In years gone by, walking through customs at Japanese airports was comedic to say the least. Any young foreigner with a ruck sack, or even a beaten up suitcase, would invariably be asked "do you have any drugs?". Believe me, the temptation to say, "yes, you'll find some in the side pocket there", or something equally inane, was strong. Temptation was resisted. Every time. Now, if you are flying to or from the U.S. (or anywhere in these paranoid times) you should not mess around with the 'b-word' under any circumstances. Airport security staff do not take a light view of people joking about having bombs in their baggage. Stupid, stupid girl.
Posted by Joe at January 21, 2004 09:54 PMHeh - what do you bet she doesn't apply for a Visa extension to stay in the US now? :-)
Incredibly, I heard that the guy that wrote the "bomb aboard" note and left it on a plane going to Shannon was caught and released without charge. Although I only heard it via a grapevine, so it could be a myth...
Posted by: Lisa at January 21, 2004 11:36 PMThis has always been the case, not just since the September 11 attacks.
Years ago a drunken Japanese was arrested after stuffing an airsick bag full of tissues and telling a stewardess it was a bomb. 'It's a bomb. Do you understand? B-O-M-B,' he is reported to have said.
Typically, the Japanese government claimed that the stewardess misunderstood the man.
Posted by: DJ at January 22, 2004 06:09 AMI think the good old 'black and white' days of hassle-free travel went with the first hijack and the introduction of metal detectors at airports. These days, 'speak only when spoken to' is probably the best advice for those travellers who are prone to open mouth before engaging brain.
Posted by: Joe at January 22, 2004 09:08 AM