This message was sent to me from a source I consider reliable. Tried to post this several days ago. Again:
"My wife, flew today (4-28-04) from Anchorage to
Nashville. Going through security she identified herself as a professional
photographer and politely requested a hand inspection of her medium format
camera and forty plus rolls of 120 format film. She stopped the inspection
when she saw the TSA employee ripping open her foil-sealed rolls of Fujifilm
prior to wanding them for trace chemical sniffing. She was told that this
was now standard operating procedure as per a new bulky TSA manual that was
just delivered yesterday to Anchorage International Airport. The inspector
stated that all film that was not 35mm in see-through plastic containers had
to be opened. She explained that the manufacturer's foil packaging
protecting the individual rolls keeps the film clean, light tight and dry
over a long trip. By working through TSA supervisors and having a full hour
and a half prior to her flight leaving, she was able to convince them to let
her through without opening each roll of film.
For those of us with travel and assignments that require us to shoot medium
and large format film, this sounds like a real problem flying with your
film. I shoot mostly 4x5 and TSA inspectors opening sealed boxes of 4x5
inch sheet film will ruin the film through fogging. Up until now, the
inspectors have been content with wand sniffing the outside my light tight
film boxes and sheet film holders, but it sounds like this policy has
changed."
X-ray damage is cumulative. Good luck and smooth talking.
Robert
"My wife, flew today (4-28-04) from Anchorage to
Nashville. Going through security she identified herself as a professional
photographer and politely requested a hand inspection of her medium format
camera and forty plus rolls of 120 format film. She stopped the inspection
when she saw the TSA employee ripping open her foil-sealed rolls of Fujifilm
prior to wanding them for trace chemical sniffing. She was told that this
was now standard operating procedure as per a new bulky TSA manual that was
just delivered yesterday to Anchorage International Airport. The inspector
stated that all film that was not 35mm in see-through plastic containers had
to be opened. She explained that the manufacturer's foil packaging
protecting the individual rolls keeps the film clean, light tight and dry
over a long trip. By working through TSA supervisors and having a full hour
and a half prior to her flight leaving, she was able to convince them to let
her through without opening each roll of film.
For those of us with travel and assignments that require us to shoot medium
and large format film, this sounds like a real problem flying with your
film. I shoot mostly 4x5 and TSA inspectors opening sealed boxes of 4x5
inch sheet film will ruin the film through fogging. Up until now, the
inspectors have been content with wand sniffing the outside my light tight
film boxes and sheet film holders, but it sounds like this policy has
changed."
X-ray damage is cumulative. Good luck and smooth talking.
Robert
)