NEVER ON BOARD!

We’re warning you: what you’re about to read is not the same old article about prohibited and restricted baggage items. When buying an airline ticket or checking in, you’re informed about which items are considered dangerous and nowadays pretty much everyone knows the rules. What we want to tell you about here are some of the incredible stories reported by flight attendants and airport security personnel. Stories about passengers who tried to bring the most unreasonable stuff with them, stories about lost property so weird that it’s hard to understand how they got it on board… TARTA-BURGER. Surfing the web, you will find the story of a man who, heading for Beijing from Guangzhou international airport, was found attempting to smuggle his pet turtle on board inside a KFC cheeseburger. The X-ray machine detected unusual “protrusions” poking out of a sandwich inside his bag and the airport staff asked to take a closer look, so discovering the small turtle covered with lettuce and BBQ sauce. FURNITURE. According to the English newspaper Independent, some audacious passengers have tried to board items far too bulky to be considered as special luggage: a bathtub from London to Johannesburg, a fridge at Las Vegas’ airport, a headboard at Delhi… NAIL-BITING.  Ophidiophobia, the abnormal fear of snakes. One of the most common phobias along with that of spiders, bugs and mice. Anyway, somebody seems not to suffer from it. We’re talking about the intrepid passenger caught with seven snakes in his pants at Miami, heading to Brazil. TWO-HUNDRED-AND-FORTY. Not a tiny gold fish in a plastic bag, not a piece of coral stolen from a protected reef. A passenger flying from Los Angeles attempted to smuggle 240 fish packed into 4 water-filled suitcases… 240! Unbelievable? We thought so too. As we all know, however, sometimes real stories are even more incredible than fantasy... Our advice? If you happen to spot something bizarre at the airport, inform the staff immediately!