Question about flying with questionables.

[littlejedi.livejournal.com]

Allo, D*Con peeps! I have a question for y'all. I am going to be flying to D*Con this year, but thanks to my costume, I'll have some questionable objects with me. The items in question are a chainsaw made of foam board, and a plastic rifle (take a wild guess as to who I'm going to be, lol.)

Do I need to call ahead to my respective airlines and let them know that I'm bringing questionable props with me? and would I be allowed to carry the (obviously fake) chainsaw on the plane with me? While it's certainly sturdy enough to withstand the con (I hope!), I don't think it would survive being treated as luggage.

What say y'all?

Comments

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

You won't be able to bring the even fake chainsaw on with you. They have a very strict policy about even toys. I saw a kid have to give up his clear green plastic ray gun at security.

[hollycomb.livejournal.com]

I think you'll have to ship them to the hotel if you don't want to check them.

[house-kitten.livejournal.com]

A 2002 press release from the TSA (http://www.tsa.gov/press/releases/2002/press_release_0104.shtm) lists toy weapons among the prohibited items. You would definitely need to keep your props in your checked luggage or ship them to the convention.

[the-kitty-kat.livejournal.com]

Yep--I tried to fly with a big, obviously fake, foam butcher knife last Halloween and they made me throw it away. Even if they can tell that it's a fake. They said I might be able to use it to threaten someone or some baloney.

[littlejedi.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the info, y'all! I'll look into getting another suitcase and just pack my clothes around the chainsaw and pray it survives!

[macdude4.livejournal.com]

Wrap the chainsaw in bubble wrap and then surround with light weight clothes and you should not have any damage problems. Well that is any that do not destroy the suitcase ;)

[ubiquitous-a.livejournal.com]

Based on the comments above, it sounds like you might be better off packing it carefully and shipping it ahead of time via FedEx or UPS to your hotel. Lots better chance it gets there intact, with no TSA nonsense required.

[kikyo27.livejournal.com]

Yay!!!!! Ash! :)

[littlejedi.livejournal.com]

So, at the moment, my most economically-feasible option will be to bubble wrap the hell out of the chainsaw and then put it in my suitcase, along with my clotes. I'll be including a pic of it and note, too :)

[pktaxwench.livejournal.com]

Just ask the gate agents to tag it with a firearm tag. I fly with real guns and fake ones, and stopped having issues with fake guns when I started tagging them like the real ones.

[thatwordgrrl.livejournal.com]

A hard-shell case is your best bet, really.