RE: [Harp-L] Harmonicas and Airport Security...

["Bill Hines" <billhines4@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I travel a lot also and all over the world. I learned. I *always* pull
the Seydel zipper bag with my harps out of the carry-on luggage and put
it in a tray just like you might do with your laptop, shoes, etc. I open
it up and lay it flat so they can see the harps. The TSA folks often use
this as an opportunity to point out what they look like to the newbies. 

They almost always thank me for doing this and I think it's helped
prevent other hassles. Often it stimulates a little conversation if any
of the TSA folks (or other passengers) are harp or blues fans.

I also learned to not travel with my repair kit, they don't like the
sharp instruments in there. I sometimes bring a smokey (tiny) amp,
bullet mic, cable all inside my carry-on. Sometimes a harp commander if
I think I'm going to a jam - I'll put that in the tray also for obvious
reasons. 

For international travel, this can present more curiosity than here in
the states. Especially in India, they weren't sure what the harps were
and of course at the airports there they are suspicious of everything.
In China I had no problem at all. In Singapore the security guy wanted
to know how many octaves I could play on a diatonic, etc. They never
really ask me to play, they must just know better, there's probably a
picture of me somewhere in their training manual :^)

Bill

-----Original Message-----
From: harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Isaac Ullah
Sent: Saturday, July 19, 2008 11:33 AM
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [Harp-L] Harmonicas and Airport Security...


Hi all...     I regularly travel with a leather case of six harmonicas
in my carry-on luggage. I've never had any issues with airport security
(although an x-ray guy in denver DID recognize them as  harmonicas, and
asked me if I played). However, I was recently pulled aside at Chicago
O'Hare for a bag check and an "additional screening". Turns out it was
because of the harmonicas! Of all places where you think they might
recognize a harmonica in an x-ray scanner, you would think it would be
in Chicago!!! Has anyone else run into problems at the airport recently
with their harmonca case? Should I chance putting them in (*gulp!*) my
check-in bags?Rock on,Isaac


      
_______________________________________________
Harp-L is sponsored by SPAH, http://www.spah.org Harp-L@xxxxxxxxxx
http://harp-l.org/mailman/listinfo/harp-l