The causes are basically a normal case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing or can doOriginally posted by Stan
Do you reckon air travel as a whole has a problem with paintball kit or have you had any dodgy experiences with a particular airline or do you think that it is security not knowing a marker when they see one?
What have been the causes of your most horrible nightmares?
Try to be seen to pull a fast one by keeping silent is the wrong way to go about it as members of my team know to their cost.
Authority placed in the hands of people who don't know what to do if you actually answer YES to any of the stock flying questions causes lots of aggro. I have had all you are not flying with this person so please stand over there rubbish but then as the lead booker I HAVE to be there to answer any questions as to why this person is travelling for me etc.
There are a couple of american airlines that have taken to opening the bags of checked luggage and removed the tanks for the people to find when they get to their destination that the bottle is missing
Easyjet "may" well allow the carriage of open tanks as might Ryan Air but we have all seen the TV shows...the check-in staff regardless of rank don't know or seem to not know what to do...and of course I realise that the show only airs good tv but customer stupidity plays a big part too.
Security (the proper guys, not the one's wandering about looking official) are good as gold and don't bat an eyelid to paintball equipment, they may ask you to show the marker is empty or ask how they must procede to test it is empty but that is all the grief you get.
The stupidest thing a check-in member of staff has ever done to me is take my autococker and point it towards all the familys waiting to check in and pull the trigger...now ok I knew it was empty but considering what a paintball marker looks like I wouldn't have wanted to be in that line. Take you to one side and let you show them but never in full view of the public
I once had a supervisor want to take one of two markers I had in my luggage across the airport lobby in his hand to the security post !! The police in that particular country carry real guns so I told him in no uncertain terms that I would quite happily go to the security post or wait for them to come to me but no way was the case being opened for him to take the markers to go and ask. Security came to me in that case and after showing a magazine with pics I said "I have one of those and one of those" so no surprises were to be had and 2 mins later my bags were being checked in with no worries.
For my last trip the PSP had thoughtfully provided a Headed letter with a description of the type of goods I would be carrying and why. I had this letter with me at the airport, that and the magazine smoothed things wonderfully.
