Bringing Lots of Liquids on a Plane at Schiphol | Hacker News Reader

Bringing Lots of Liquids on a Plane at Schiphol

schneier.com

27 pointswglb8 comments

At least domestically, airports have been incredibly inconsistent/lenient about the "3-1-1" (liquid/gels) rule for quite some time. Today I flew from JFK - SFO, and I didn't bother to unpack my carry-on toiletry kit, which had a number of liquids and gels (albeit all under 3.4oz). On the outside of my backpack, however, I had my 12oz bottle of contact lens solution, which they seemingly no longer bother to check. A year ago they would ask me to take it out so they could check it (some kind of vapor on paper test) but they haven't done so the last few times I've been through security.

On a similar note, people concerned with explosives on airplanes should consider the fact that the majority of cargo (non-passenger underbelly packages, which are on nearly every flight nowadays) are never screened, in any way. Wouldn't be hard to get a detonator (cell phone?) through security or to detonate remotely.

Maybe I'm missing something here. The only duty-free shops I've ever seen while traveling internationally are on the secure side of the airport terminal. You need to show you're checked in and boarding a flight leaving the country. The bottle isn't handed to you until you're walking onto the flight (and sometimes not until you're on the plane)

So how did the replacement material get on the secure side of the airport before being swapped into the bottle?

It sounds like that it's just this airport that has this policy. That isn't very secure.

I agree that it's not very secure, although as Schneier says in his post, the liquid ban is useless.

...except for forcing people to buy drinks.

(Which OTOH brings me to the question whether you'd slip through if you'd bring a (non-liquid) frozen block of water ice.)

One of the commenters makes a better point:

"Also, why bother replacing the contents of the bottle? A bottle of duty free booze is a rag and a lighter away from being a Molotov cocktail."

It would be scary, but wouldn't really do anything to the plane.

I'm pretty sure everything in a plane is fire resistant. Plus the low air pressure would make the fire burn poorly.

Alcohol mixed with water doesn't burn well enough to do much.

Maybe if they sell 95% alcohol (Ever Clear). But even so, while it might hurt someone, it would not cause mass casualties. And if you wanted to hurt someone you don't need to go on a plane first.

Airlines limit the alcohol content allowed in the cabin. Even before all the liquid silliness, you were not allowed to take "strong rum" from the Caribbean in cabin. All your best fuels will not be allowed.

(The rum distilleries output something like 160 proof. This is diluted with water and aged to the rum most people know, which is legal for export. Locals however, can bring containers to the distillery and have them filled directly from the still.)

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