Jrhoffman75 Loc: Conway, New Hampshire

We had a dog sniff out an apple in a backpack at baggage pickup returning from Europe.

If your boarding pass has "SSSS" printed on it be prepared for special checking. Sometimes that gets assigned erroneously. There is a process for filing to remove the flag. You get a special number you can file when purchasing a ticket.

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

In many airports internationally every lens and body must be removed from the bag

elliott937 Loc: St. Louis

I've never had a problem with my 'small' camera bag, no matter where we fly. The 'small' camera bag is only slightly larger than my camera w/lens. I have a much larger black one, good for two cameras, but I won't take it, just for the very reason you mentioned.

Photolady2014 Loc: Southwest Colorado

I got singled out in France both going and coming home from Nairobi. Had to go to another part of the airport and they took everything out of the camera bag. I had to put it all back, but that was ok. For once I was happy to have a long layover. It was entertainment…..or at least a forced bag reorganizing!

kvanhook Loc: Oriental, NC

I have had what I consider major problems with security at LAX. Two times at LAX, I have been put through traveler hell. I have been scanned, patted down, yelled at, and generally made out to be a 77 year old terrorist who travels with a wife and is part of a group of other tourists. I recently came back from The Netherlands and was once again they decided to pick on me. I am not being overly sensitive. They singled me out and gave me hell. One officer yelled at me to empty my pockets. I told him they were empty. Finally, I had to turn my pants pockets inside out to show him I was not hiding anything. Then, I was forced to remove my belt. Then, when I turned to walk away, he yelled at me to stay with my carry on bag and not to proceed. He had kept me detained so long that my bag had "proceeded" and was way ahead of us down the line. I really don't want to travel any more if I am treated this way. I am an old, white headed, man who takes photos, not one who blows up planes on the way home with my wife aboard. It is good that they protect us, but give me a break. I'm not dangerous to man nor beast. Be nice to me.

tkmp8

Be glad TSA is paying attention. I too have had my backpack searched on occasion but it tells me someone is doing their job as they are trained to do. I usually carry my body’s and at least two lenses. It happens…

philo Loc: philo, ca

I had a small tool kit in my camera bag .........they took it.
I had a small bottle of insect repellent on the return.......they took it.
Had a small unopened water bottle ...........they took it.

zug55 Loc: Naivasha, Kenya, and Austin, Texas

I had exactly the same experience. I arrived in France from Nairobi two months ago, and the agent took a sadistic pleasure in taking everything apart that I had in my tightly packed bag, including two camera bodies and several lenses. The same happened a few weeks ago on a flight from Lyon to Berlin. I do not look forward to flying from Paris back to Nairobi next week--I will definitely budget extra time.

I noticed that rules about cameras can vary not just internationally, but also in the US. Even with TSA-Pre, I get taken apart sometimes. As a result, I now take my camera bodies out of the bag and put them in a separate bin, together with my laptop.

Most of the time, they are just doing their job. Just give it a little extra time and let them do what they need to do. While this sometimes is inconvenient, even annoying, I appreciate that this makes flying safer.

Cfolk Loc: Scottsdale, AZ

Better than the old days with a backpack full of film canisters.....

Petunia in NY Loc: Queens, NYC

Without fail I will get asked to step aside so that they can go through my bag more thoroughly and swab it. Depending on the airport and how "friendly" the agent seems I will let them know in advance what is in my bag and offer to take it out for inspection. Sometimes they say yes, sometimes they say no and sometimes they say we'll see. (Quite often when I offer they don't make me take everything out BUT, I and my bag will still get swabbed and wanded.)

It doesn't matter whether I travel within the US or internationally, I will ALWAYS be screened more than anyone else. It began when I started traveling alone at 17 and it continues today and I'm middle aged now.

You think you've had it tough? My family is from Colombia and I travel there quite often to visit, and did so even during the drug war of the 80's! Imagine a solo female traveller going to Colombia and returning to NYC ! The scrutiny.

I have been stopped by multiple agents asking me the same questions after I exit the plane and before I even make it to immigration / luggage pick up. All to see if my answers change.

Does all the extra screening bother me? Absolutely not. I treat it as part of my adventure. I am in a law enforcement related field and I saw first hand what happened at the Twin Towers. They are simply doing their job and dealing with a generally stressed and non-direction following crowd.

I was flying back from Denver a few years ago and a woman directly behind me was losing her mind and screaming at the agent because I was asked to open my bag to show my equipment. I finally turned around and said I'm from NYC and don't mind in the least - they are simply trying to protect us. The agent re-zipped my bag just as soon as he unzipped it. I don't think he even peeked inside.

I didn't stay to watch what that woman's inspection looked like. 😂

JBRIII

Does not help, have had pre-check and global entry and still have been checked over. Use to carry a CPAP, checked for explosives every time by swabbing? One possibility is how much electronic stuff and how packed it is can make a difference.

photoman43

It happens to me over half the time I go thru TSA screening in the US and 100% of the time on overseas trips if I am carrying a full backpack of camera gear--usually just cameras and lenses. It does not bother me as the agents are just doing their job. They usually just open the bag and look. I think I had them inspect each lens separately with the swab test just one time overseas.

I have not done any air travel since Covid hit.

PhotosBySteve

There is a simple way to solve that issue.
As I did over 10 years ago. I refused to fly anywhere whenever I had my camera gear with me. I now drive, take a bus or train. This has worked well for me and has saved me from further TSA harassment and from the few thieving haphazzard baggage misshandlers.
I don't miss it one bit.
Complaining never accomplished anything.
Taking action on my own has been a blessing in disguise.
If I ever have to fly, then I will rent gear at my destination.

Rab-Eye Loc: Indiana

Never mind; duplicate suggestion.

Paladin48 Loc: Orlando