Gadling

When I read about the actor Ed Harris recently throwing a fit in the Heathrow Airport in London because there was a knife in his pocket, I could relate. I almost threw my own fit at the airport in Bellingham, Washington before our Skybus flight. One of my husband's carry-ons was picked for closer inspection.

Here's what came out: liquid hand-cleaner, a pair of scissors (we have no idea whose scissors) and a mini-wine tasting kit. The mini-wine tasting kit was still in its packaged box, never opened. It's one of those gift-items that has a corkscrew, a how to give a wine-tasting party booklet and wine glass charms. Real cute. Perfect for a stocking stuffer. TSA security opened the kit and took the corkscrew. There was a knife attached. I offered to break the knife part off--no sense in leaving behind a perfectly good corkscrew, but she said I would have to go back through security to do that.

The pair of scissors, metal ones and adult size, was allowed. The liquid gel wasn't given back, but it should have been since it was less than 3 ounces. We couldn't use it again unless we went back through security. Here's a list of what is allowed and not allowed on flights if you need a refresher.

While we packed, I forgot to look through my husband's carry-on. It had been the catch all when we cleaned out the car. Darn it. I would have liked to have kept that corkscrew.

Oh, here's the irony of all this security checking. I found an unused hypodermic needle and syringe still in the packaging and two empty medicine vials under my 5 year-old son's seat about halfway through the flight. One of the crew said there had been a diabetic on board on the flight from Columbus. That's fine, but with all that security, it was an interesting experience to be on the lookout for a used needle when searching for my son's spilled crayons.

Filed under: Stories, Airlines, Airports