here´s an email i sent lately to the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA):

"As i´ve flown last week only i was surprised nobody bothered about my pepper spray i had in my hand bag -forgot to take it out, it´s like there almost all of the time, self defense reasons. i mean it shouldn´t be okay to get through those flight checks with sprays, imagine ..people could storm a plane and mace people to get through to the cockpit! so they´d not even need
weapons ..i just felt like contacting you about this so there will be stricter controls on air ports. also some people take it way too easy, one
controlman was like almost asleep instead of paying attention to the x-ray suitcase screen, at least that happened in Munich ...well, i hope i have been of some use."

and this is the reply i received today:

"Thank you for your message and for your interest in the European Aviation
Safety Agency.

Our Agency is competent for the certification of aircraft, their parts and appliances; the way they are designed, produced and maintained.
Its scope of competence does not cover airport controls, passengers checks or terrorism attacks. This competence remains in the hands of each national EU Member States and of the European Commission.

I copy in this e-mail Mr Waldner who works in the Directorate General 'Energy and Transport' of the European Commission, Unit "Security,
Protection of people, goods and installations".
Mr Waldner might add some complementary information on the subject that
could be of interest for you."

:o:o:o thats quite scary that you got through and airport with pepper spray. lucky for you tho, i guess, but still really bad.

excuses excuses.......

once i nearly maced myself since i mixed it up with my "nice-breath methol" spray when i reached for it in the dark ..haha. if i had to use it i´m sure i´d spray in the wrong direction and ..yeah, mace myself again. aah. but pepper spray ain´t tear gas - luckily.

havent been on a plane in ages.

oh, new reply this morn`:


"Thank you for your mail and the informal comments following your recent
trip. Your mail has been forwarded by EASA to the Directorate General Energy
and Transport of the European Commission, which is dealing with Aviation
security issues.

I would like to confirm that a European Regulation (Commission Regulation
68/2004 of 15 January 2004) explicitly forbids "Disabling or incapacitating
sprays - e.g. mace, pepper spray , tear gas" from being carried by
passengers into airport restricted areas and aircraft cabin. Based on this
regulation, passengers should normally not get on board with the item
described in your mail.
I pass on your mail to the German authorities in charge of civil aviation
security for their information.
Kind regards,

Olivier Waldner
European Commission
DG Energy and Transport
Aviation and Maritime Security Unit"

their e mail didn't help at all!! i've never flown. never had the chance, i'm kinda worried about it tho, cos I'm REALLY claustrophobic.