4 ms·

The baggage questions is so stupid, IF you wanted to do some evil with things packed, WHY would you say something that isn't the "right" answer to them?

bonaldi 12y ago
Because you might not be aware that you're being used. I can't find the reference right now, but that question started being asked after a man put an explosive in his wife's luggage (when she was flying without him, naturally)
- hga 12y ago
  fiancé: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindawi_affair https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindawi_affair
- jhildings 12y ago
  I see, thank you
ghshephard 12y ago
It's an excellent question if people pay attention - the question, (at least as asked in Singapore), is, "Did you pack your own luggage, are you aware of everything in it, has anyone given you anything to place in your luggage, and has your luggage been under your control/observation the entire time." Every time they ask me that question - I do a quick mental checklist, always mention that my luggage did leave my control when placed in the boot of the cab - which they always understand is an acceptable loss of control. There are a couple alternatives that one could take to further increase security - first, presume that 100% of people are threats, and do a full security scan, and hand check/rejection, of 100% of checked luggage. Likewise, enhance the carry-on security check, and further restrict what people can carry-on. In particular, shift the carry-on check to the gate (where it should be).
- fnordfnordfnord 12y ago
  >Every time they ask me that question - I do a quick mental checklist, always mention that my luggage did leave my control when placed in the boot of the cab - which they always understand is an acceptable loss of control. I'd bet that a fair number of the people who thoughtfully answer that question give an answer that is calculated to produce the least amount of hassle for themselves, even if they know that their luggage could have potentially been tampered with. Most people probably aren't aware enough of their surroundings to give an informed answer. I'd like to know out of the number of extra checks that have been initiated due to this question, how many have yielded anything useful.
  - ghshephard 12y ago
    It also has the peripheral advantage of ensuring that you never carry a package for someone else, and that you are leery about carrying luggage/bags packed by someone else.
    - keevie 12y ago
      Really? I would have no problem bringing a wrapped gift from a friend or colleague, the contents of which I do not know on a plane. And lying about packing my bags myself. In fact, I don't see why anyone would have a problem with that...it's a constant and (imo) fair assumption of mine that my friends are not trying to kill me.
      - grkvlt 12y ago
        Heh. I had a moment of sudden panic when a security agent at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv asked me if I had packed everything myself, and I remembered I had a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosh_Hashanah http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosh_Hashanah gift from a client in my case. So I said 'No.' Then, with images of airport holding cells and enhanced interrogation jumping to mind, I hastily explained what I meant. Interestingly, the agent was happy not to unwrap and open the present, and just inspected the rest of the contents...
      - 12y ago
DanBC 12y ago
Look at the vast numbers of people who fall victim to ridiculous 419 scams. People are easy to manipulate into carrying a parcel across international borders. Also, isn't it the start of gathering evidence? If you say it's your bag and you had control of it and then they find it full of contraband they can use your comments to tie the bag and contents to you?
pinaceae 12y ago
no it isn't. it exists to weed out the absolute moronic and deranged. not everyone is a supervillain with an iq of 300. plus, i guess it also exists for legal reasons. lying to the question can be used against you. there is a lot of smart people out there, working keeping things running and safe. if something looks ridiculous from the outside, it still might be ok - you just might be lacking context to understand it.
URSpider94 12y ago
It's not actually intended to catch YOU. It's actually in response to a case where a passenger was given luggage containing a bomb, unbeknownst to them. See https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindawi_affair https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindawi_affair
lawnchair_larry 12y ago
That isn't really the purpose of the question. It's so you can't say "that isn't mine, I have no idea how it got there" when they find contraband.
hobarrera 12y ago
The question is targeting naive people, who are carrying some baggage, because a friendly guy asked them to.

bonaldi 12y ago

Because you might not be aware that you're being used. I can't find the reference right now, but that question started being asked after a man put an explosive in his wife's luggage (when she was flying without him, naturally)

hga 12y ago
fiancé: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindawi_affair https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindawi_affair
jhildings 12y ago
I see, thank you

ghshephard 12y ago

It's an excellent question if people pay attention - the question, (at least as asked in Singapore), is, "Did you pack your own luggage, are you aware of everything in it, has anyone given you anything to place in your luggage, and has your luggage been under your control/observation the entire time." Every time they ask me that question - I do a quick mental checklist, always mention that my luggage did leave my control when placed in the boot of the cab - which they always understand is an acceptable loss of control. There are a couple alternatives that one could take to further increase security - first, presume that 100% of people are threats, and do a full security scan, and hand check/rejection, of 100% of checked luggage. Likewise, enhance the carry-on security check, and further restrict what people can carry-on. In particular, shift the carry-on check to the gate (where it should be).

fnordfnordfnord 12y ago
>Every time they ask me that question - I do a quick mental checklist, always mention that my luggage did leave my control when placed in the boot of the cab - which they always understand is an acceptable loss of control. I'd bet that a fair number of the people who thoughtfully answer that question give an answer that is calculated to produce the least amount of hassle for themselves, even if they know that their luggage could have potentially been tampered with. Most people probably aren't aware enough of their surroundings to give an informed answer. I'd like to know out of the number of extra checks that have been initiated due to this question, how many have yielded anything useful.
- ghshephard 12y ago
  It also has the peripheral advantage of ensuring that you never carry a package for someone else, and that you are leery about carrying luggage/bags packed by someone else.
  - keevie 12y ago
    Really? I would have no problem bringing a wrapped gift from a friend or colleague, the contents of which I do not know on a plane. And lying about packing my bags myself. In fact, I don't see why anyone would have a problem with that...it's a constant and (imo) fair assumption of mine that my friends are not trying to kill me.
    - grkvlt 12y ago
      Heh. I had a moment of sudden panic when a security agent at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv asked me if I had packed everything myself, and I remembered I had a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosh_Hashanah http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosh_Hashanah gift from a client in my case. So I said 'No.' Then, with images of airport holding cells and enhanced interrogation jumping to mind, I hastily explained what I meant. Interestingly, the agent was happy not to unwrap and open the present, and just inspected the rest of the contents...
    - 12y ago

DanBC 12y ago

Look at the vast numbers of people who fall victim to ridiculous 419 scams. People are easy to manipulate into carrying a parcel across international borders. Also, isn't it the start of gathering evidence? If you say it's your bag and you had control of it and then they find it full of contraband they can use your comments to tie the bag and contents to you?

pinaceae 12y ago

no it isn't. it exists to weed out the absolute moronic and deranged. not everyone is a supervillain with an iq of 300. plus, i guess it also exists for legal reasons. lying to the question can be used against you. there is a lot of smart people out there, working keeping things running and safe. if something looks ridiculous from the outside, it still might be ok - you just might be lacking context to understand it.

URSpider94 12y ago

It's not actually intended to catch YOU. It's actually in response to a case where a passenger was given luggage containing a bomb, unbeknownst to them. See https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindawi_affair https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindawi_affair

lawnchair_larry 12y ago

That isn't really the purpose of the question. It's so you can't say "that isn't mine, I have no idea how it got there" when they find contraband.

hobarrera 12y ago

The question is targeting naive people, who are carrying some baggage, because a friendly guy asked them to.