[Leica] M8 battery airport adventure

[Jim at hemenway.com (Jim Hemenway)]

I'm not happy to be old enough to not work, but I AM happy to not have 
to travel all over for work... post 9/11.

jim

Brian Reid wrote:
> I'm traveling with an M8 kit that includes 4 Leica brand M8 batteries.
> A few minutes ago I was pulled aside from the airport security check in 
> the Frankfurt airport and taken downstairs in the B Wing of Terminal 1 
> to a little room where they do serious explosives checks.
> 
> It took them at least 20 minutes to convince themselves that (a) the 
> batteries were genuine Leica merchandise, and (b) it was not packed with 
> explosives. They had no interest in the camera or the lenses, but the 
> batteries worried them to death. They didn't know enough about M8s to 
> know there was another battery inside it, so they didn't check that one. 
> I think the security manager was not aware that Leica made digital 
> cameras and so the idea that a Leica would need 3 extra batteries was 
> very puzzling to him. They wouldn't let me touch it while they were 
> examining it, and my German isn't good enough for me to succeed in 
> explaining exotic details like "If you take off the baseplate you will 
> see that it is not a film camera".
> 
> Right now I'm in the United Red Carpet lounge, having given up trying to 
> get Deutsche Telekom to accept my US T-Mobile wireless account and been 
> forced to buy a 1-hour access pass to read my email.
> 
> I suspect that if I'd tried to take a picture of any of the worried 
> security people I'd be in jail right now.
> 
> Brian Reid