Hey folks:

The holiday season is upon us, which for many of us means more air travel. For many of us that also means more travel with toys. At this time of year a discussion regarding travel restrictions and how they impact the transport of play toys is particularly applicable.

Thus, I took this opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. In addition to being very familiar with the vanilla political process and a sought after instructor and speaker in the leather community, Master Z is the Director of Security for a major
airline and an expert on air travel and air travel restrictions. He is also a skilled and interesting writer who adds much to any forum in which he participates. For some time I have wanted to get him involved with the panel as I know he will have much of value to add.

I too this opportunity to prevail upon him to produce a piece for us dealing with air travel in regards to the lifestyle and also add him to the panel.

Enjoy.

Master Conrad

Since 9/11/2001, a travel experience has taken on a different flavor and it is useful for all us “Kinky Folks” to understand the ramifications of traveling with your accouterments, especially when it comes to air travel.

Prior to 9/11, the restrictions were governed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) who was more concerned with Safety than Security. In fact, the individual air carriers were probably more restrictive concerning what you could bring on-board the aircraft or checked in your luggage than the FAA. I can remember always carrying a personal knife with a substantial size blade (3 inches) with me whenever I flew. I can also remember carrying my single tail, floggers and real police handcuffs as carry-on items. Since the cost of some of these items was a rather high dollar amount, I felt more secure about keeping them with me rather than entrusting them to my checked luggage. Sure, they had to go through x-ray; however the focus at that time was more on explosive devices and illegal drugs or contraband than kinky toys.

There were a few times when a curious screener, who was not a government employee prior to 9/11, would do a random screening on my carry-on and pull out a nice four foot snake whip or a pair of cuffs or manacles from my carry-on bag. Outside of a curious look or an occasional question of “…what is this for...?” nothing much ever resulted from these carry-on articles. Luckily, I have never been personally paranoid about people knowing about my kink, and therefore a sly smile and a knowing wink of the eye was more than enough to cause a red-faced screener to put away my toys and send me on my way. As many of you are probably aware, the highjackers of 9/11 did not have to smuggle the box cutters on board their aircraft. They were permitted items in a carry-on.

In checked luggage, the restrictions again were more safety than security related. Firearms and other things like instruments with blades longer than three inches were always permitted in checked baggage as long as certain criteria were met. For instance, guns had to be unloaded, declared, and kept in a locked container, separate from properly packaged ammunition. Those regulations are still pretty much the same for checked luggage today. The airlines were and still are, much more concerned about passengers who pack dangerous goods in their checked luggage; like multiple cans of spray starch which, under certain conditions can be considered dangerous and highly flammable. I’ve always wondered why people would travel with multiple cans of spray starch. Must be a “stiffening fetish” I haven’t heard about!!

After 9/11, many of our personal freedoms changed and travel articles that had been allowed were seriously curtailed. The airport screeners who had been contracted by the airport and the air carriers were now government employees known as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), who were on a mission. Carry-on items were seriously restricted. These restrictions were considered by many as overkill when little old ladies were losing their fingernail clippers and nail files by the barrel full. If you wanted to file your nails when you got to your destination you either had to have a cardboard Emory file or pack your metal file in your checked luggage.

And as the government got more and more pressure to ensure the safety of travelers flying on commercial aircraft, our checked luggage began to get extra scrutiny. It was not uncommon for TSA agents to open and review the contents of checked luggage. So what many fetish enthusiasts had been hiding in checked luggage, now became the “…surprise, surprise…look what I found…” conversation by TSA agents and anyone else who might be watching them go through your undies, your toiletries and your toys.

Today, the carry-on rules are even more restrictive. Because of the recent terrorist plot that was foiled in London, liquids, gels and pastes for the most part are restricted from your carry-on items except for a small amount (3 ounces), all contained in a quart zip-sealed baggie that has to be declared and shown to the screener before you go through the passenger security checkpoint. You can now buy liquids, gels and pastes in larger quantities and carry them on-board the aircraft as long as you purchased them at a convenience store, inside the sterile area of the airport, and you don’t mind paying ridiculous prices.

So now virtually all your toys and fetish play things should be packed in your checked luggage. The TSA requires 100% of all luggage be screened, so there is a good chance somebody may be going through your checked bags. You are not supposed to lock your checked bags either. Should the TSA want to do a hand-search of your checked bag and it is locked, there is a good chance that you will get your luggage at your destination with broken locks and possibly damaged baggage. The TSA will not reimburse you for this kind of damage.

Considering the cost of some of our kinky equipment, sending it in unlocked luggage can seem like a risky venture. There are TSA approved locks that can be purchased at many stores that sell luggage and travel items. The TSA has master keys that permit them to open the locks to inspect your checked luggage and then re-lock them. They are a good investment if you travel with expensive or cherished toys. Just be sure to verify on the packaging that the locks are TSA approved.

And, if you get to your destination and something is missing out of your luggage, be prepared for both the airline and the TSA to do some avoiding of responsibility. The air carrier will blame the TSA and the TSA will blame the air carrier. You, as the passenger will be caught in the middle trying to get one or the other to accept responsibility for the missing item(s).

And do remember, all airlines have a financial limit on what amount they will reimburse and, they don’t necessarily cover all items in your luggage. Therefore, traveling with high dollar toys or any other items in your checked luggage could prove to be an expensive mistake. Be sure to check with your air carrier for what restrictions they may have. Please remember to check the safety aspect of what you pack. It will be better to plan on buying your isopropyl alcohol for that medical or fire play scene at a local pharmacy rather than risk packing highly flammable materials in your luggage and endangering yourself and everyone else on your plane.

What many people are doing today is using FedEx or UPS to ship directly to the hotel or event venue any high dollar items or things that they may not want a lot of people being privy to. It certainly saves on any hassles at the airport and provides a level of security that your toys, etc. will be there when you need them.

The bottom line is to be informed and fly safely. The TSA has a good website at www.tsa.gov which should answer most of your questions.

Remember, considering the volume of people who rely on air travel, there is probably nothing in your luggage that will shock anyone anymore….except maybe for that 12 inch dildo.