Over the Thanksgiving holiday the biggest story around the United States was the ‘harsh” security of the TSA that travelers had to undergo to get on a plane.
Well I’m here to tell you until if your flying this upcoming holiday week don’t complain about airport security until you have flown out of Colombia.
Last weeks ICANN meeting in Colombia ended with horror tales of attendees flying back home and the security checks they were subjected to.
While people in the US complain about a pat downs, and/or having to go through a “Full body screening” which involves standing in a machine and hold their arms up in the air for 5 seconds, those coming out of Colombia will tell you just shut the hell up.
Personally we went through the old fashion metal detectors 3 separate times, and had our carry-on’s search 3 separate times.
Now when I speak of having our carry on’s search I’m talking about every item in each of our bags removed
Everything inside the case inspected.
Every electronic devise had to be turned on.
Every vitamin bottle was opened and emptied
Every prescription bottle was opened and emptied
One capsule from each bottle, whether it was a vitamin or prescription was opened and the contents smelled and tasted by the security officer
Even every one of bandit’s treats were opened crushed and smelled and tasted.
Then the security officer poked holes on the inside of each of the carry on’s bags looking for a false or secret compartment.
Having found none, they still picked at the lining until they pealed back the lining of a bag that was clearly not made to be pealed back and then smelled and tasted any piece of dust they could find.
(Hey its not such a good job to have, nor does it seem a particularly healthy practice for the workers)
Each inspection session took about 15 minutes and we had to do this 3 times.
Yet we got off easy.
While going through the final security line, the one right before boarding the plane, the poor guy getting inspected on the table to the right of me was having his laptop disassembled. I looked over to the table on my right and saw 4 security officers unscrewing the back of his laptop, I didn’t stick around for the results but I sure wouldn’t want a security guy taking apart my computer and hoping that they could get it put back together.
One attendee was required to take an X-Ray.
A real X-Ray like you get at the doctors office and then had to wait for the film to be developed.
In all a 2 hour ordeal that almost no one seemed to be spared from and yes there were pat downs as well.
So if you think US TSA airport security is over the top just ask anyone of the attendees of ICANN Colombia about their experience.
Personally I would go through 10 TSA screening before going through a Colombian airport screening again
If you are a young single male——–try boarding one of the Israel’s planes.
You will never forget the room they will put you in.
Remember to kiss the Uncle Sam’s soil when you are back in the good ole USA.
poor guy and his laptop. Time to create recyclable laptops.
Colombia, who would have thought lol
It isn’t Orlando or Buffalo and comparing the two isn’t the best example imo.
We went across europe on my honeymoon, most airport checks targeted the ” drug ” countries, it was clear to see and rightfully so.
Every human orifice inspected, too? 😐
Awesome post. A good example for American whiners to remember. It’s easier to be thankful than to be sorry!
Honestly, I went through customs twice. In Cartagena it was a routine metal detector security check. In Bogata, same thing except they opened up my laptop bag before boarding the plane, looked inside and that was it. Didn’t see anyone else going through what you describe either.
well, tbh it is only up until the last few years that the US have woken up to airport security
on internal flights people could literally carry unloaded weapons
don king just got picked up carrying bullets onto a plane
well, he actually got let off and told to carry on his journey
which is laughable, he should have been fined at the minimum and sent home
court hearing later. essentially its taking explosives onto a plane
so really comparing the US to colombia is like the sublime to the ridiculous
colombia clearly dont want people to ever travel there. of course they have huge drug problems, but why not invest in more sniffer dogs?
would save all the bullshit the guards are doing. part of it is a power trip no doubt. same reason people become bouncers , and security guards etc
Right but the US is not Colombia and hopefully will never be like Colombia.
They need to profile. Seriously, if Irish guys with red hair were the problem, you know without a doubt that’s who they’d be going after, instead of searching everyone. We shouldn’t have to be subject to either measure. Screw PC dogma. Just use the profiling method the Israelis use. Or at least use trained dogs. But then that wouldn’t be PC.
Michael,
They tend to hand pick some flights and do a lot more checking. This doesn´t happen regularly but once in a while you may get caught in this.
Sorry it was your flight.
Awesome post. A good example for American whiners to remember. It’s easier to be thankful than to be sorry!
——-
LOL. Love the logic you got working there….
“BE THANKFUL WE’RE NOT COLOMBIA! NOW BEND OVER!”
I agree with MAJ — it’s time to profile. This is why Israel has very little problem with internal terrorists. It’s just common sense.
I used to travel with my father in the 80’s in Colombia, Peru, etc.. it was the same then and it is now. I remember them taking my father’s film and pulling all the negatives out off all the rolls and when they found nothing they just handed him back a pile of useless, destroyed photos. Cameras were taken apart. Suitcases ripped open. On and on, they were ruthless.
They have a good reason though b/c they can’t let the drug lords get stronger than the government. It’s in the national interest.
In Brazil I know a guy from Portugal that tried to take a disassembled hand gun in a VCR back to Portugal. Got caught. Spent a year in prison and almost committed suicide b/c of folks “doing unimaginable things to him” (in his words), but then became friends with some gang members who liked him and they started protecting him. He then got out, but is on a five year probation period whereby he is not allowed to leave Brazil. He is penniless, suffering, and can’t help his wife and kids back in Portugal. His kids now don’t have money to go to college since their dad is not working, his wife is suffering with the bills, everyone in his family is pissed at him.
I’ve got another bad story of a guy I know that left a small bud of marijuana in his camera case by accident and spent time in a jail in Peru. That’s another horrible story and too long for this post.
The moral of these storys is : Don’t fuc* around when you are in foreign countries, or you could get burnt. It can even happen in the U.S. Know what you are doing.
You are wrong LS Morgan. This country is supposed to be the bastion of freedom.
Just b/c it is bad in Colombia, does not mean that Americans should keep their mouths shut over the TSA.
Opening your “whining” mouth is the most patriotic thing an American can do, and don’t you ever forget it.
You should go through one in Sierra Leone, their TSA equivalent stand swinging a machete in their hands 🙂
In all seriousness, Colombia was a failed state for so long, so they have some reason to do this.
But at some point, this crosses a line.
“I agree with MAJ — it’s time to profile. This is why Israel has very little problem with internal terrorists. It’s just common sense.”
Hmmm….tens of thousands of flights a day, tens of millions of people. Yeah, doable.
I am sure there are no attempts of drugs being traffiked between Colombia and South Florida….
Drug traffic between Colombia and Miami I think they have submarines for that
Yes, even with thousands of flights a day and millions of travelers it’s certainly doable. A lot faster, easier, safer and cheaper than standing in lines to go through radiation scanners or being felt up by high school flunkies. The thing is, the obvious people who should be watched at the airports are NOT and it’s 72 year old war vets from Iowa who’s last name is of Swedish origin are the ones being singled out.
It’s obvious some posters would have apologized for the heavy handed tactics of the Nazi and Commie era had they lived in that time.
These searches are some 1984 bullsh*t! They just want to find and harass travellers with drugs – fine them for revenue, seize profits/assets, and otherways legally violate our civil rights to privacy.
“Drug traffic between Colombia and Miami I think they have submarines for that”
MHB, they are small time drug dealers too. The Escobars and Ochoas use subs but small time dealers use drug swallowing mules and other ingenious ways. For every Bill Gates they are 100000 as many self-employed entrepreneurs 😉
I am not sure what was more memorable — the Cartagena Airport Security or one of my taxi ride’s back to my hotel from one of the ICANN evening gathering spots. Imagine coming across a police check point at 230 in the morning, having your cab randomly pulled over, being asked to get out of the cab, then told to turn around and put your hands on the roof of the cab and then imagine being patted down by a cop while he was looking for drugs and or weapons. Probable cause? Forget about it. Speaking the local language helped but you still can’t say no 🙂 Good times indeed!
Lol @Michael… I got a random police patdown on the way back to the hotel from Tu Candela one night. Funny thing was that on the first block, a guy tried to mug me. I actually didn’t have one red cent on me, so I made it clear “No tengo dinero” and showed him my empty pockets. He still didn’t believe me, blocked the sidewalk, and then bumped into me as I decided to walk past him.
Then we had a problem. I turned and told him not to touch me, and that’s when I noticed he had a weapon… he was holding a Shick safety razor blade between his thumb and his forefinger, such that if he came at me with it, the only thing he was likely to do was cut his own hand.
Now, this guy was all of about 5 foot 2 and easily weighed under 120 pounds. So, he’s threatening me with this silly razor blade and noticing I’m not bothered in the least as I lean over his head and shout “No tengo f–g dinero, amigo.” He takes a couple of steps backing away from me and tells me “you get it tomorrow”.
Yeah, right pal.
So, he walks off in a hurry, I go another block and two cops on a motorcyle ask me if I have any drugs on me. I assume the position and one of them pats me down while I’m trying to tell them, “Hey, you know, there’s a punk with a razor blade back on the last block.” In their search, they missed a pocket (cargo pants are awesome), so I say, “you missed one” and I pull out a dinner mint from the restaurant earlier in the night. I held it out and say, “So, you want a mint?” and the cop takes it and thanks me for it.
Weird place. And, yes, the airport search of my luggage was thorough enough for the security guy and one of the meeting attendees next to me at the search table to learn that, yes, MJ and I are quite happily married. Nuff said.
Hi, That’s rich, @ MHB and @ John Berryhill! Happy to learn what the rest of us were missing!
I recently went through the same excruciating process in the Cartagena airport. I was questioned by various law enforcement agents, passed through three scanners but what broke the camels back so to speak for me was when they asked me to pull my pants down so I could be searched. It was humiliating even if it was a woman who patted me down. I was so enraged by what felt like an invasion of privacy. In tears I asked the officer why they did this and why me. He couldn’t look me in the eye and just said I had caused suspicion because I was a single female in my early thirties traveling by myself. I wonder how many poor women have had to go through this. I’ve traveled quite extensively both accompanied and by myself and have never experienced anything this degrading. Body scanner, for security’s sake…. Fine but an overall cavity search, I don’t think so.