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Heathrow scraps liquid container limit

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Re: Heathrow scraps liquid container limit

#401

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know where you live, but where I live, we do.

I've traveled all over Europe and North America and have taken a lot of trains. Not once did I have to remove my shoe, scan my baggage, or had any kind of liquid restrictions.

Having a lot of experience with trains too, I can confirm this.

In Europe the major exceptions are Eurostar (Channel Tunnel) and the Spanish high-speed network, where the major stations are like airports, with airport-style security, airport-style departure lounges, and waiting. As I understand it, the extra security is at least partly an outcome of the Madrid terrorist bombings of 2004. Terribly self-defeating.

In France by contrast you can still arrive 2 minutes before the TGV departs.

Re: Heathrow scraps liquid container limit

#403

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't you still need metal bullets for the 3d printed gun?

Those don't generally have any ferrous components.

yes but the spring in the magazine does.

also the rails on the lower, the barrel, etc.

Re: Heathrow scraps liquid container limit

#404

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I routinely conceal large bottles of liquids on my person while going through airport security. I've probably gone through airport security in various places with a 1.5L bottle of water more than a hundred times now. Haven't been caught once, although of course the US-style scanners could presumably defeat this. Same with hot sauces, perfume and the occasional bottles of wine. I really don't like to travel with a che…

its very much about looks. Uk airports (used to?) seize aftershave in bottles that are the shape of grenades. Its very obvious what they are (made of glass, branded, spray out aftershave) but they are banned nonetheless.

I've flown with someone who simply said she has prescription medication with her.

I mean it was the truth. It was legitimately prescription medication. In this case. But I can imagine someone could lie.

Re: Heathrow scraps liquid container limit

#405
post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I lost a nice swiss army knife in Singapore because I was carry-on only and forgot I keep one in my toiletries bag. Was really upset because it was a Christmas gift from my parents. Annoying they don't let you collect it on the way back, I totally get it but would have paid a fine to get it back

It would be nice if there was an option to box it up and mail it back home or to a friend/family member for a fee. While a lot of people have throw away knives and wouldn’t care, many also have knives that are either expensive or have a lot of meaning. Maybe they would encourage more people to risk it and hope they don’t get caught, but a vast majority of these people aren’t criminals. When I was a kid I would always…

You can still do that if you check a bag instead of carrying it on, of course.

Re: Heathrow scraps liquid container limit

#406

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You gotta love the TSA. They serve no real purpose, but its a monster too big to kill, staffed by people who desperately cling to the notion they're doing something important. They don't stop hijackings (locking the cockpit door does that), they don't stop bombings (there are much better targets for that, which don't involve killing the bomber), they don't stop weapons (lots of airports outside the US have simple met…

> They don't stop hijackings (locking the cockpit door does that) 9/11 also stopped all future hijackings. Up to that point passengers were trained that if they stayed calm they would likely survive. Now? Short of the hijackers getting guns on the plane, passengers will absolutely fight back. > they don't stop bombings (there are much better targets for that, which don't involve killing the bomber) Suicide bombers ar…

> Now? Short of the hijackers getting guns on the plane, passengers will absolutely fight back.

I'm not even sure guns would hold some wannabe heroes back.

Re: Heathrow scraps liquid container limit

#407

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You gotta love the TSA. They serve no real purpose, but its a monster too big to kill, staffed by people who desperately cling to the notion they're doing something important. They don't stop hijackings (locking the cockpit door does that), they don't stop bombings (there are much better targets for that, which don't involve killing the bomber), they don't stop weapons (lots of airports outside the US have simple met…

> they don't stop weapons (lots of airports outside the US have simple metal detectors for that.) There are 3D printed guns.

You are better off using a lathe to make a gun.

Re: Heathrow scraps liquid container limit

#408

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've heard that cell phones often catch fire on planes, and the crews know how to deal with that. I guess they have to because the odds of one going up are pretty good across so many flights.

It's easier to deal if it's in carry on bag. This is why batteries are forbidden in checked luggage. Once it all burns the airplane has got to land asap and it's an emergency. My checked luggage did not pass xray multiple times because they detected powerbanks. I had to come back and take it out. However it also did pass xray a couple times with powerbanks so it's not a reliable system.

Alternatively, I checked 3-4 20k mAh powerbanks in my luggage on my flight to Utah and it never got flagged or detected.

Re: Heathrow scraps liquid container limit

#409

This just adds confusion as to the purpose of all this. The motivation behind the liquid limits is that there are extremely powerful explosives that are stable water-like liquids. Average people have never heard of them because they aren’t in popular lore. There has never been an industrial or military use, solids are simpler. Nonetheless, these explosives are easily accessible to a knowledgeable chemist like me. The…

It's about making people feel safe. We're not rational beings, so what do you do about an irrational fear? You invent a magical thing that protects from that irrational fear. You're orders of magnitude more likely to die in a road accident, but people don't fear that. They fear terrorist attacks far more. You can't protect against an opponent who's motivated to learn the inherent vulnerabilities of our systems, many…

Yeah as we've seen with MH370, literally nothing stops the pilot from committing mass-murder-suicide at any point. We just need to trust that they're not feeling particularly depressed that day.

Re: Heathrow scraps liquid container limit

#410

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't you still need metal bullets for the 3d printed gun?

No idea. I only replied to the guy saying that "metal detectors stop weapons". Which is false. The evidence is in US law. Because they would be undetectable, 3d printed guns are required to have some metal inserted into it to be legal ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D-printed_firearm#United_Stat... ). I think a guy who can 3d print a gun and wants to bring it onto a plane could probably skip that step;)

"I only replied to the guy saying that "metal detectors stop weapons". Which is false."

Taken in a strict boolean sense, yes, but real-world policy is rarely boolean, and mostly about tradeoffs and how many nines of reliability you want to spend on.

Metal detectors will catch the vast, vast majority of guns ever produced, which is their whole point of existence.

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