Illustration: Michael Mucci.
Airport security checks can be enough to test the patience of the calmest person. Here's how to improve your chances of getting through unscathed.
I was told off by an airport security officer the other day for putting my watch and jewellery in a tray to go through the X-ray machine while I walked through the security scanner. But that's what you're supposed to do, right?
Not according to this particular officer, who insisted the jewellery had to go in my handbag, even though I have put it in a tray countless times before.
Full-body scanners have been rolled out at Australian airports, making it more important than ever to remove every item from your pockets and every bit of jewellery.Credit: AP
A few weeks earlier, my husband was made to dig to the bottom of his hand luggage to retrieve an aerosol can that apparently had to go through the X-ray machine separately. This was the same aerosol can that had been scanned in the same bag at another Australian airport the day before.
When you fly frequently - or perhaps it is even worse if you fly occasionally and are a bit bewildered anyway - the inconsistencies in security procedures can drive you close to crazy.
One checkpoint will have an issue with one thing, while in the next airport, security will be focused on something entirely different.
Website forums report inconsistencies such as having an item confiscated after passing through a dozen other airports or losing a small nail file when they have had a larger metal item in the same bag.
According to government figures, passenger numbers at Australian airports are expected to double over the next 17 years, which is only going to put more pressure on airport security procedures.
Sydney Airport is expected to be handling 72 million passenger movements a year by 2030, while Melbourne will be dealing with 60 million.
Meanwhile, the number of international tourists has broken the 1 billion a year mark, which is an awful lot of people trying to move around the world.
Adding to the challenge of getting through airport security checkpoints is a trend towards people travelling with more hand luggage, as airlines increasingly charge for checked-in baggage and excess luggage.
A new dimension in security checks in Australia is the full-body scanners that have been rolled out at Australian airports.
These make it more important than ever to remove every item from your pockets and every bit of jewellery, with government testing showing that the new scanners have a much higher ability to detect both metallic and non-metallic items on unprepared travellers.
The most common items that set off the scanners include boots with buckles, money in pockets, hair clips, watches and jewellery, so make sure you remove as much as you can before you try to go through.
Forward-thinking and common sense are also the keys to getting your carry-on luggage through screening without any hassles. If you are travelling internationally, remember to carry only small amounts of liquids and aerosols - no more than 100 millilitres for each item, always with lids on - and have them in clear plastic bags.
On domestic flights, pack aerosols and any other items likely to warrant further inspection (think about how items will appear on an X-ray) on top of your bag to save having to unpack it at the security desk.
One of the most contentious issues regarding international flights is duty-free, which is regularly confiscated from passengers as they pass through airports.
Even if you purchase duty-free on the secure side of the terminal (after you've been through security), liquids such as perfumes and liquor can be taken off you at the gate.
It is also possible to have your duty-free confiscated at an airport en route, such as a transit stop, if it is not in the right type of packaging or not in a sealed bag.
An option in some airports is to get your duty-free purchases delivered to the gate but otherwise the safest method is to buy your duty-free on arrival, before you go through immigration.
You don't necessarily get the best prices doing it this way, but at least you get to take it home.
Another option is to buy your duty-free before check-in and pack it (carefully!) in your checked luggage.
Commonsense is not common enough
Live ammunition and key rings made from bullets were the most common items confiscated at Australian airports in 2012, according to the Office of Transport Security.
Next in line were spent shell casings, toy guns, knives, self-defence sprays and batons.
Security officers also confiscated jewellery made from bullets, knuckle-dusters and gun-shaped cigarette lighters.
The tales from the US are even worse, where the Transport Security Administration says it finds inert hand grenades and other weapons at airport checkpoints on a weekly basis.
The haul for the week including Christmas included four grenades discovered in carry-on bags and six grenades in checked-in luggage.
Hotel watch
Seventy years of marriage is surely deserving of recognition — and this hotel has a butler to deliver it.
The Windsor hotel in Melbourne says it is getting numerous bookings as a result of an offer to former guests who have marked 30-plus years of marriage.
The historic hotel is offering free or heavily discounted rooms to couples who can produce photographs or other evidence to show they had their wedding at the hotel.
Those married for 30 years or more can get a two-night stay from $40 a night, while those married for 40 years or more are being charged from "three pounds sterling" (or $25) a night. Those with 60-plus marital years behind them are being welcomed to the hotel's Royal Suite for two nights free of charge.
In January 2014, The Windsor will welcome John and Hilda Fraser, from Donald in Victoria, to celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary.
The Frasers will not only get two nights in the Royal Suite but luxury trimmings including butler service.
The couple was offered the chance to stay ahead of the January anniversary but Mrs Fraser reportedly told the hotel she would prefer to wait, saying it would give her an incentive to stay fit and well.
jane@janeefraser.com.au
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