Kilt wearer in Scotland, and airport security

[Katia]

Kilts are a concern? Seems to me they'd consider that a lot easier to find out what you're perhaps concealing! I suppose if I wore mine and they didn't like the buckles and couldn't figure it out with the wand*, I'd offer to take it off (or just outright do so...). (To be fair: I'm always wearing shorts under, but they don't know that!)

*And I don't trust they could... these are the people who think I could be concealing something under my hair, after all... no joke, every time they insist on lifting up my one or two braids and wanding or touching my back underneath, as if I might have my braid artfully arranged over a sword that the metal detector and body scanner missed... I know of other long-haired people who have been required to take their hair down if wearing it up.

[macmanjim]

Kilts are a concern? Seems to me they'd consider that a lot easier to find out what you're perhaps concealing! I suppose if I wore mine and they didn't like the buckles and couldn't figure it out with the wand*, I'd offer to take it off (or just outright do so...). (To be fair: I'm always wearing shorts under, but they don't know that!)

*And I don't trust they could... these are the people who think I could be concealing something under my hair, after all... no joke, every time they insist on lifting up my one or two braids and wanding or touching my back underneath, as if I might have my braid artfully arranged over a sword that the metal detector and body scanner missed... I know of other long-haired people who have been required to take their hair down if wearing it up.

It's security theater.

[RichardtheLarge]

My main concern flying kilted would be being directed through a millimeter wave scanner device. They are absolutely notorious for their false positive rate (>90% of all positive scans) and they can be set off by virtually anything. Buckles, zippers, seams, you name it. They are also notoriously bad with “baggy” clothing. I once wore loose fitting jeans through a millimeter wave device, and the entirety of the groin and seat was highlighted on the other side! Needless to say, it wasn’t a happy encounter with the TSA that day.

My concern, then, is that the millimeter wave device would highlight every individual pleat of the kilt (it’s looking for “bulky” spots in the material), the buckles, and the entirety of the void space on both the outside of the legs and between the legs. I also have an idea that the TSA wouldn’t be satisfied patting down the body on the outside of the kilt, but would rather be trying to pat down the body beneath the kilt, as they’ve infamously done to many ladies in dresses and skirts.

All in all, I think I’d pack my kilt in luggage before hazarding all of that nonsense. Through a metal detector, maybe, but the prospect of that scanner makes me groan.

[FossilHunter]

My main concern flying kilted would be being directed through a millimeter wave scanner device. They are absolutely notorious for their false positive rate (>90% of all positive scans) and they can be set off by virtually anything. Buckles, zippers, seams, you name it. They are also notoriously bad with “baggy” clothing. I once wore loose fitting jeans through a millimeter wave device, and the entirety of the groin and seat was highlighted on the other side! Needless to say, it wasn’t a happy encounter with the TSA that day.

My concern, then, is that the millimeter wave device would highlight every individual pleat of the kilt (it’s looking for “bulky” spots in the material), the buckles, and the entirety of the void space on both the outside of the legs and between the legs. I also have an idea that the TSA wouldn’t be satisfied patting down the body on the outside of the kilt, but would rather be trying to pat down the body beneath the kilt, as they’ve infamously done to many ladies in dresses and skirts.

All in all, I think I’d pack my kilt in luggage before hazarding all of that nonsense. Through a metal detector, maybe, but the prospect of that scanner makes me groan.

I don’t think I’d like to sit on my pleats for that length of time anyway. On the flight I mean.

[kingandrew]

While i think wearing a kilt might be more comfortable than pants for a long flight, the security hassle would outweigh that advantage. Aside from all the issues with metal detectors and other searches, mine is too loose at the moment to stay up without the belt. And I fear that trying to put my shoes back on under the often trying circumstances in security might create an unintentional "show" that I'd prefer not to perform.

I have successfully traveled internationally with my kilt bag as a carry-on. I have one of the Order of the Gael bags designed to hold your kilt, Prince Charlie jacket & vest, along with 3 sporrans, a couple of belts, and hose. The bag works great, but you'll be surprised how heavy it gets with all your gear in it.

Andrew

[CollinMacD]

I'm mildly perplexed here. Of course I'd leave the sghian at home and I'd not wear a kilt pin (it could go in checked luggage) but then the entire sporran is as easy to run through the x-ray as any lady's purse which leaves only the buckles to consider.

If the airlines can't handle buckles with a wand, patdown, or private search, they have bigger problems with their planning than with their "planing".

To me, it's not so much a disgrace as a stupidity.

I agree Father Bill. In today's world of travel, you would think by now people would be very aware of the checkpoint and boarding requirements, what to carry, what not to carry, what to put in a suite case to check-in and what to keep home. Working for US Customs, I see it all. How does one "forget" they are carrying a fully loaded pistol, or a sheath blade knife, as they go through a TSA Checkpoint, or worse yet, as they arrive into the United States with a Italian Salami in their suitcase, or carrying a potted flower from another country, or taking in fruit and the list goes on. I am just amazed with what I see everyday.

There is a current story that happened just this week of a lady trying to board an aircraft with her pet Peacock, that she considered to be her "emotional support pet". The thing was huge, my Custom Officer buddies in Newark saw the whole thing, TSA and the Airline was right. Again why do people think their weird rights should overrule the rights of the majority. How would you like to sit next to a large Peacock when the plane is taking off or landing. The worse part of the story she called ahead and was told NOT to take the bird, but she did, and was not allowed to board, now she is suing the airline. UNREAL what goes on.

[mkmound]

I'm coming back to XMarks after being away for a while, and found this thread.

Several years ago I used to travel quite a bit in a kilt. I did all the standard things mentioned: putting the belt, sporran, etc. through the scanner. I didn't know about going through the metal detector sideways - that's a good tip, thanks.

I did discover that the casual kilts with velcro closures instead of buckles work great for not having issues with the metal detectors, and those kilt models also usually have pleat edges stitched down. That's nice, as I've found it very difficult to get regular pleats properly smoothed down in the confines of a crowded airline seat area.

Once I discovered the velcro kilt option, which kilt I wore depended on how pressed for time I expected to have at the security line, and how devlish I felt . . . . . . after the first time or two with the buckles, I knew they were going to set off the metal detector and I'd get wanded or patted down. The screener operating the metal detector would call out "male assist", and whose ever turn it was to do the assist would look over . . . many times, he'd get this "deer in the headlights" look when he realized he was going to have to pat down a guy in a "skirt"! You could almost read his thoughts, "Why is it my turn? Why didn't I pay closer attention to this part in trainint?"

Mark

[tpa]

I'm coming back to XMarks after being away for a while, and found this thread. Mark

Welcome back, Mark.

[O'Callaghan]

I agree Father Bill. In today's world of travel, you would think by now people would be very aware of the checkpoint and boarding requirements, what to carry, what not to carry, what to put in a suite case to check-in and what to keep home. Working for US Customs, I see it all. How does one "forget" they are carrying a fully loaded pistol, or a sheath blade knife, as they go through a TSA Checkpoint, or worse yet, as they arrive into the United States with a Italian Salami in their suitcase, or carrying a potted flower from another country, or taking in fruit and the list goes on. I am just amazed with what I see everyday.

There is a current story that happened just this week of a lady trying to board an aircraft with her pet Peacock, that she considered to be her "emotional support pet". The thing was huge, my Custom Officer buddies in Newark saw the whole thing, TSA and the Airline was right. Again why do people think their weird rights should overrule the rights of the majority. How would you like to sit next to a large Peacock when the plane is taking off or landing. The worse part of the story she called ahead and was told NOT to take the bird, but she did, and was not allowed to board, now she is suing the airline. UNREAL what goes on.

A lot of the US food restrictions are downright unreasonable, and a lot of ex-pats are fed up with only having access to slightly altered versions of the foods they grew up with. So they try to smuggle these things in. Can you blame them? It's not like they are planning to sell it to other people in commercial quantities.

[The Q]

It's definately a non story, I've always had to empty pockets, take off metal buckled belts going through security. I've set the alarms off with shoes that had a metal reinforcing plate in the sole.
The worst alarm set off was a small piece of foil sweet (candy) packaging caught in a pocket that set the Alarms of at RAF Mount Pleasant in the Falklands...it took ages to find that piece of foil... The stupid thing was I had no reason to l take anything by hand onto the aircraft, I had just had loaded lots of boxes of metal cased equipment I could have hidden anything in...

It's actually quicker to take a belt and sporran off and chuck it on the box going through the xray machine, than it is emptying all the pockets...