http://www.bedfordtoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=541&ArticleID=819326

Quote -

Two-year-old twins had their dream Disneyland holiday ruined – when French airport customs officers swooped on them for carrying plastic swords.

The Luton girls, dressed in Peter Pan outfits, were making their way home through Charles de Gaulle airport when they were stopped for 'posing a security threat'.


If someone wants to move this to news, go ahead.

-- Karl

:confused: This story just totally puzzled me. I read it in my paper this morning, alongside another story about how a journalist smuggled a real knife on a plane. How come a real knife can get on a plane, but two kids having Disney fun can't take their knives on one. :confused:
I know there's an obvious need for security, but surely a plastic knife poses less of a threat than a real one, especially in the hands of a child.

I had a similar thing happen to me when I was a child. I wanted to carry my Colonial-replica pistol onto the plane. This is way pre-9/11 mind you. They made my parents put it away in the bags. Now I'm sure they would confiscate it.

Unfortunately, these are the times we live in. I would hope that airport security would treat such an incident with care, but more than likely they don't have the time or patience to think of a child's feelings.

Speaking from an aircrew point of view a simulated weapon is a weapon even when it is only plastic. A threat situation can exist with only an appearance of hostility. In the close quarters of an airplane cabin those innocent plastic swords can easily be mistaken as real. But then again a piece of 8 1/2 x 11 paper can be rolled up to make a hard hand spear......... in todays world it's better to be safe than sorry. Wack-o's don't care about using their kids to carry in their weapons for them thinking they would be overlooked........ You should try flying in and out of Israel..

I can agree that the security people were a little over zealous. But on the flipside, since they were not yet on the "secure" side of things, at least from what I can tell, they could have offered to put them on the plane in their checked baggage. I have seen many a sign in the US about no weapons, real or playthings, are allowed on the plane. Outrageous? Well... as parents we need to sweat the details when traveling these days and realise that what may be a toy may not be allowed as a carryon.

But man... don't make the kids cry for goodness sakes!