A few weeks ago, some friends went to Vegas for a long weekend. After going through security, they took their bins full of stuff to the benches to put their shoes on, etc. (Just like I always want people to do!) Since there are full body scanners in Vegas, they had to take everything out of their pockets, including their boarding passes. While my friend was putting on his watch, his wife picked up his bin to stack with the others. But because there were ads in the bottom of the bin, she didn’t notice his boarding pass was still in there—she said it just blended in. They were almost to the gate when they realized he didn’t have his boarding pass. He started running back to security when he heard his name called out over the intercom. Evidently, someone had turned it in. When he got to security to retrieve it, there were two other passes that people had left in the bins. Whoops!
Friends, please remember to give your bin one last look before putting it up and walking away. I’ve lost boarding passes before, and it usually hasn’t been a problem to get them reprinted at the gate. But what if it had been something more important or irreplaceable? A passport, a piece of jewelry, a cell phone? It just takes a second to double check and make sure that you haven’t left anything—especially when there are ads on the bottom of the bin that and it’s harder to see small things.
Readers, have you ever left something at security? Did you get it back?
they shouldn’t put ads in those bins….
I always put small things like watch, keys, cellphone, boarding pass etc. in the shoes which I place them in the bin. This way you cannot forget to take it.
That’s why I carry a backpack. Everything is placed in the front pockets during the TSA portion of my trips.
When traveling with two kids (5 and 3) at Christmas, I left my purse at security. I realized it when I went to put my ID away and I didn’t have anything to put it in. Of course, I didn’t notice until I had gotten to the gate. I left my two very good children at the gate and ran back for my bag which was still there, but security decided to put it through x-ray again just to make sure no one had slipped something in it while it was in their possession.
@Ozaer N. I totally agree! I get that they want to make money, but it sure does make things a little trickier for their main customers–the passengers!
There was no need to panic and run back to security; the gate agent would (should) have happily printed a dupe.
I always hold my boarding pass in my hand when I go through those body scanners. Security usually doesn’t have a problem if they can see it out in the open.
Make your life easier and see if your airline lets you use digital boarding passes. I know US air and Delta have QR codes that work on iPhones through security and onto the planes.
Just went thru PHL security, remembered to take everything (easy since their are no ads on the bins)
Now that scanners require you to empty your pockets I have started putting everything from my pockets into a laptop sized case, and LOCKED it… and sent it though the xray. Before I secured my gear in this manner I once had a guy pick up my walleton the exit of the xray conveyer belt and walk several steps before I grabbed it back.