Security Gone Too Far?

[Darkislander]

On Friday 25th April I was flying from Glasgow airport to East Midlands. I was then bus'd to Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire for my companies 1 day conference.
I went kilted, as last year it went down well with the English.
I was wearing my plastic molded, no blade sgian dubh. Last year this was no problem, but it seemed to be this year. It was confiscated on the grounds that "the threat is still there". I also had to remove my sporran and belt, which thankfully were returned okay.
It's a sad day that we can't even wear our national dress through an airport.
Anyway, here's a poor photo of me taken with a cellphone outside the hotel awaiting pick up to the conference.

[McMurdo]

That truly is sad, but you look great, and at least it was a dummy sgian dubh and not a Rab Gordon, nice picture by the way.

[cessna152towser]

I am always required to remove my sporran and belt and put them through the x-ray machine at security but then after I have been through the metal detector and been frisked I always get them returned before flying. I have never been required to check them in as separate hold baggage, but then I have never flown kilted from Glasgow Airport. I never wear a kilt pin or imitation sgian dhu when flying on airliners.

[Ayin McFye]

It's always nice to remove any metal like kilt pin, sgian dugh, or kilt chain if you use them when flying. I'm not sure if you use leather kilt hangers, but you'd probably have better luck with those. Glad to hear you only lost a plastic one though.

[ardchoille]

Yeah, security is being taken too far in a lot of places. It's sad.

[sharpdressedscot]

Wow, kinda extreme, but at least you got everything back and it wasn't real. That would have been really bad.

[beloitpiper]

That reminds me of the last time I was in London. We got tickets to the Trooping of the Colours. I think it was the Queen's birthday or something. Anyway, it was a big deal, and a lot of people (as in, the people who weren't tourists like us!) were wearing their Sunday best. It was before 9/11, but you still had to pass through a metal detector to get in. I remember this Scotsman in his kilt and Argyll jacket. He looked really good. But my dad pointed out that he got in with his sgian dubh. No trouble at all.

Oh, how the world has changed. When I went to an Obama rally, I couldn't even bring in my miniature Leatherman key chain!

[Nighthawk]

Last July, my dad and I went on a tour of Civil War battlefields. We flew from Colorado to Pennsylvania. When we were getting on the plane to come home, security actually took me aside into a room and searched every single pleat in my kilt. I can't use any of the words I would like (this being a family friendly forum) to describe how much I resented my privacy being violated like that. I carry a card with the first ten amendments to the US Constitution around with me. I handed it to the security and pointed out the freedom from unreasonable searches before he frisked me. Like it mattered.

[Arlen]

I've never had a problem with my kilt pins in Glasgow airport but I always have to put my belt and sporran through the metal detector regardless.
Considering that I've had nail-clippers confiscated, I've never tried even a Sgian Don't.

[Ryan Ross]

I am always required to remove my sporran and belt and put them through the x-ray machine at security but then after I have been through the metal detector and been frisked I always get them returned before flying.

Ditto. The funny part about this happening in the states, is the way the male security person looks at you, before he goes to it with the metal detector wand... I don't think they train the male guards to sweep "unbifurcated" garments, as he went over and had a talk with one of his female coworkers, before proceeding.

...but seriously, it wasn't funny.