New (as of 2019) airport CT scanners

[ChrisGalway]

Here is my recent experience with airport scanners, $200 worth of Ilford paper thrown out. I was assured by someone who is an expert that the airport scanners will not affect the box of paper I was carrying. The TSA guy pulled the box and started to open the box- please no!- I said. I’ll run it though the scanner again he says- okay. Processed the first print- banding and fog, paper useless. Be careful out there.

Regular X-ray scanner or CT scanner? The former are claimed to be "safe" up to ISO800/1600 for a single pass, and surely paper is less sensitive than film.

 

[ntenny]

Here is my recent experience with airport scanners, $200 worth of Ilford paper thrown out. I was assured by someone who is an expert that the airport scanners will not affect the box of paper I was carrying. The TSA guy pulled the box and started to open the box- please no!- I said. I’ll run it though the scanner again he says- okay. Processed the first print- banding and fog, paper useless. Be careful out there.

X-ray or CT? I would have guessed X-ray would be even safer for paper than for film, but I don’t recall seeing any actual tests of paper through either kind. Sorry that happened.

-NT

 

[Garb]

Does anyone have information about whether they will honor hand check requests in Manila and Cebu airports?

I haven't been to the Philippines yet, but so far have been able to get hand checks in all east Asian countries I've been to with film (Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia).

 

[GregY]

Here is my recent experience with airport scanners, $200 worth of Ilford paper thrown out. I was assured by someone who is an expert that the airport scanners will not affect the box of paper I was carrying. The TSA guy pulled the box and started to open the box- please no!- I said. I’ll run it though the scanner again he says- okay. Processed the first print- banding and fog, paper useless. Be careful out there.

I've flown from Seattle to Calgary with fibre-based variable contrast paper (bought from Glazers).....passed through the x-ray machine (pre CT scanners)....also from Austin to Calgary w paper from Precision Camera. Both times the paper survived w no fogging or banding....

 

[wiltw]

Enlarging paper is extremely low in ISO equiavalence...said to be below ISO 10. Film with ISO 3200 has been tested by manufacturers of Security X-ray machines, with no exposure in spite of multiple pass tests thru X-ray.
Current CT scanners being installed since about 2023 (but still NOT in all airports at all Security inspection areas yet) has been known to fog film, so most places with CT scanners will usually comply with requests for hand inspection, but will not comply with such requests when only X-ray imagers are used.

 

[tykos]

My experience so far is that EVERY airport with CT scanners allows hand-inspection (swab) of film.

Does anyone know of any airport with CT scanners that does not allow hand-inspection?

in Frankfurt they passed my film in an old xray machine and then swabbed it.
but it was late in the evening (just before closing time), only one lane open, nearly all flights of the day delayed or canceled, very angry crowds, etc.
I hope in standard times they are better than that, but i don't know for sure.

 

[loccdor]

Frankfurt was very disorganized and chaotic when I was there.

 

[Chromium VI]

At Lisbon airport (LPPT) Humberto Delgado, they use a mixture of old (90s) and new (2020's) X-ray scanners, have passed through them with film and no fogging on 100 iso. If you give them the film in clear plastic bags, they will swab it and pass it aside, no complains and fast, they also did this at Paris Orly, and at Ponta Delgada (LPPD) airport (Azores)*.

*They still use very (very!) old machines there and they also don't fog on my experience, they will swab the film if you ask for.

 

[Alex Benjamin]

If you give them the film in clear plastic bags, they will swab it and pass it aside

This is also my recent experience: come prepared.

In a recent trip to Martinique, from Montreal, had fifteen 120 rolls and six 35mm rolls in two zip-lock bags with Kodak "Do not X-ray" stickers on them, and showed them to the person in charge even before I put my other stuff in the tray. Had no problems getting a hand check both in Montreal and in Fort-de-France (helped that I got to the latter very early).

Sticker makes it look like you're a pro going on an assignment. Say what you will about the company, but the Kodak colours are still well recognized and do impress people

 

[Chromium VI]

This is also my recent experience: come prepared.

In a recent trip to Martinique, from Montreal, had fifteen 120 rolls and six 35mm rolls in two zip-lock bags with Kodak "Do not X-ray" stickers on them, and showed them to the person in charge even before I put my other stuff in the tray. Had no problems getting a hand check both in Montreal and in Fort-de-France (helped that I got to the latter very early).

Sticker makes it look like you're a pro going on an assignment. Say what you will about the company, but the Kodak colours are still well recognized and do impress people

View attachment 418911

I also have those stickers to print. It there is something saying that it will damage your property, they don't want any problems... I once did an experimiment in Lisbon, once I took my rolls in the camera bag, and asked for hand check, they denied, saying they don't do that. Another time, I took them out of the boxes, and but them in a plastic bag, they where very polite, and even asked if the swabs would do any harm because they had to at least do the swabs. Since then, I always put them in ziplocks and never had any more problems.
Here in Portugal, some museums require also to X-ray (The National Bank museum, the presidential palace, etc...), I once had a very bulky Zenit 12xp loaded with me, and asked the military officer if the camera could pass on the side, I passed trough the metal detector, and he just gave the camera on the other side, considering that is a almost 2kg camera and can contain "dodgy" things inside he was very relaxed.

 

[Tel]

Ditto on the plastic bags. I hold them up and ask for a hand inspection and have never been denied. (Seattle, O'Hare, Newark, Dublin, Montreal and Heathrow.)

 

[Prest_400]

This is also my recent experience: come prepared.

In a recent trip to Martinique, from Montreal, had fifteen 120 rolls and six 35mm rolls in two zip-lock bags with Kodak "Do not X-ray" stickers on them, and showed them to the person in charge even before I put my other stuff in the tray. Had no problems getting a hand check both in Montreal and in Fort-de-France (helped that I got to the latter very early).

Sticker makes it look like you're a pro going on an assignment. Say what you will about the company, but the Kodak colours are still well recognized and do impress people

I had forgotten to take the stickers on my last trip, but no issues. However, Rome Fiumicino do have very loudly "no film safe" signage on the tray area. What I didn't expect was that I was directed to just a single line on one side that handles film; it was not had checked but scanned in a small traditional machine. Thankfully it was a very quiet day, it'd be annoying to have to switch lines across half of the security area although I was guided and passed by the agents so perhaps there would be no more difference.
Usually I just notify the agent and all goes smooth. In Europe some of the airports do have a 35mm canister icon crossed over it as no show not film safe.

As of the stickers, I actually just print out on ordinary paper and tape them to the bag. On my Asian trip a couple years ago, I was going through customs and given the rushed line I just chucked all the film into the scanner. It was a traditional scanner and the parallel CT line was off.
Rather amusing that the agents were intrigued by the mass shown in the screen by 70+ 120 rolls so I was manually screened anyways. One of the agents was concerned and took the sticker very seriously hoping they didn't damage anything.
Film was all good. And "oh real old school photography".

On the outbound trip I was granted a handcheck despite it being ordinary machines and the agent asked if I was a pro. I did reflect that it was a big trip and took my hobby quite seriously.

For unexposed 120 rolls I do not remove the wrapper, as it's factory sealed anyways. Never had an issue. As I tend to have leftover film and the places I have been are hot and humid, might be good to keep it with the wrapper. Sadly, somehow, one of my 35mm unexposed rolls was humidity damaged during my last Asian journey! Interestingly only that one and it was in the same ziplocks as other 35mm and 120 rolls.

 

[Agulliver]

I haven't tried the Kodak stickers but since the advent of CT scanners for cabin bags, I've packed my film in a clear zip bag (in the manner we have been packing liquids for the last 20 years). It probably helps that I have a few boxed Kodak colour films as I do believe that the yellow boxes and the Kodak logo are recognised. I wave the bag and ask if the scanner is safe for film, and have got a hand inspection.

If the scanners are obviously traditional x-ray scanners, then I don't bother.

 

[btaylor]

X-ray or CT? I would have guessed X-ray would be even safer for paper than for film, but I don’t recall seeing any actual tests of paper through either kind. Sorry that happened.

Did a little more research. I flew out of LAX. They use CT scanners. Did a little Googling and this popped up. I wish I knew this beforehand or perhaps a warning could be posted?

“New airport CT (computed tomography) scanners, often identified by not requiring electronics removal,
can instantly fog or damage any photographic film, regardless of ISO, due to higher radiation doses compared to traditional X-rays. Effects include increased grain, color shifts, and lost shadow detail.”

 

[VinceInMT]

Frankfurt was very disorganized and chaotic when I was there.

The last time I went through there was 3 years ago. To get from one terminal to the other I had to go down long hallways, down stairs, past boiler rooms, and to another entry point. They were not interested in hand checking my film but had me go through the whole body scanner. I told them I have an implant and when it showed up and set off some kind of alarm, everything came to a halt and I had 3 agents pulling me to the side and asking me what I was carrying “there.” My German is weak and the only thing I have is an ID bracelet but they weren’t interest in that. I ended up getting held in place by one of them while another inspected me in a way that I thought I should leave a tip. BTW, FWIW, the implant is an artificial urinary sphincter, a gift from prostate cancer.

 

[Alex Benjamin]

What we really need is a video by @Andrew O'Neill on how Benzotriazole can help one save a bunch of negatives that have passed through a CT scanner...

 

[loccdor]

The last time I went through there was 3 years ago. To get from one terminal to the other I had to go down long hallways, down stairs, past boiler rooms, and to another entry point. They were not interested in hand checking my film but had me go through the whole body scanner. I told them I have an implant and when it showed up and set off some kind of alarm, everything came to a halt and I had 3 agents pulling me to the side and asking me what I was carrying “there.” My German is weak and the only thing I have is an ID bracelet but they weren’t interest in that. I ended up getting held in place by one of them while another inspected me in a way that I thought I should leave a tip. BTW, FWIW, the implant is an artificial urinary sphincter, a gift from prostate cancer.

Oh gosh, your experience sounds worse than mine. I went in 2021 and was just connecting through Germany to Greece because the flight was cheaper that way. Aside from delays and everything being connected by a network of crowded buses that you could watch suitcases get randomly dropped on the tarmack through the windows, the German police stopped me because I was running down the hall because I thought I would miss my flight. 5 officers held me for 10 minutes, calling their supervisor because I only had the common US paper vaccine card rather than their electronic system. The rules of the EU and airport clearly stated that any Americans only connecting and not leaving the airport were fine with just the card, but they hadn't read it. Most of them spoke English, but the meanest one among them didn't and was on a power trip, kept directing me to pull my mask up whenever it slipped on the bridge of my nose. Eventually they let me go, at which point I found I wasn't late because my next flight also had an hour delay and hundreds of people queuing in a line.

 

[ChrisGalway]

Did a little more research. I flew out of LAX. They use CT scanners. Did a little Googling and this popped up. I wish I knew this beforehand or perhaps a warning could be posted?

“New airport CT (computed tomography) scanners, often identified by not requiring electronics removal,
can instantly fog or damage any photographic film, regardless of ISO, due to higher radiation doses compared to traditional X-rays. Effects include increased grain, color shifts, and lost shadow detail.”

"a little Googling" ? A dangerous pastime!

I think the operative word is "can". It's not a done deal, and probably if a low ISO film goes once through a CT scanner it will survive with little or no detectable degradation. See Lina Bessanova's video on this (includes CT scanners) . There might be other semi-quantitative studies but I'm not aware of them.

Regardless, I think all airport security lines with CT scanners will hand-inspect your film if you ask. I've not heard of an exception yet.

 

[Prest_400]

Does anyone have information about whether they will honor hand check requests in Manila and Cebu airports?

I haven't been to the Philippines yet, but so far have been able to get hand checks in all east Asian countries I've been to with film (Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia).

Some of my shared experiences are from Philippines. CEB Arrival customs has a CT scanner line, but it was off when I arrived and is what I write about in another post.
CEB had dual view traditional X rays and honored my handcheck request.
MNL I have not been through, have seen they have CT in some terminal (T2?), should be no issue.
I had a lead bag with me so it was interesting, used it for interisland travel as there are scans in Ports and such.

@Garb Feel free to DM if anything travel itinerary related (OT here). I was there in fall 2024.
Fun fact: Kodak means picture, or to take a picture, nowadays an old school term used by those 40+ in one of the languages.

 

[destroya]

when i flew home from Munich via Amsterdam, i had to change terminals. didnt know you had to go thru another check point when you change terminals. they were not thrilled with film. I brought a lot of 35mm and 120/220 film. They removed every roll from either the 35mm box or opened every MF roll from the foil and looked ans swabbed every one. It took over an hour and i missed my flight. kinda sucked, this was in late november. oddly (or maybe not) it seemed every person with a USA passport was getting secondary searches, which is why it took so long. had to wait 30 min for the 1 hour film search.

 

[wiltw]

when i flew home from Munich via Amsterdam, i had to change terminals. didnt know you had to go thru another check point when you change terminals. they were not thrilled with film. I brought a lot of 35mm and 120/220 film. They removed every roll from either the 35mm box or opened every MF roll from the foil and looked ans swabbed every one. It took over an hour and i missed my flight. kinda sucked, this was in late november. oddly (or maybe not) it seemed every person with a USA passport was getting secondary searches, which is why it took so long. had to wait 30 min for the 1 hour film search.

Coulda been there was a special Security alert in effect, specifically detailing some 'American' under suspicion. My wife and I were travelling on a trip (no memory of which one, or location) in recent years, and there was some alert that made everything extra cautious at the time.

 

[VinceInMT]

Oh gosh, your experience sounds worse than mine. I went in 2021 and was just connecting through Germany to Greece because the flight was cheaper that way. Aside from delays and everything being connected by a network of crowded buses that you could watch suitcases get randomly dropped on the tarmack through the windows, the German police stopped me because I was running down the hall because I thought I would miss my flight. 5 officers held me for 10 minutes, calling their supervisor because I only had the common US paper vaccine card rather than their electronic system. The rules of the EU and airport clearly stated that any Americans only connecting and not leaving the airport were fine with just the card, but they hadn't read it. Most of them spoke English, but the meanest one among them didn't and was on a power trip, kept directing me to pull my mask up whenever it slipped on the bridge of my nose. Eventually they let me go, at which point I found I wasn't late because my next flight also had an hour delay and hundreds of people queuing in a line.

Yes, it's going to be an adventure. They were still requiring vaccine cards when I was there 3 years ago. I got tested in Florence, took a train to Venice, and flew to Frankfurt. Other than the search I mentioned, everything else went well but when I landed in Denver there was a snowstorm and my flight to Montana was cancelled. I thought that was strange since Denver knows how to deal with snow and this was in early June. It turns out that a plane to Palm Springs broke down and they swapped my plane for it since ours had fewer passengers. I had to get a hotel on my own and my complaint didn't yield much except they gave me some miles. To make some lemonade out of those lemons, I called a childhood friend in Denver who I hadn't seen in almost 30 years and we got together for a nice visit.

Oh, and my film I'd shot in Italy made it through without much of an issue.

 

[loccdor]

Oh, and my film I'd shot in Italy made it through without much of an issue.

Great! Hah, I remember flying in the 90s, what a different world.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

This is also my recent experience: come prepared.

In a recent trip to Martinique, from Montreal, had fifteen 120 rolls and six 35mm rolls in two zip-lock bags with Kodak "Do not X-ray" stickers on them, and showed them to the person in charge even before I put my other stuff in the tray. Had no problems getting a hand check both in Montreal and in Fort-de-France (helped that I got to the latter very early).

Sticker makes it look like you're a pro going on an assignment. Say what you will about the company, but the Kodak colours are still well recognized and do impress people

View attachment 418911

That's very clever, removing 120 film from it's box and foil, and containers/caps for the 35mm...then clear bag them, otherwise, they open up everything, which takes a hell of a lot of time! Alan, where'd you get the stickers from?

 

[Agulliver]

In Helsinki last April I did have the security agent open my plastic bag and swab every film box. It took some time because I not only had my films but I was bringing back films for someone else. Nevertheless it took only ten minutes. Very efficient and all done with a smile.

Hopefully this remark won't be considered too political....but my American wife often travels with me and over the last 28 years we've been together there have definitely been occasions when we've detected hostility specifically towards her from airport staff when they see her US passport. Usually at times when the USA isn't viewed particularly well internationally. Eg, they insisted she had an extra passport check by a senior member of the immigration staff last week as soon as they spotted the US passport. On other occasions during politically charged periods she's been accused of replacing the passport photo with another and pulled aside for extra checks, or simply held for more questions. Bear in mind she's lived in the UK with ILR since 1999, travelled widely. Sadly, there may simply be some anti-US prejudice at airports. And whatever we think of the current situation, it's probably not the fault of Americans who have lived abroad half their lives or who travel frequently.