Flying Kilted

[Graham]

Back from a few days away with a little more experience getting through airports.

On the way there I wore a vecro-fastened kilt, no belt, and I removed the sporran before walking through the scanner, no problems.

On the return trip I wore a USAK trad. PV with metal buckles.
I took off the Xmarks pin, belt and sporran.

I asked the officer at the scanner if my buckles would be a problem and said I really didn't want to take the kilt off

I went through with no problems and was told that if I got through this scanner I would get through any in the world since it was among the most sensitive.

So, it is now confirmed, buckles are no problem.

[Manu]

Thanks for the info Graham, now I know there is no problems traveling kilted!!!

[Robert Lamb]

I tried flying but my arms got so tired after the first hundred miles I landed at the nearest airport a purchaded a ticket
Sorry about that I just couldnot resist.
Seriously I have flown kilted to Ohio a couple of times. I was wearing a Utilikilt and had beeps in Portland with the snaps, but not a beep in Ohio. So I guess it depends on the equipment or how you hold your mouth.
Robert "the kilted" Lamb

[kilt by death]

I've never EVER had any problems with the kilt re flying.

Occasionally, I am asked to hand in my kilt pin, though for safekeeping through flight. Is madness, I tell you, madness..........

[Graham]

On my recent trip I gave a new definition to "kilted flying" when we forgot to allow for changes in time zones waiting for a connecting flight. When the PA system announced that my wife and I should make our way immediately to the gate where our plane was boarding we had to run from one end of the airport to the other.

The kilt was certainly flying then, it must have been a strange sight!

[Brodi]

Oh, man, this reminds me of coming back from Germany in March, we had a stop in Paris' Charles De Gaulle airport. Well, I had Velcro fastening, had taken off the belt, sporran, and kilt pin, and the steel toe boots (hehe), and the scanner still went off. There were about three or four guys with the hand scanners at the end of the aisle I went through, and they were all just kind of standing around looking at each other, trying to figure out who would wand me. Now , by this point I'd had about two hours of sleep in the past two very active days, so I just couldn't help but laugh. Finally the guy who was monitoring the detector told me to go back through the big one, and this time I didn't make it unhappy, but the expressions on the guy's faces were just priceless.

[Hamish]

Just last week, several British airports (Gatwick included) lifted some of the restrictions on what can be worn or taken on board departing flights. For example, nail scissors and nail files are now permitted in hand luggage. I imagine that kilt pins may be left in our kilts again, but I hae me doots aboot the Sgian Dubh - mine was confiscated at Aberdeen airport a few years before 9/11, since when I have always worn a faux one whether flying or not.

[Geoduck]

This made me think of leaving London via Heathrow. I was feeling under the weather and was ready to get on the plane and pass out. My wife and I were singled out for a search at the boarding gate. They had us take off our shoes and wanded us for the third time (baggage check, the entrance to the terminal and finally the gate). The women patted my wife down, but the clearly middle eastern (definately not Indian) men who were searching the male passengers did not look too comfortable dealing with my Utilikilt. They did a cursory examination pat down, but lord knows what I could have been carrying under the kilt.

They also just peaked inside my backpack. I had no fewer then 4 books, a few books on cassette and a rain jacket in there. Honestly, I feel like I could have been carrying any number of things. This whole process didn't exactly make me feel safe.

I guess I must have had just the right blend of surly, don't mess with me right now, and short blonde hair and blue eyes, not really a threat going. To be fair, my wife and I are always worried about our literature purchases getting us thrown on a watch list, but we don't look like we're going to take down an airplane.