Going through Airport Security

[tommypit]

Originally Posted by 2th DR

When I read the Thread title, I thought this thread was going to be about whether or not to take your Rolex off when going through security. Might be a good idea to change this subject...
Well, does anyone leave theirs on, Like I do? I refuse to take mine off. They can "wand" me, pat me down, whatever they like, but I'm not letting my Rollie out of my sight.

I was thinking the same thing when I read the thread. Going to Fla next month and Im just not taking my watch off

[East Bay Rider]

Originally Posted by AIKO

The watch was probably 70% of his annual salary (if it was real).

I'm always amazed at comments like this.
I don't know you. You might be wealthy. Just remember that most working folk that can't afford a Rolex work just as hard as you do, they just earn less. That's why they don't have the opportunity to have multiple Rolex's, High end imported cars and snobby attitudes. Maybe if the workers were paid a decent wage they would be less frustrated and therefore happier at their jobs making the whole experience a bit less difficult for all involved.
If the guy makes a poor wage then your attitude isn't helping.

[Gentleman8]

Originally Posted by MrCowboy99

Sure it was real?

If it was not a real Rolex that guy could be in trouble (and should be). Among other things it is actually their job to check for counterfeit goods entering the country.

I have made over a hundred international trips in the past 20+ years. Only once was I stopped for a detailed inspection and it was.. yes, at Vancouver Airport!

I was standing next to the conveyor belt waiting for my suitcases. This customs agent walked to a Chinese gentleman next to me who was also waiting for his luggage. She started asking the guy questions but all he replied was that he didn't speak English. She became quite irritated and gave up on him and turned towards me and said "You're coming with me after you've retrieved your luggage". She was more than rude, she was downright nasty. And unprofessional as well: she had asked the other guy about where he came from, what he bought, etc. But when it was my turn, she asked me nothing. The only reason she picked me was that I happened to be the closest to the other guy.

To make a long story short: I misssed my connection to Montreal and had to stay overnight and pay a rebooking fee, at my expense of course. And the customs agent actually sliced off the bottom of my carry on bag!

No more Vancouver Airport for me.

[GrandDaddy]

Originally Posted by bodybump

i have a question though...i mean i know you can wear your Rolex where ever you want..but there places or certain jobs that you cannot just flaunt that you have an expensive watch...like if this TSA is wearing a SS daytona Black dial..then what will the people thinks of him?? i know some people owns and have saved or probably inherited an expensive watch but if you work as a middle class job you just cant...especially now a days...what would your boss thinks of you?

Nowhere in the OP's post indicated that the TSA person was "flaunting his watch". Can you qualify/elaborate on your statement about the middle class job. I am curious because I have a "middle class job" and I own a few Rolex watches. I must be doing something wrong or you were thinking about some other country where only the very rich can afford Rolex watches. Or do you just look down on people with middle class jobs? Better yet, what is your definition of a middle class job?

[GrandDaddy]

Originally Posted by bodybump

I agree with scott.... i work in a food industry and there are a lot of people wearing Rolex in our restaurant and im telling you they call their waiters by a flick of a finger...

What is the majority of your clientele?

[miked10270]

Originally Posted by RsqVet

If you get flak from security consider that it might be that you are getting what you put out returned to you. I travel a ton and offten with odd stuff.. sometimes on 1 day notice... never a problem...

x2.

Airport security, Customs & Immigration DO watch for body language and attitude, particularly at the start of the interaction. If you act pissed or snotty, then they have a phenomenal capacity to be pissed and snotty right back at ya!

Pleasant, polite, co-operative and empathetic is the way to get your parachute rig passed as carry-on baggage.

Mike.

[SubKing]

Rolex or not, I think most airport security could act with more class then to treat people like bigs on a farm... Keeping us safe or not... whats poor taste is poor taste.

I have had my share of rude security who have crossed the line more than once....

Which is actually pushing me to make more money so I can start taking a private jett!!!!! ;)
Going to play my numbers tomorrow and let you all know how the jet works out..

PS: I have always done what they directed me to do and never been rude, I just dont think most of them like what they do...

[Launch Mini]

They are doing their jobs.
I had an incident at LAX, I think I posted that story here ( Under my LA Ink trip).
The could be retired from his first job & taking this on "for something to do"
Never judge a person by their job.I'm always amazed how some of my clients decide to spend their money. Not always my "cuppa" but they are happy with how they allocate some of their earning.

A friend of ours gets the "special" treatment, every time we travel. He just laughs about it now.

[Gentleman8]

Originally Posted by SubKing

Rolex or not, I think most airport security could act with more class
PS: I have always done what they directed me to do and never been rude, I just dont think most of them like what they do...

Right on, my friend, right on. Read this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Cu...der_Protection

U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Employee morale
In July 2006, the Office of Personnel Management conducted a survey of federal employees in all 36 federal agencies on job satisfaction and how they felt their respective agency was headed. DHS (which includes CBP) was last or near to last in every category including:
- 36th on the job satisfaction index
- 35th on the leadership and knowledge management index
- 36th on the results-oriented performance culture index
- 33rd on the talent management index

They are frustrated and some of them will take it on you.

[Gentleman8]

Originally Posted by Launch Mini

They are doing their jobs.

I think we will agree to disagree. This is not about carrying on their duty; this is about attitude towards the public. I often use Schiphol and always admire how thorough and efficient they are yet prefectly polite and professional. In the 40-50 countries I have traveled to I have only encountered rude immigration/customs agents in Canada and the US. Never elsewhere.

[kokovovoru]

Originally Posted by East Bay Rider

I'm always amazed at comments like this.
I don't know you. You might be wealthy. Just remember that most working folk that can't afford a Rolex work just as hard as you do, they just earn less. That's why they don't have the opportunity to have multiple Rolex's, High end imported cars and snobby attitudes. Maybe if the workers were paid a decent wage they would be less frustrated and therefore happier at their jobs making the whole experience a bit less difficult for all involved.
If the guy makes a poor wage then your attitude isn't helping.

Exactly!!!!! People who work hard derserve a Rolex or whatever one desires if one's priority allows.

[Yume-sama]

Originally Posted by Gentleman8

If it was not a real Rolex that guy could be in trouble (and should be). Among other things it is actually their job to check for counterfeit goods entering the country.

I have made over a hundred international trips in the past 20+ years. Only once was I stopped for a detailed inspection and it was.. yes, at Vancouver Airport!

I was standing next to the conveyor belt waiting for my suitcases. This customs agent walked to a Chinese gentleman next to me who was also waiting for his luggage. She started asking the guy questions but all he replied was that he didn't speak English. She became quite irritated and gave up on him and turned towards me and said "You're coming with me after you've retrieved your luggage". She was more than rude, she was downright nasty. And unprofessional as well: she had asked the other guy about where he came from, what he bought, etc. But when it was my turn, she asked me nothing. The only reason she picked me was that I happened to be the closest to the other guy.

To make a long story short: I misssed my connection to Montreal and had to stay overnight and pay a rebooking fee, at my expense of course. And the customs agent actually sliced off the bottom of my carry on bag!

No more Vancouver Airport for me.

Some of them are rather... crusty.

Was she blond by any chance? I've had my experiences in Vancouver, too. The worst is when you get stopped when a flight from China comes in, which in Vancouver happens several times a day. They seem to stop every single Chinese person that steps off the plane and the lineups to be "screened" are atrociously long.

[Klokke]

Originally Posted by SLS

That comment was in poor tatse IMHO and until recently, Daytonas were relatively cheap when purchased from an AD.
~Scott

AD prices have been going up, not down. ADs are not discounting Daytonas.

[miked10270]

Originally Posted by Gentleman8

I think we will agree to disagree... I often use Schiphol and always admire how thorough and efficient they are yet prefectly polite and professional....

Schipol is the one I ALWAYS get searched at (or indeed guns pointed at me)! I blame the layout which is like a long-legged spider, meaning that you may be able too see your connecting flight 30yds away, but you're going to travel a country mile to get to it... And queue at a transit desk because your seat booking have been lost by the twit who does connections in a haze of Amsterdam-Cafe-Smoke. Net result is that you arrive at your departure gate to be asked; "Why are you sweating?"... And then it begins.

Mike.

[SLS]

Originally Posted by Klokke

AD prices have been going up, not down. ADs are not discounting Daytonas.

True, but 3 years ago a Daytona could be purchased from an AD in the mid 6K range. Now, they can be had from a GMD for less than MSRP.
~Scott

[vh_bu98]

Let me clarify some information. This person was "not" US customs or TSA. When you exit the duty free shop at YVR (Vancouver International), you move to US customs where you show them your passport and answer the questions. At this particular time, the US custom agent didn't ask me a single question. Maybe I got lucky?

After you pass customs and hand off the declaration card, you drop off your check-in luggage onto the conveyor belt to be placed on the plane. After this point, you go through "Canadian" airport security.

The security person was Asian and probably in his 30's. He was very professional and he definitely was not showing off the SS Daytona. I noticed the dial first and then I tried to get a better look and that's when I noticed the clasp with the Rolex crown on it. It could have been real or it could have been fake. I wasn't able to look closer and I wasn't about to ask. I just thought it was cool that he was wearing one.

As for going through security with my Rolex, I always take it off before hand and put it in my coat pocket and let the coat go through the x-ray machine.

[Yume-sama]

Originally Posted by vh_bu98

Let me clarify some information. This person was "not" US customs or TSA. When you exit the duty free shop at YVR (Vancouver International), you move to US customs where you show them your passport and answer the questions. At this particular time, the US custom agent didn't ask me a single question. Maybe I got lucky?

After you pass customs and hand off the declaration card, you drop off your check-in luggage onto the conveyor belt to be placed on the plane. After this point, you go through "Canadian" airport security.

The security person was Asian and probably in his 30's. He was very professional and he definitely was not showing off the SS Daytona. I noticed the dial first and then I tried to get a better look and that's when I noticed the clasp with the Rolex crown on it. It could have been real or it could have been fake. I wasn't able to look closer and I wasn't about to ask. I just thought it was cool that he was wearing one.

As for going through security with my Rolex, I always take it off before hand and put it in my coat pocket and let the coat go through the x-ray machine.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1216/p06s01-wogn.html

Just saying, not implying anything It's been big news in Canada.

[Gentleman8]

Originally Posted by miked10270

Schipol is the one I ALWAYS "Why are you sweating?"... And then it begins.
Mike.

Well, yes, but at least they politely point the gun at you. That makes a big difference!

Queues are longer at AMS since they introduced their new "body scanner". While you would just walk through metal detectors (they never ring for me) you now have to get in the correct position for the scan, then the scan proceeds, then they always (in my case anyways) ask me what is the thing in my left pocket (it's called a wallet), I show it to them, they open it, ok no bomb inside, etc. Multiply that by a few thousand and you start getting huge queues.

[GrandDaddy]

Here’s an incident that I witnessed at Seattle-Tacoma (SEATAC) International Airport.

I was about two persons behind this certain passenger going through security. The x-ray operator told one of the TSA employees to do a visual inspection of the passenger’s carry-on luggage that just went through the conveyor.

The passenger started arguing with the employee so he was asked to please stand back as he went through the luggage. The employee found a cylindrical case which he opened and the passenger barked: It’s a telephoto lens, stupid! Again, he was asked to please stand back!

Fast forward, I don't want to bore you with the passenger's arrogance - he was a total ANUS. ----- They were done inspecting his luggage. I was really surprised he did not end up spread-eagled with guns pointed at him.

He had to catch the “train” to the North terminal (which by the way stopped running because of a security alert (unattended luggage).

We got to the North terminal and Mr. Nice Guy’s flight just left the gate (broke my heart, ha!).