Left all three LTT screwdrivers in my carryon by accident, a short story

[madsci1016]

This is a cross post from Reddit today, for those that are no longer on reddit. I posted there first out of convivence while flying today. Didn't want forum-only users to miss out.  

 

2 week work trip. Return flight at 0600 and only had 3 hours of sleep. Forgot to move two full size (one noctua) and one stubby with a shaft extension from my ltt backpack to my checked luggage.

 

TSA scans the bag twice and then pulled it aside. Escorted me to the "additional screening" station. As soon as the xray image hit the monitor I knew I messed up, I can feel my heart sink deeper than the titanic. That shaft and racket is distinctive even against clothes, a pile of USB C cables and chargers, and two laptops in the background.

 

I'm starting to cry on the inside. I help the young (maybe mid twenties) tsa agent by pointing out which pocket to look in and started to put on my nicest "please forgive me" persona to beg for an exception. Maybe he's an LTT fan? But he made no comment about the clearly superior LTT backpack he's now holding behind a plastic divider, teasing me at what I'm about to loose.

 

I watch in horror as he clears his desk with built in ruler sticker so he can measure the length of the screwdriver. The sticker clearly stops at 7".

 

He only measures the OG black shaft and the shorty. Then turns around to ask a colleague : "I only measure this part, right?" as he motions to the shaft portion of the OG black shaft. The colleague nods in agreement.

 

What! Did the irresistible undeniable allure of midnight black screwdriver shaft just prevent this nightmare? He also measures the stubby (also a black shaft) for good measure, without removing the shaft extension.

 

I stand stunned in confusion as he packs the screwdrivers back in the LTT backpack and hands it to me. I finally snap out of the confusion and graciously thank him for not ruining my day, week, year. I walk away still in a state of shock, mixed with glee. I get to keep my favorite screwdrivers. Well, at least this time anyway.

 

TLDR I messed up and had three LTT screwdrivers in my carryon and TSA didn't take them. Still don't recommend though.

 

Most should recognize the ATL plane train. in the pic. 

[TempestCatto]

I would assume this luck will vary between airports and tsa agents in general. Glad you didn't lose them though. But what would happen if the agent said you can't take it on board? Would you be able to some how stuff it in your checked bags? What if you didn't have checked bags, would they let you mail it? I worry I'll do the same thing at some point. I keep a stubby in my camera backpack.

[madsci1016]

1 hour ago, TempestCatto said:

I would assume this luck will vary between airports and tsa agents in general. Glad you didn't lose them though. But what would happen if the agent said you can't take it on board? Would you be able to some how stuff it in your checked bags? What if you didn't have checked bags, would they let you mail it? I worry I'll do the same thing at some point. I keep a stubby in my camera backpack.

I have been caught with a few pocketknifes and never been given the option to have it mailed to me. Haven't tried going back and asking the airline to return my checked bag, i can't imagine they would like to do that. 

[IkeaGnome]

2 hours ago, TempestCatto said:

Would you be able to some how stuff it in your checked bags?

Once your checked bag is checked there’s no getting it back until your destination. So no. 
 

 

2 hours ago, TempestCatto said:

What if you didn't have checked bags, would they let you mail it?

Depends on the airport. I know Anchorage, Seattle and Juneau all have mailers you can use to mail it to yourself. I’ve done it quite a few times. 
 

 

40 minutes ago, madsci1016 said:

I have been caught with a few pocketknifes and never been given the option to have it mailed to me.

Dumb question, but have you tried asking? There’s pretty much always a Mail Drop box near the checkpoint. 

[madsci1016]

49 minutes ago, IkeaGnome said:

Dumb question, but have you tried asking? There’s pretty much always a Mail Drop box near the checkpoint. 

It's been a few years so i can't be sure. The comments on reddit have stories of mixed resulting depending on the airport though. Many say their airports stopped doing mailing, one guy was like his airport just holds onto it and you pick it up when you get back. 

 

It's not TSA offering any of these services, it's the airport, and i guess different airport owners care more or less about it. 

[Caroline]

3 hours ago, madsci1016 said:

TSA scans the bag twice and then pulled it aside. Escorted me to the "additional screening" station.

Oh yeah the (in)famous station. I went to the US once and had this problem at Miami Intl. but not because I was carrying something but because I *wasn't*, which apparently is weird in the US, I wasn't carrying a smartphone or any other electronics, mainly because, you know, I don't have any to carry. I only had the COUNTLESS papers one has to carry to enter the US, my normal dumb phone, some clothes and money and a city map, all in a small bag, because I wasn't paying any extras for luggage.

 

I had to stay there for 3 HOURS while they looked for something illegal that wasn't there, didn't even offer water, the guard said my English was "too good for someone from there" and "that and the prepaid phone raised suspicions" because they had to make sure I wasn't "an American criminal trying to re-enter using a fake passport"... fucks sake. And by the time they were done going through my stuff and making calls it was already dark, had to take a night bus to where I was going and couldn't sleep because of course my seat was next to the single mom with the crying baby.

 

Being Lainpilled is hard in the US.