I actually took an 10 inch screwdriver on to a flight accidently. When I was unpacking at the hotel I was like "how the F did this get past the security check?"
Another time I was running late for my flight and forgot to empty my 16oz water bottle. After my bag went through the scanner I realized my mistake and told the TSA agent about it. He uncapped the bottle, swirrled the water around, sniffed it, and then handed me back 16 ounces of water and said not to worry about it.
So yeah, I have minimal expectation TSA will catch this.
Now UK airport security might handle it. I've been specifically asked if my laptop has been damaged, is swelling or has been recently repaired. I assume if you answer yes to any of those questions your device is banned from flying.
Amsterdam Airport (Schiphol) allows you to bring a full waterbottle (openend and unopenend) through security. Also you don't have to unpack your bag anymore. Just take it of your back and it will go right through the machine.
I am not sure what changed because I haven't seen this before. Even modern airports like Changi (Singapore) required me to empty my bottle. If anyone knows what changed, always interesting to read!
Source: flew from Schiphol 3 times in the last few months.
I was pleasantly surprised by AMS' comparatively lax security procedures. But I flew into Dubai and my connecting flight had an additional security checkpoint at the gate so I couldn't bring my full water bottle onto an 11 hour connection.
Strange. I had to unpack at Schiphol two weeks ago. And go through the scanner even though I wasn't headed to the US. All in all, one of the worst airport security experiences in Europe.
In Lisbon I didn't have to unpack.
I left a water bottle in my bag at SJC once. The TSA agent pulled me aside after I went through the scanner and pointed to it on the X-Ray to ask me what it was. I said something like "oh, oops, looks like I forgot my water bottle in there" and she asked me to take it out of the bag. She took a quick look at it and then just let me on the plane without making me dump it out or even opening the bottle.
I guess that means they at least looked at the X-Ray; it seems like a lot of the time they don't even bother to do that.
Meanwhile, up at SFO, I had a few sips in a fancy water bottle. They wouldn't let me drink or dump the water. They escorted me, past like three bathrooms/water fountains, back to the other where I drank it while back in line.
Yep, that happened to me in a DC airport. American service is horrible.
By contrast, when I was trying to board my plane in Tokyo to return to the US, I again forgot to empty my water bottle, and was already through the line. The woman just asked if she could dump it, and she did: they had special containers there for the express purpose of dumping people's disallowed liquids. Of course, American security can't be bothered to implement a common-sense measure like this.
Another time I was running late for my flight and forgot to empty my 16oz water bottle. After my bag went through the scanner I realized my mistake and told the TSA agent about it. He uncapped the bottle, swirrled the water around, sniffed it, and then handed me back 16 ounces of water and said not to worry about it.
So yeah, I have minimal expectation TSA will catch this.
Now UK airport security might handle it. I've been specifically asked if my laptop has been damaged, is swelling or has been recently repaired. I assume if you answer yes to any of those questions your device is banned from flying.