« Math Shmath | Main | By Will Shetterly»
January 25, 2003
Aviation and Transportation Security
My luggage arrived at my doorstep at around 10:30 last night, a little dirty, but thankfully in one piece. God only knows what horrors it has seen deep in the bowels of the O'Hare airport baggage center.
On my way to Seattle, I had locked my bag with one of those tiny useless locks the luggage came with. When I collected my bag in Seattle, the lock was gone, and the zipper fastened with a plastic tie. When I got to my hotel, I cut the tie and found a pamphlet inside, from my good friends at US Customs. It quoted Section 110(b) of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act of 2001, which gave customs inspectors the right to inspect luggage and relieved them of liability if your lock happened to get cut off in the process.
I have no problem with this law (most likely passed after Sept 11), but I can't help wonder why the inspectors had to cut the lock off. You would think they would each have a key to use, since these locks all take the same key (the lock mechanism is so simple that staring hard enough at it would cause it to pop open). They didn't even give the lock back, not that I'm that upset.
Maybe next time I go flying, I'll pack my bag full of those paper snakes you get in the fake peanut brittle cans, and give the inspectors a little treat. They'll be so pleased, they'll have a special treat for me too: a full body-cavity search!