Re: Getting Looping Gear through US Homeland Airport Security

[Brian Good <bsgood@gmail.com>]

On 11/20/10 9:12 PM, Rick Walker wrote:
> My big luggage has my instruments in it (and my Line 6 M9 and Boss PS-5
> Pitch Shifter)
> all surrounded by clothing.
>
> I asked that it have a 'Fragile' sticker on it.
>
> When I got it off the plane, the 'Fragile' sticker was completely 
>thrashes
> from where the plane handlers had thrown the bag.
>
> I watched them hurl it through the air on top of other luggage without
> any regard.

I think in the weird language of baggage handlers "fragile" translates 
as "Hulk smash now!!!"

Once I was sitting on a plane, idly watching the crew loading the 
luggage, when I saw some evil mutant pick up my tenor sax (a new Selmer 
Mk VI that I loved more than anything), hoist it shoulder-high, and drop 
it onto the conveyor. Fortunately, it was in a hard case, so I was sure 
it hadn't been damaged.

Or so I thought. When I tried to play a couple days later, I found that 
the the whole side of the horn's body was caved in. The bastards denied 
any responsibility--they pointed to one of those tiny-print clauses in 
the ticket "contract"--so I wasn't even able to get reimbursed. 
Fortunately, I had a repair tech with god-like abilities, and he fixed 
the instrument, with only a couple discolorations from the torch. Years 
later, when I heard that airline went bankrupt, I couldn't help 
giggling. Yeah, it was probably incompetent management, but I like to 
think of it as karmic payback.

Brian