Travel

What Can Happen at an Airport

Forestwood

I was about to bite into one of the most heavenly foods on the planet, a fluffy Danish, ‘Snegle’ pastry, (a cinnamon bun, shaped like a snail’s shell that is sold in Denmark), when I heard my name called out over the public address system in the airport terminal. Surely that can’t be me? They repeated the name. Yep, I think they want me. Come urgently, the voice said.

Photo by Nadezhda on Pexels.com

Dreadful thoughts swirled about my head. Loved ones or friends mortally injured in a car accident, gasping their last breath, last-minute flight changes, dire medical warnings or some legal transgression I was about to be arrested for? Had someone planted drugs in my luggage?

Then I saw her, an armed security guard standing alert and bolt upright in the middle of the terminal floor, eyebrows deeply furrowed speaking quickly into a walkie talkie and cautioning passengers milling around her to keep their distance and “stay back!” At her feet, lay my humble and slightly daggy navy blue backpack. Uh oh.

I’d been filling in time awaiting a flight departing from Kastrup airport, in Copenhagen, Denmark aimlessly wandering the duty-free stores, when unbeknownst to me my backpack, (my carry on luggage), had fallen off my baggage trolley in the middle of the terminal floor causing a mild security scare, as it was considered a bomb threat. The bag must have laid there for around 10 minutes or so before security spotted it and went into a code alert!

Thankfully, the security guard allowed me to collect the backpack without further interrogation, scolding me for a false alarm and advised me I was very lucky indeed, as any longer and security would have removed it – she didn’t elaborate what this meant. It may have been confiscated/detonated/disposed of, along with the contents within. I didn’t want to think about it.

It was a lesson for me to be way more careful pushing around those carts.

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Later today I will be posting a blog and photographic challenge that centres around an airport theme. The challenge is very flexible and you may write, post a photo or participate in any way you’d like.

Published by Forestwood

A philosophic Aussie writes here at StPA, one who will readily admit to loving Scandinavia. I'm interested in global politics and what drives us to be who we are. Scratch the surface and you'll find a practical Environmentalist with an egalitarian bent, trying to unleash a little creativity via the written word. Scandinavian culture, literature and traditions are close to my heart, even though I'm Australian. Travel and courteous discussions greatly broaden the mind, so I travel if I can and am always up for a vigorous, respectful discussion. I'm an avid reader, a writer and I enjoy photography and crafts, particularly traditional art forms. I hope you'll find 'Something to Ponder About,' in my WordPress Community.

59 thoughts on “What Can Happen at an Airport”

  3. Ooops! How embarrassing. We saw an abandoned bag blown up by a robotic thingy at the Eiffel Tower. It was a bit annoying because we’d been in the queue for half an hour and were almost at the ticket office when everyone had to clear away, and then the queue just formed again. We gave up and went back early the next morning.

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Oh no. I am glad the robots were slow to deploy in my incident at Kastrup airport, Carol! I can imagine the incident you encountered at the Eiffel tower did disrupt your day. But I am glad that you made it up the tower the next day. I wonder if it was just a lost bag, with a similar reason to my anecdote. I would have been too embarrassed to claim my bag if security had reached that level of alert!

      Liked by 3 people

    1. There is that benefit to this lost luggage incident at least, Donna. It could also make a great opener for a novel, if I was so inclined to write it. Then there was the time I left my bag with boarding passes for my whole family in the toilet. Again at Kastrup, on a separate trip! But that’s another story.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. A close call, Peggy and the only time my surname which can have many pronunciations, would have been read out correctly. That was lucky they could pronounce it, as any other pronunciation and I most likely would not have heard it over the PA. That is because I don’t listen 100% attentively to the PA system in the shopping mall area of terminals, but my ears pricked up when I heard it this time.

      Liked by 3 people

  8. Ha Ha! Thanks for the heads-up on your Theme. I remember a few remarkable sights in airports, I just don’t have any photos of them! I have to search deep …

    Liked by 3 people

  9. Pingback: Friendly Friday Blog Challenge – Airport Experiences – Something to Ponder About

  10. Wow, that IS quite an adventure! A scary one. Being the centre of attention in an airport is not fun at all! 🙂
    Even the slightest thing causes an alarm these days.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. I know Tanja. I was extremely lucky that they didn’t arrest me and ask questions later! I would have missed my flight home. But then, to be stranded in Denmark a little longer would not have been all bad. More cinnamon pastries perhaps? Lol.

      Liked by 1 person

  13. It’s how you described the food for me🤤
    Those guards ruined the moment there. They were helpful though

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    1. The food although so special, was secondary to safety and security, Ogaraderrick. The guards were only doing their job weren’t they? I was lucky to be let off with the bag without further investigation.

      Liked by 1 person

  15. It’s good to know they’re doing their job well, but no doubt embarrassing for you at the time. I hope that delicious looking treat was still waiting for you afterwards.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. I went back for another pastry treat Chris. Buying a few for my daughter and I to eat on the plane. The guards were very understanding and I feel blessed that I was even allowed just take the bag and walk away with it.

      Liked by 1 person

  19. I would have taken it as a sign to not eat the pastry. Maybe someone had poisoned these delicious concoction and this was the universe fun little way of telling me “PUT THAT DOWN, NO PASTRIES FOR YOU SIR!”

    Liked by 3 people

  21. Pingback: What Can Happen at an Airport – Site Title

  23. 1. Glad it all ended well (that they allowed you to go with your life without additional investigating).
    2. Did you have a name tag on it? Too many people forget to label their carry-on/personal items because they don’t think they will ever part with them. But it happens, and we should remember to have a tag on every item.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. My luggage is always labelled. That might be why they didn’t have to pull out my undies and change of clothes to find out who owned the bag. And why my name was called out over the airport PA system 😉

      Liked by 2 people

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