On the way back from the Justice Unlimited Game (to be blogged about later), I was stopped at the Oakland airport security checkpoint because of the Maglite 3-D cell metal flashlight in my carry-on. It hadn't caused any problem on my flight out, but suddenly it was considered a potential bludgeoning weapon. Since it was a pretty new and nice flashlight, I decided to just check the bag instead.
Back in Seattle, I opened the bag to discover a Notice of Baggage Inspection-- indicating the bag had been opened after I checked it-- but the flashlight was missing. Had the flashlight been within arm's reach at that point, I would have used it to bludgeon someone.
I filed a report with the airline and have sent a claim form to TSA, but I'm expecting that it's just a loss. And frankly, I'm furious. Livid. Because if they had just let me carry the damn thing on, everything would have been fine.
The terrorists win again.
Posted by Peter at August 2, 2004 3:13 PM