Transportation Security Administration

[john_richardson6]

Upon returning from a flight to Italy, I checked out my cameras. I

discovered a tag from the "Transportation Security Administration" in

the bag which held my carefully packed and protected filmholders.

They had completely unpacked it for inspection, and had not re-packed

it in such a way that the equipment would be adequately protected.

Then I took the 11x14 camera out of its big armoured case. It was

immediately apparent that the camera had not only been taken out, but

had been unfolded. The bellows are dented and the wood is broken in

at least one place. It had not been opened or collapsed properly. I

am investigating how to make a claim against this new government

agency.

 

In regards to film, I had downloaded and printed the Transportation

Authority Administration's web page which addresses hand inspection

of film http//:www.tsa.dot.govpublic/display?theme=56 I was given a

big hassle at Chicago O'hare on my way back to Los Angeles. I was

told that I could not carry my 6 boxes of film onto the flight unless

they could open the boxes, as I might be hiding weapons. The officer

took the film to the departure gate, complaining all the while

that "We can't be stopping our work every 10 minutes to walk out to

the gate for someone's film." I told him I had the copy of his own

agency's guidelines, and he didn't care a bit. At LAX the film was

not handed back to me, but was treated like any baggage, coming down

the conveyor, though it had no protection. I had not experienced

similar problem at LAX when leaving for Chicago, or when leaving Rome

for Chicago.

 

Has anyone on this forum had a similar experience, and were you able

to recover damages?

[michael_kadillak6]

Ouch. I think that I will stick to the back country of Colorado and Montana from the bed of my pickup. I wish you the best of success in receiving compensation for making your repairs. If there ever was a case for travel insurance for equipment, this is it. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us.

[wayne_crider4]

Sorry to hear your problems and best of luck getting compensation. I travel

about twice a year and never have had a problem with getting my film

checked, but then I always carry 35mm and MF and my cameras as carry on.

There's plenty things to be done in hindsight to prevent having problems

such as yours, and at odd times I'm sure you have read them here and

elsewhere. Let us know how your matter progresses and what agencies you

contact and get response from. I would love to take part and write a letter to

those that, although believing they are doing a valuable service to the public

safety, are not posting or following guidelines that we all can live by.

Hopefully you are in the minority and a very small one at that. My first action

would be to have filed a formal complaint thru the ever present terminal police

and if possible gotten names, titles and contact numbers of whoever was in

charge at the time. The most important thing is names and numbers and

pictures of damage; Maybe a good case for carrying a small digital camera.

[hal_bissinger]

And I just saw the other night that the government is going to lay off 6000 TSA airport inspectors. WHATS THAT all about?

[tim_atherton2]

tough times - ever sliding downwards dollar, mega-deficit and a war to pay for. And the supr-heightened security is another thing that's killing the airline industry.

 

So, it's going to be easier to get your 11x14 film and camera onboard in a few months time...

 

I recall reading a few months back, when they said the TSA inspectors were going to be busting open checked bags and cases to insepct them and they were questioned about theft and damage to bags that - they would be sorry if that happened, but it was the cost of security...

[matt miller cambridge, ia]

I traveled recently within the US with my 4x5. My experiences with the airport security were quite pleasant. I carried everything with me as "carry-on" luggage. My tripod was my only piece of gear to go in my checked luggage. At each security check point they opened my case to see just what it was. They were very careful with everything they handled. My nutdriver for the tripod was in my camera case, so they had to throw it away. $5 item, so no big deal. I sent my film through all of the the xray machines inside the case, with no ill affects. If I would have had to check the camera case, I don't think I would have brought it with me (family vacation, not photo trip).

 

A few years back, I was traveling to a sheet metal apprenticeship contest. I had a hand made metal tool box with all of my hand tools, that I had to check. At some point on the return trip, my tool box had been dropped and torn completely open. They just used duct tape to hold it together and sent it on. I was furious. I immediately filed a claim with the airlines. I received a check in the mail for the damage done a few weeks later.

 

Good Luck

[adrian_tyler]

it´s a bit off topic but as my photography formats are getting larger and heavier i am always sensitive to see what happens to checked baggage. if you observe loading and unloading, you will see that in no place on earth are cases treated with the slightst bit of respect, ah... the age of being able to use my full set set of crocodile cases ended about 70 years ago...

 

so i always try to keep it light for travel and would perhaps do a fed-ex if i had to shift a whole trunk of it, it'll still get thrown around, but less chance of it being opened and played around wiht by a gorrilla.

[dan_smith]

Perhaps you should carry a small pocket tape recorder & have it on when you encounter these people? Most are fine but you got one of the real jerks. Get names, times & dates and then sue the individual for acting irresponsibly outside the scope of his job. Bet the government won't cover his legal bills then. Write your US Senator & let him know what happened & how it happened. S*** rolls downhill & when it comes from a Senate office to these guys it rolls faster & in bigger batches.

One good thing about having these "rules" in place is we are more aware of when they are broken, and no, it is NOT the price of 'security'. It is only one more government full employment program.

Stop most of the crap at the gates other than the normal scan for major weapons & watch what happens to someone who tries to take over a plane. The other passengers will tear them to pieces.

[john_cook1]

Last time I had to fly with a view camera (before 9/11) I insisted the client buy a first-class seat for it. He did, and it rode next to me all the way. Guess I'm not such a stubborn old fart after all.

 

Fedex is also a great idea. Last trip to London, I shipped all my clothes back by mail. Brought the cameras (35mm) as carry-on. No checked luggage.

[tim_atherton2]

"Fedex is also a great idea. Last trip to London, I shipped all my clothes back by mail. Brought the cameras (35mm) as carry-on. No checked luggage."

 

Didn't they stop you at the gate for being.... nekked :-)

[h._p.]

You poor devils, this security thing seems to be rolling over you like snow from an avalanche.

 

On this side of the pond we've got used to the nonsense that goes along with having a bunch of homicidal lunatics off our west coast and have learned to just let it slide off us like water off a duck's back. After a year or two more it'll just be business as usual for you as well.

[james_chinn]

Sending your gear ahead via UPS or Fed-ex is the safest way to go even though it adds expense to a trip. It can be insured and if it requires inspection because of the insured dollar amount they will be carefull because getting it there in one piece is their business. You also don't have to lug it around terminals and be worried that some baggage handler will recognize what it is and make off with a bag or two.

[domenico_foschi]

I will be for a 2 months vacation /project in Italy in starting

september , and i am planning to send clothes , film and

presents to my family by fedex in advance , so that i will only

have carry-on luggage consisting of 4x5 & 8x10 gear .

Anybody in Italy in that period ?

[john_kasaian1]

John, Sorry to hear about your mis-adventure! I travelled from California to HAwaii and back not too long ago and the experience, aside from the long lines, was OK, but I was travelling light with only a 4x5 and a few film holders, an unopened box of film & tripod, all of this fit into a day pack which was my carry on. Before the whole enchilada went into the ultrazapper 9000 I took the box of film out and requested a hand inspection---no problem( the tripod, my trusty gold anodized---yuck!---tilt-all went as checked baggage)I think if I were travelling with a kit too large to ride as a carry-on, I'd be inclined to ship it over and back UPS or Fedex, heavily insured of course! I don't know if it is still the case, but the American Express offices in Europe used to act as both banks and post offices, and would accept mail for travellers. 9/11 Might have changed that. The last time I was in France, you couldn't even check your stuff into lockers at train stations and in the US you still can't use the coin-op lockers in airports, FCOL! If its any consolation, maybe your Chicago based TSA Inspector from Hell is one of the ones who got the "chop."

[dan_smith]

Go ahead and send your gear & film ahead by UPS, FedEx or Harry's yak, camel & dolphin delivery service. Then watch your plane be rerouted or the trip altered & there you are stuck without your gear. Some accomodation has to be made with the airlines and security monkeys. No problem letting them look & sniff & whatnot but we need to be there when they do so. A simple directive allowing this would make sense and keep claims from ham fisted gorillas at a minimum.

[jbq]

You may be able to sue the airline (they're the one you have a contract with in the first place), but their default liability is limited to $9.07 per pound if I remember correctly. My rule of thumb: if I let anyone take care of something valuable, I always want to have the proper explicit insurance for it.

[bill_laidley]

A few years ago I had an opportunity to chat with a fellow that made some training videos for the local airport. He said that after watching the sorting machinery in action he would never ever check another bag.

 

The bags get scanned (those bar code labels they put on) and at the right moment a pneumatic ram punches the bag onto a different conveyor belt. No gentle taps or pushes - we are talking about trying to kick it into the next county.

 

He also emphatically said that you should never ship something with a loose strap that might catch on something. Evidently he saw a series of backpacks that weren't put into plastic bags. The straps caught between two conveyor belts, and the ram just kept pounding the bags until a handler cut off the stuck strap. The conveyor belt doesn't stop for anything.

[james_driscoll2]

I am sorry to hear about the above incident, I too was terrified when

I had to fly to Paris in august for a 4 month job. I had to check in 2

Sinars, and 9 lenses. I put everything in a pelican case, and a tenba

flight case and was surprised that nobody at Newark International, or

CDG in Paris even batted an eye at a very "military" looking case.

 

I breezed through customs in france, even though I had two HUGE cases

that look nothing like luggage!!!

 

Nothing arrived damaged, and thankfully I did not have to deal with

anyone "pawing" through it.

 

I had shipped the film, polaroid, and tripod via dhl about a week and

a half in advance so it would definatly be there when I arrived.

 

The problem with fed-xing equipment and film, is that in certain

countires (like france) it WILL get tied up in customs for days.

 

I had a box of clothes and books sent to me (no room in my baggage, it

was all photo equipment!!!) and it sat in customs for a week, until

we faxed over a list of what was in it and swearing that the stuff was

going to be coming back to the US.

 

All of the above film, was sent to Switzerland (where the other

photographer lives) and Swiss customs had no problem accepting the

value amount and did not even open the boxes.

 

Of course, I had to pay $677 to ship the film, and tripod. But in my

case it was 7 boxes and total weight was over 100 lbs.

 

Also, I did notice in France (I don't know how it is in other

countries) that Fed-X, UPS, etc. will almost never deliver to a

residential address. They will on paper, but it is such a hassle.

 

On my return trip, I also had no problems-the case was untouched and

US customs did not care to search it.

 

My girlfriend when she came to visit me, got searched by customs

coming in to Paris, and got searched going out by security at CDG

airport. They seemed to get spooked because her passport had a

Amsterdam stamp on it, so they kept asking her about pot smoking!!!

 

who can figure.......

 

than

[paul_coppin]

A friend went to Spain two weeks ago out of Toronto, and back. She tried to get hand inspection on film but was unsuccessful coming back. The baggage screener just threw the clear bag with the cassettes (35mm) on the carry-on conveyor and let it roll through. About a third of the cassettes were badly fogged. If she had buried them in her carry-on she might have been ok, maybe not. Next time she plans to process them there if at all possible. It appears there are no guarantees anywhere, anyplace.

[steve_swinehart]

"And I just saw the other night that the government is going to lay off 6000 TSA airport inspectors. WHATS THAT all about?"

 

The joke in the airport biz is that TSA really stands for "thousands standing around." Air industry has not come back to pre-9/11 levels, so the projected amount of employees is not needed... and, congressional appropriations for TSA operations have not been as large as needed to keep all those folks employed standing around waiting for more passengers to show up.

 

Expect some passenger screening lanes to be shut down except for peak periods and longer lines at screening.

 

As for your damaged equipment: go to your local airport and ask to talk with the Federal Security Director (FSD) for that airport. Actually, call and make an appointment.

 

Bring the equipment and show him/her what has happened. Ask what the TSA would suggest to prevent this from happening in the future. Also ask how to file a complaint. Best to deal with these folks on a 1:1 basis - they're usually fairly responsive because they haven't been indoctrinated into the airline "not my problem," "you thought this was a service industry?" mindset yet. Most of the FSD's come from other law enforcement (FBI, Secret Service, US Armed Services) background.

[pellidon]

I don't do Large format on the road but have had several run-ins with TSA damaging/losing my contents of my toolkit. The response from the claims office was a carefully worded letter that basically states "so what? we won't pay off anyway". Their court costs if it gets to that point are taken out of your monetary award, see where this goes. They routinely damage or can not seem to get even the simplest repackage jobs right. I only ship what I have to in checked bags and then worry the whole time. A worry I did not have before TSA. I get better treatment from security in other countries than I do here.