Strangest question at Airport baggage drop

[TheAnimus]

So i write this bored in departures, but it seriously seamed strange to me.

After sidestepping the queue for the economy check in (something about having no dangly bits on your baggage really pleases the check in staff) i was asked the strangest question.

Have you modified your laptop?

Of course, i took it appart once to see how it works, and changed something for the geek cudos. But seriously, is that a normal question?

I've never had it before when flying, but this is my first time with air new zealand so i guess it might be normal for them!

[mmh]

doesnt sound like a standard question :/
going to america the other week, i had to keep taking my laptop out of my hand luggage at every stop, but i wasnt asked if it was modified :/

[0iD]

Nope, never been asked that or any question about my lappy at the airport. Just the usual request to take it out of it's case to be x-rayed.

[handscombmp]

Never been asked and i've been through security tonnes of times.

[Andeh13]

On the way back from South Africa this summer, I ran through security having been stuck in traffic for 2 hours (20mins to catch plane) and ran right through the metal detector (middle of night so no queue) and despite it lighting up like a Christmas tree when they stopped me i was in such a panic they apologised & told me to keep running! .

That was with my Dell Studio, with a modified keyboard!

[Steve]

Maybe they were a computer nerd, just wondering if you'd pimped it out.

[Funkstar]

maybe that person had had an "interesting" experience with someone that had modified their laptop in some way that made then suspicious.

Also, remember when the Mac Book air was forst released? there was a guy that missed his flight due to a member of the security team thinking it was suspicious because it didn't have a hard drive in it.

[stevie lee]

been thinking about why they would ask that question

Have you modified your laptop?

maybe it was someone who has been on the internet and read about watercooling PC's and assumed you could watercool laptops aswell, so only asked because of the restriction on liquids on planes.


thats the only sensible reason I can think of.

[Clunk]

It's a dogging euphemism.

[jackvdbuk]

do they search it for pirate software and mp3's ? or dont they bother?

[Whiternoise]

In theory TSA (in the US) and whoever we have in the UK have the power to search and confiscate your laptop if they find pirated material. People have been caught out before trying to take (perfectly legitimate) pornography into the country via Eurostar if i recall.

Yeah they have the power too but unless you really, really annoy them it's not worth their while to scan your laptop. You only need to worry about this if you fly to America, they're the only people who are remotely likely to do it.

The most you'll get is take it out of your rucksack, through the scanner and pick it up at the other side. They WORST you might get is "could you power it on please".

[PeterStoba]

It's a dogging euphemism.

You can always be relied on! hhaha

[Stringent]

Perhaps they thought you were going to take over the aircraft in a bit of Microsoft Flight Sim franzy and crash.

Never been asked that ever. But, I've not taken a laptop on holiday either ...

[Mousemat]

They WORST you might get is "could you power it on please".

I've never understood that bit really.

"Can you switch it on for us to prove that this is a real laptop and not a bomb?"

Surely if it was, then the last thing they would want someone to do is switch it on.

[Funkstar]

Surely if it was, then the last thing they would want someone to do is switch it on.

The general thinking is that is that was the case the owner of said laptop-bomb wouldn't want to be in the vacinity when it went off.

If you were going to be a suicide bomber, it would just be easier to strap yourself up and detonate when you walked through the metal detector. saves the hastle of gutting a laptop.

[Fraz]

You obviously look like a crim.

Today when I went through security at an airport, I put my laptop in one of the plastic crates for the x-ray machine, and then a single lip-balm on top of it that I'd forgotton to put in my hold luggage. The woman at the x-ray desk had a go at me because I hadn't put my "liquids/gels/pastes" in a little transparent plastic bag for her, and then made me go back after putting my single lip balm in a bag.

Jesus, I hate small-minded people like this, who have some tiny power and just love to make use of it to boss others around. Honestly, what is the point of a transparent bag for a single item. Airport security makes me so angry, because they are all such a bunch of morons. Especially the people that come up with these retarded rules in the first place.