Hacker News Reader

Comment by djtango | Hacker News Reader

I lost a nice swiss army knife in Singapore because I was carry-on only and forgot I keep one in my toiletries bag. Was really upset because it was a Christmas gift from my parents. Annoying they don't let you collect it on the way back, I totally get it but would have paid a fine to get it back

View on HN

It would be nice if there was an option to box it up and mail it back home or to a friend/family member for a fee. While a lot of people have throw away knives and wouldn’t care, many also have knives that are either expensive or have a lot of meaning.

Maybe they would encourage more people to risk it and hope they don’t get caught, but a vast majority of these people aren’t criminals. When I was a kid I would always take a Swiss Army knife with me on vacation. That was my favorite thing to back, and I could look like a hero when an opportunity came up where it was useful. No longer.

You can still do that if you check a bag instead of carrying it on, of course.

That is a significant amount of hassle over something so small.

It’s really not too bad - not having to fight for overhead space and thus being able to board last makes it worthwhile even if you don’t have items prohibited in carry-on bags.

I just bring a small backpack that fits under the seat, so no worries about overhead space. Also, no baggage claim, lost luggage, or navigating ground transportation and city streets with cumbersome bags.

Most of the time I will not pack liquids, and buy them locally, so I can avoid that TSA bother as well.

Changi does actually have self-service kiosks and postboxes in the transit areas for just this very purpose.

Had no idea - thanks for sharing! Shame that wasn't offered to me as an option at security!

You should have backed up and posted it to yourself or a friend. Being the best airport in the world, there are self-service kiosks (Speedpost@Changi) in the transit areas of Terminals 1, 2 and 3, and in the public area of T4 (as the only terminal with centralised security).

They detected one of the very small Victorinox pocket knifes in my hand luggage at HKG airport and kept it; but I was given the option of picking it up at the carrier's airport office upon return.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com