Yes, airport security procedures are an exercise in stupidity compounded by the natural human instinct to cover one's backside. But it doesn't help when travelers are air-headed, too.
Take the case of an Australian beer company exec who apparently didn't get the memo about bringing liquids onto airplanes -- did I mention he works for a beer company? -- and paid almost $800 for his ignorance in the form of having to smash two bottles of vintage wine.
Or at least he believed he had to smash them; we'll get to whether he had options in a moment.
From decanter.com ("the route to all good wine"):
A regional manager for Australian drinks giant Fosters says he was forced to destroy two bottles of Penfolds Grange at Melbourne airport due to security restrictions.
Neil Grant, who is a southern region general manager for Fosters, whose portfolio includes Penfolds, was travelling to the UK with bottles of 1980 and 1982 Grange when he was told the wines would have to be confiscated.
According to the article, Grant begged and pleaded his case without success, before, seeing no choice in the matter, he destroyed the bottles and boarded the plane.
Now this happened halfway around the world from where I sit, so second-guessing is easy, but couldn't the beer guy have simply handed the wine to someone -- anyone -- who was leaving the airport? I mean, "Please, kind sir, would you do me the favor of safeguarding this wine until I return from my journey?"
Wouldn't you consider such a request an honor and a duty, even from a total stranger?
What's the worst that could have happened? The not-so-good Samaritan welches on the deal and you don't get your precious grape juice back.
Of course, a little discretion and/or assistance on the part of airport security would have been nice here, too, but these days that's expecting pigs to fly.
The Leader in Network Knowledge
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He could have just mailed/have someone mail the bottles to himself.