt and swabbing inside all the bags: All-in-all a positive experience. I must say however, that the organization of checked bag examination is clunky to a first-timer, and I'm glad I got there early.

[Eric Rose]

Well Bob if you have to change planes your carry on gets re-checked. Period. Your correct if your checked luggage is tagged thru you don't have to have it rescreened unless you are forced to pick it up, like when you are connecting to an international departure. In LAX, IAH and others this is standard operating procedure. Anytime I'm flying to the South Pacific via the US even tho it's an online connection they force me to pick up my luggage and re-check in. What a pain in the ass. An open jaw is when I would fly into Dallas and then fly out of Houston. Naturally I would have to re-check in my luggage on an itinerary like that. My beef is that in many cases when flights are leaving the US they make you re-check your baggage, even tho you have on-line connections.

[Bob Salomon]

"Well Bob if you have to change planes your carry on gets re-checked.:

Where? Not at Newark, Providence, LAX, LAS, SFO, Portland, Reagen, Boston, Houston, Dallas, Orlando, Phoenix, Seattle, Chicago, Cincinnatti, Atlanta, Jacksonville, West Palm Beach, Miami, San Diego, Rochester, Syracuse, Charlotte, Raleigh/Durham, Albuqurque, Honolulu, Maui or any of the other airports in the US that I have flown in or out of last year (gold Elite on Continental, Platinum on Marriott). So I do travel more then the average person.

If you are changing from one gate to another they no longer inspect your carry-on once you have cleared security. By landing at one gate you arrived at a secure area.

If you decide to leave the secure area you will have to clear security again. But not from simply walking from one gate to another at an Airport.

Now if you are in Frankfurt Germany you can have your hand luggage inspected, and you be quizzed several times, just to get to your gate.

[Eric Rose]

Since I have little to no experience with fly puddle jumpers around the US I can't comment on what you are saying but I'm sure you are right. My concern is with flights that are either international inbound or outbound. Where you are mainly transiting thru the US. And now the US customs wants to fingerprint people coming into the States, even transiting. Such BS. I can just imagine the average American's reaction to getting fingerprinted when they enter another country.

[Jim Ewins]

Several weeks ago I went to Vegas from Seattle with 35mm & 4x5 B&W and color. Hand checking was done without much hassel. Vegas was a different matter. They all acted as if I wanted their mother. The supervisor came over and said he couldn't hand check the 4x5 in the boxes. He had to see the film. Obviously I just pushed it all thru. After I asked for his name he demanded my ID and ticket. He made some notes and said he could have checked the 35mm as he could see the film sticking out. So much for uniform treatment. I feel threatened in my own country. Jim

[Witold Grabiec]

I too travel all over the world so I'm going to say this:

1. TSA is another version of EPA (appologies to the offended), way too much power combined with inherent irresponsibility. Nowhere in the world, airport security is as inconsistent as in the US. It's always nice to have a positive experience with TSA (and I admit I had that myself) but in general an idiotic interpretation of rules in place and power given to them should always be expected at any US airport.

2. Every time one has to change terminals at an airport, he must leave a secure area to do so, meaning a re-check is going to happen, this includes US domestic connecting flights.

3. I've had no fogging up to ASA 800(both color and B&W) with the current breed of x-ray machines for hand luggage.

4. Lock it all, so far I'm yet to have TSA "gurus" complain about my luggage being locked. If I have to, I politely associate them with the thieves who handle luggage afterwards and that has so far been a successful approach to leaving my locks in place.