Monday, February 2, 2009
Does this make sense?
Every time we leave Hawaii to come home, we go through a process that mystifies me. When you get to the airport, your checked baggage has to go through an inspection by the USDA. This is done by running the bags through a big machine. The goal is to prevent you from taking anything to the mainland that might be harmful to agriculture. I totally agree with this goal. We don’t want any more exotic fruit flies or fungal diseases getting loose. The part that I just don’t get about the process is that only checked baggage is inspected, not carry-on bags. If you want to keep all those little bad guys from getting out of Hawaii (and yes, we really should), shouldn’t you inspect EVERY bag? I had plenty of room in my carry-on bag for a few pieces of disease-ridden plants and fruit fly-infested bananas. I’m pretty sure lots of forbidden stuff leaves the islands in “small personal items.” It just mystifies me.
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5 comments:
Do they not look at the security screener? I guess they do let you take fruits and stuff through, so they wouldn't care...lame...
See I would think they would search your carry on really close and not be as careful with the checked bag. But only because if they didn't pressurize the cargo on the flight it would kill bugs. But I guess that doesn't help fungus or if they pressurize the cargo. So I guess they should search everywhere really good.
I don't know what they are seeing when your luggage goes through. The point is that they don't look at any carry-on items. You can fit an entire case of fruit or several plants into a full sized carry-on.
The only fruits, vegetables or plants that can leave the island are ones that have been inspected and certified. You can't just pack some fruit from the store. If you buy pineapples to take home, you pay for them and then the seller takes your inspected and certified fruit to the airport and leaves it at a secured pick-up place where you collect it before you get on your plane. It is never exposed to any pest risks. It's the same when you buy a plant, flowers or seeds. They are inspected or fumigated and sealed in plastic and stamped with an official inspection certification. If you break the seal, you can't take the item to the mainland. (Unless you hide it in your carry-on bag.)
Baggage compartments are all pressurized these days. Plus, lots of insects have life stages that would survive the extreme cold or low pressure. But you are right, fungi can survive lots of extreme conditions.
I really think they should inspect everything. I don't know why they don't. Maybe I will have to research that.
Government operation = no sense, seems to be the way things work.
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