Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Tuner-Technicians Forum My Tuning Hammer Got Confiscated By Airport Security!!!

That sucked big time!

The security guy twisted the #2 head off, and kept the handle only, which he said could be used as
a weapon!

You live and learn.....don't bring your tools on a flight.....

Any similar stories?

.....You live and learn.....don't bring your tools on a flight.....

Especially not my $280 carbon Schaff one!

Ian

I have had no trouble, but I've only done it as checked baggage. It's most certainly against TSA rules to try and bring as carry-on.

Will you be able to get it back eventually?

Well, TSA confiscates guns and knives, too. None of this should be any surprise to people who are aware that there is a TSA and have read what they should and should not bring on board an airplane -- which includes clubs and articles that can be used as clubs.

Too bad this happened .... but please read the instructions for important/costly things that can affect you.

Probably not. On occasion, on the news, they show a collection of all the pocket-knives, fingernail clippers, and hand-guns they confiscate at airports. I don't think you ever get an item back that was confiscated, and they can press criminal charges against you under certain circumstances.

It'd probably be best to check it off as a small loss, buy another tuning hammer and move on. At least you got to keep your #2 tip.

Sorry this happened to you...

Rick

Happened to me at LAX, despite years of trouble free travel with hammer in hand luggage. I just went back and checked it in.

Kees

It happened to me some years ago, coming back from France. Air France let me take it in my carry-on bag, once I explained what it was. But on my conneting flight from London to Glasgow, British Airways said it had to be checked in as hold baggage. They obligingly produced a box however, and I was able to check it in. It wasn't confiscated.

I once had a TSA screener pull my tuning hammer from my carry-on ... wanting to know more about what that telescopic handle thing was all about.

But once he had a close look, he had no problem stuffing it back in for me to take on board the plane. Apparently there's little consistency in how they decide such things.

Perhaps I didn't look threatening enough to raise any concerns about the risk of my busting into the cockpit to touch up a few unisons after reaching our cruising altitude.

That's also my experience. Unfortunately the TSA officer at LAX did not seem to be familiar with the concept of piano tuning.
I've continued to travel with it in carry-on after that experience with no more problems, but I make sure I have enough time to go back and check it in if necessary.

Kees

Yes, the airport security guard said there was a way for me to keep it if I had the time, which I didn't, but based
upon what you have all written, I assume it would have been some basic questions asked, and the handle would
have been checked baggage.

The handle was cheap anyways, but still a bummer!

But this all makes me wonder: Do they allow you to have pocket knives, or box cutters, on checked baggage?

I know you can put a Swiss army knife in checked baggage - I've done it. So I think yes for the other things too.

Thanks for posting that TSA link.

So checked bags can not only have box cutters, but even firearms and rifles (depending on the airline).

But not dynamite!



Interesting!

The pertinent section says that tools over 7 inches in length must be checked.

There are some humorous comments on those lists!

And not lithium batteries, either.

The fact that a piano tuning tool case must go in checked baggage is not anything recent. I had to always put mine in checked baggage long before 911 or TSA. Way back to the early 80's when I first started taking airplane flights with my tools. Even back then, the tuning hammer was not allowed because it could be used as a club and there were other long and sharp tools that were potential weapons. It has always been a matter of policy and protocol that such items are not allowed in the cabin.

Musicdude,

Is there any way to get it back? Or is it history?

Pwg

I have a friend who works at TSA and I check all my tools with her before going on my flight. The only thing that stood out to her was the tuning hammer because its longer than regulation

So she told me to just take the tuning hammer apart and put the shaft (or the tube), place it with your normal belongings instead of with the tools. because if they dont know its a "tool", then it doesn't matter if its longer than "tools'" regulation.

And there I went, walking around the airport with a 9" carbon fiber tube