Security screening in Mumbai: what a difference a day makes!

I had big adventure trying to get home from India recently, after a flight delay pushed my departure back about 9 hours – from a Friday night to a Saturday morning. In the broad scheme of my travels, a one-day delay is no big deal. But this one had a unique twist – and lots of interesting firearms.

I got to the Mumbai International Airport at 5:30 a.m. Saturday morning, shot a few photos of the fantastic architecture, then made my way to the entrance where an armed soldier was checking papers. He wanted to see my boarding pass in order to allow access to the main terminal building. I didn’t have a boarding pass so I showed him my flight itinerary.

What I didn’t realize, standing there in the doorway, hair billowing in the wind, is that my itinerary shows me flying out yesterday. The date is now wrong and the army chap isn’t letting me in the airport for a flight that departed yesterday.

He asks for an email or some verification that the flight has been delayed. I had an email from United yesterday, but had since deleted it. I had some text messages as well, but had also deleted those. As I’m thinking about other ways to prove my validity, I notice his sidearm and absent-mindedly wonder what brand of weapon do Indian soldiers carry? I can’t quite identify it through the holster.

In case you’re wondering about my firearms curiosity, I train with firearms pretty regularly and shoot competitions several times a year. I chat up security people in different airports about their training when I can do so safely. Now is clearly not the right time for that and, while my mind is wandering, a line is forming up behind me at the terminal building entrance.

So I open the United app on my phone, which showed my flight from yesterday with the old and the new departure times, but strangely it did not show a date for these flights. At the top of the page was a one line message, in red letters, that said UA49 delayed by 9 hrs, 10 mins.

The young soldier took my phone, scrolled up and down the itinerary page of the app looking for a date, and found none. In the end, he agreed my flight had been delayed. As he let me pass, he gave me a big smile and I looked at him – quite frankly I was amazed at the level of scrutiny and his technology awareness – so I smiled back and told him, quite genuinely, “Good job! Well done.”

Making my way to the United desk, I pass two female soldiers sporting sub-machine guns, quite a fashionable accessory, I thought. This level of visible security is impressive, but I’m curious how much firearms practice and training they get. A moment later I’m standing at the United desk, where a very polite but serious staffer runs me through a serious and detailed security interview. It was reassuring to see the level of scrutiny, and annoying at the same time. Finally, I’m on to immigration.

Just before immigration, though, is another checkpoint staffed by the military. Here again luggage is screened and documents are inspected. I’m confident approaching the checkpoint because I’m carrying a boarding pass for my flight, as well as boarding passes for my connecting flights in the US.

I put my luggage and suit coat on the x-ray belt, hand my passport and boarding pass to one of the soldiers, and as I pass through the metal detector this lad points out that my boarding pass is for a flight yesterday – not today.

What? I look closely at the pass and see that, indeed, United is using the original boarding passes with yesterday’s date. I have to credit these army chaps for their attention to detail – it is more diligent than mine this morning.

As one of the soldiers passes a wand over my outstretched arms, I find myself again absent-mindedly wondering what brand of firearms these guys are carrying and how often they practice with them. I’m dying to chat them up about it. But I fear something might get lost in translation in that conversation – and these guys are not in an understanding mood. I envision myself being violently subdued, handcuffed, and hauled off to some dark interrogation room to explain my interest in firearms – and why my boarding pass has yesterday’s date on it.

Back in the present, I tell the soldiers the same story about my flight delay, show them the app. The line man shows my boarding pass to a supervisor who shakes his head no. But I quietly hold my ground and he finally relents. They let me pass.

Immigration lets me through without further incident.

I pop a couple of ibuprofen for a growing headache, then try to relax as I make my way to the gate, ready to board and get on with it. At the gate, the United agent swipes my boarding pass and I enter the jetway only to find another security checkpoint – baggage screening and a metal detector. It’s noisy, it’s chaotic, and my head is throbbing to no end. Here again electronics come out, arms go up and security wands go dancing around bodies.

As I’m trying to gather up my luggage, electronics and suit jacket from the luggage belt, a security man lifts my laptop from the belt and and asks if it is mine. Uh, yes it is. He takes it away for a good swiping and explosives residue test. Just for fun, I’m tempted to ask if he wants to see my boarding pass, but why go looking for trouble? Instead, I think I’ll just start chatting him up about firearms and see what happens.

After another minute or two, my laptop is returned and I move on. I can see the door to the aircraft. I’m tempted to do an OJ Simpson-style running leap in to the plane. Yeah, that wouldn’t end well. I board the flight and 27 hours and two connections later I arrive home, having learned nothing at all about the firearms Indian soldiers are carrying.