Travelers go through a security check at the Chongqing Airport on March 5, 2014. Photo: IC

 Editor's Note:

No Spring Festival travel rush is complete without a slow, long wait through airport security. But while we huff and complain, security guards will have their work cut out screening an estimated 3 billion passengers this holiday. Their real challenge, however, is finding the knives, lighters and pet lizards hidden by crafty travelers in head-scratching ways.

Bra-zen try

A 37-year-old woman went through security but was called back when guards noticed she looked nervous.

Busted - a recheck produced a 7 centimeter fruit knife stuffed in her bra, which she claimed was to "peel fruit on her flight."

Cold-blooded stowaway

A passenger surnamed Liu was so unwilling to part with his pet lizard for a recent trip to Beijing that he packed it away in his carry-on.

Pets hidden in luggage is quite common, said one airport security guard, who had recently caught a traveler trying to board a flight with 20 turtles. 

Hairy situation

A young woman tried to sneak a lighter through airport through metal detectors in style by tucking one away in her hairdo.

When alarms went off, the woman blamed it on the metal hairpin in her bun - proving once again that passengers may lie, but metal detectors don't.

Bustable combustible

A 50-year-old smoker was stopped when security found several matchsticks folded in a wad of cash.

The passenger claimed he used them to "pick his ears," but security wasn't hearing it when they found a striking surface tucked in his other pocket.

Sharp game

A passenger seeking to sharpen his ping pong game almost played security the fool when X-ray machines revealed a razor inside his paddle.

The traveler, surnamed Luo, said he had jokingly wedged a single razor blade in the paddle to "sharpen his skills."

"It was a long time ago and I had forgotten it was in there," said Luo.

Zhang Bin, an airport security guard, warned passengers caught with such items face up to 5,000 yuan ($760) in fines and detention, despite their intent, news site chinanews.com reported on Monday.




Newspaper headline: Tales from the metal detector