Re: [Paddlewise] Camping Equipment on Planes

At 02:35 PM 7/16/2005, alex wrote:
> > Follow up to an earlier posting.  Our group transported the usual empty,
> > dry, clean but previously used fuel bottles and backpacker stoves to and
> > from Alaska on Alaska Air without running into any prohibitions.  This is
> > consistent with how I read the FAQ at the airline's website.  I had heard
> > anecdotal reports for other airlines that were making some of my friends
>on
> > other backpacking trips rethink their stove/bottle transport.  YMMV.

That, IMHO, is the main issue.  All the successful anecdotes that are 
posted here won't mean a thing if the particular airline representative 
that I encounter on my next trip decided that the gas stove I'm bringing is 
*not* clean.  The result would be that I would arrive at my destination 
without a stove and either have to try and buy one there or backpack 
without one.  While I would prefer to use my gas stove, when I'm traveling 
via air I'll just bring a screw-on propane stove and buy a can of propane 
after I arrive at my destination.



>Last year check-in counter in San Diego commuter airport (United Airlines
>flight) used what looked to me as a "sniffer-machine" on my bags.  Small
>strip of some material was swabbed around inside the bag and then put inot
>the analyser slot.  Cold be gas-analyser (gas-chromatograph).  I am more
>than positive that such equipment is in place in all the major airports, and
>has nothing to do with particular airline - but provides them with more
>sensible approach to the grey area of "clean but previously used" stoves and
>fuel containers.Which might not preclude some particularly stubborn airlines
>from not using such an equipment, of course.

I've seen the "sniffer machines" on almost every trip I've taken since 
9/11.  I don't think the airlines have a choice regarding the use of them 
as they're run by TSA.  From what I've seen the airlines are not really 
doing any luggage checking at all any more.  They handle the check-in and 
ticketing, and then any checked luggage is passed onto TSA employees, which 
may either just do a sniff test, or choose to open it up and search through 
the contents.
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