hops
Member
I'm still fuming.
HOPS recent Air travel with Gun Experience. First with Gun since 1/1/2003 took effect.
Over the weekend I flew from PDX (Portland, OR) to SJC (San Jose, PRK) for a 40 B-day party.
Took my USP40F along to go shooting with best friend still trapped there. Also planned to shoot by
myself before flight back home, so I needed my gun for the obvious reason.
I travel with gun case that has a combination and key - double lock. Both work independantly of each other.
I check-in at Alaska Airlines counter, declare gun, get form, sign and date it, lock case. I had to do this
twice, because she grabbed one of their old one part forms. Their new forms, used since last year are 2 part forms, with one
copy for the gun case and the other copy gets stapled to the claim check. I like it. No big deal. She forgot to
check my ID, ooopppsss. Now I have to trott over to the ESD machnine with my 2 pieces of luggage. Have to
declare firearm again and am asked to wait since I'll have to open gun case after if goes through the ESD
machine. Eh?? What value does the ESD machine add if I need to open case after scanning?
Gun case is on conveyor and enters the ESD scanner and movement stops. Clock still moving, but not my gun.
4 TSA male units hover around monitor and seem to play 'Guess which Gun Make and Modle this is'. I wait, others
wait as the line backs up a bit. About 3-5 minutes later the gun moves, gets picked up and I'm called over.
I pull out key to unlock it and am told that I cannot touch my gun case, since it has been through the ESD
machine. ***??? I get a wee bit agitated now, but try to remain calm. TSA gentleman see me a bit peeved
and politely explains the process to me. Ok, fine, I give him key so he can unlock case. One or 2 other scan
buddies come over and they realize they all guessed wrong. Well, at least they were polite and I remained
relative so too. A 1 minute process took nearly 15 minutes.
San Jose back to PDX. I check-in, declare gun, sign and date form, place in gun casem lock gun case, and the
lady ckecking me in says "you can't lock the case. they'll want to open it after they scan it. Eh?? Scanner is
behind wall - not like PDX. I'm being asked to unlock gun case and send it through the black-luggage-hole -
thereby violating line 4 'Handgun(s) contain in my luggage are in a hardsided, locked, container, with the only key/combination in my possession) of the price of paper I just signed and dated as well as some Federal reg.
Yea, I'll commit a felony. No problem. I firmly stated that FAA / BATF regs firmly state that gun case with
gun goes in to luggage black hole locked with key and combination in my possesion only. I also told her that
she is asking me to commit a Federal Felony. She repeats her mantra. Ok, I'm tired, state - here is key. I expect to received gun case locked and the combination numbers tumbled when I pickup gun case in PDX, or else. After 3-5 mins she comes back with my key and I still grumble. She offered to give me the 800 number to complain. I thanked her but said I'll get if off the web. Told her that I was not upset or frustrated at her, that I understood she was just doing what she was told, thanked her politely and caught my flight. Gun/case arrived (it was moved in case - so it was fondled by TSA) locked and combination tumbled as I asked and as the airline lady confirmed to me as I left.
Ok, I can deal with the PDX experience somewhat, but the SJC experience is completely unacceptable. They violated
their own TSA, FAA, BATF policies and laws. So I guess I'll write Alaska Airlines and TSA about my experience.
I never had a problem - negative exerience traveling via AIR with my gun(s) before this.
HOPS recent Air travel with Gun Experience. First with Gun since 1/1/2003 took effect.
Over the weekend I flew from PDX (Portland, OR) to SJC (San Jose, PRK) for a 40 B-day party.
Took my USP40F along to go shooting with best friend still trapped there. Also planned to shoot by
myself before flight back home, so I needed my gun for the obvious reason.
I travel with gun case that has a combination and key - double lock. Both work independantly of each other.
I check-in at Alaska Airlines counter, declare gun, get form, sign and date it, lock case. I had to do this
twice, because she grabbed one of their old one part forms. Their new forms, used since last year are 2 part forms, with one
copy for the gun case and the other copy gets stapled to the claim check. I like it. No big deal. She forgot to
check my ID, ooopppsss. Now I have to trott over to the ESD machnine with my 2 pieces of luggage. Have to
declare firearm again and am asked to wait since I'll have to open gun case after if goes through the ESD
machine. Eh?? What value does the ESD machine add if I need to open case after scanning?
Gun case is on conveyor and enters the ESD scanner and movement stops. Clock still moving, but not my gun.
4 TSA male units hover around monitor and seem to play 'Guess which Gun Make and Modle this is'. I wait, others
wait as the line backs up a bit. About 3-5 minutes later the gun moves, gets picked up and I'm called over.
I pull out key to unlock it and am told that I cannot touch my gun case, since it has been through the ESD
machine. ***??? I get a wee bit agitated now, but try to remain calm. TSA gentleman see me a bit peeved
and politely explains the process to me. Ok, fine, I give him key so he can unlock case. One or 2 other scan
buddies come over and they realize they all guessed wrong. Well, at least they were polite and I remained
relative so too. A 1 minute process took nearly 15 minutes.
San Jose back to PDX. I check-in, declare gun, sign and date form, place in gun casem lock gun case, and the
lady ckecking me in says "you can't lock the case. they'll want to open it after they scan it. Eh?? Scanner is
behind wall - not like PDX. I'm being asked to unlock gun case and send it through the black-luggage-hole -
thereby violating line 4 'Handgun(s) contain in my luggage are in a hardsided, locked, container, with the only key/combination in my possession) of the price of paper I just signed and dated as well as some Federal reg.
Yea, I'll commit a felony. No problem. I firmly stated that FAA / BATF regs firmly state that gun case with
gun goes in to luggage black hole locked with key and combination in my possesion only. I also told her that
she is asking me to commit a Federal Felony. She repeats her mantra. Ok, I'm tired, state - here is key. I expect to received gun case locked and the combination numbers tumbled when I pickup gun case in PDX, or else. After 3-5 mins she comes back with my key and I still grumble. She offered to give me the 800 number to complain. I thanked her but said I'll get if off the web. Told her that I was not upset or frustrated at her, that I understood she was just doing what she was told, thanked her politely and caught my flight. Gun/case arrived (it was moved in case - so it was fondled by TSA) locked and combination tumbled as I asked and as the airline lady confirmed to me as I left.
Ok, I can deal with the PDX experience somewhat, but the SJC experience is completely unacceptable. They violated
their own TSA, FAA, BATF policies and laws. So I guess I'll write Alaska Airlines and TSA about my experience.
I never had a problem - negative exerience traveling via AIR with my gun(s) before this.