Originally Posted by
Steve_sr
My understanding was that bike boxes were too large to fit through the cargo X-ray scanners and therefore had to be searched by hand. Perhaps this has changed and a few select airports now have large enough scanners... or these unopened boxes were small enough to fit through the existing scanners.
steve, I can only speak for the Montreal airport, where the oversize area where one brings your boxed bike after check-in, the scanners there are too small for bike boxes, and yes, they ask to cut open your tape job on top so they can visually inspect the bike.
Ive never had them remove the bike, but I have been asked to take out my tent and sleeping bag to be either visually inspected or put through the xray machine.
Seems to me at other airports, they havent opened the box, so probably they have a big xray area.
The last 7 or 8 years flying out of Montreal they've always opened it with me there, and lent me either tape or scissors to tape it back up after they were done, and then I put it on the wide conveyor belt to disappear into the "I hope it doesnt get damaged" zone.