Recently I made my yearly sojourn back to the United States, to visit the family and work, and flew out of the Santiago International Airport (STI). While packing, since I was flying with only carry-on luggage, I dutifully checked the latest list of items that are prohibited to carry-on the plane. Everything checked out. Nothing that I wanted to carry was on the list, so I printed out my handy dandy boarding pass and was ready to go.
Security Block
I got to the airport early the next morning, walked down to the baggage x-ray machine, and stuck my bags on the conveyor belt, where the nice gentlemen started them on their journey through the machine with a smile. We passed the time it took for them to examine my bags with some small talk and then I was on my way.
Walking past the long line of passengers waiting to check-in bags and get their boarding passes, I continued toward the gate, giving myself a mental pat on the back for having the forethought to carry-on my luggage and print my own get-out-of-the-line-free pass. At the gate I handed the boarding pass to Rafael the security guard, he took it, and looked at it like it was some sort of foreign object he had never contemplated before. Which, I guess he hadn’t since he directed me to go and get a real one from the American Airlines (AA) desk.
I looked at the expanded line and quickly decided I’d rather not. Just as I started trying to think of what other options there were to consider, an AA attendant passed nearby, and I flagged her down. I explained my situation and smiled smugly (I’m sorry to admit) as she attended me back to the security guard and reprimanded him for not reading the memo that was sent out last month about printed boarding passes. He let me through, and I continued without incident through immigration and on to security.
Everything was fine at security until they opened up my bags and took away my curling iron, flat iron, and my deceased grandmother’s crochet hooks of tremendous sentimental value. I stood my ground, and insisted that they weren’t on the list. They said they had another list and showed it to me. The items were on theirs. Apparently, from what they explained to me, each country’s airport security has a different list than the airlines, and there are discrepancies between them. After some more discussion the head of security came and told me that he would let me have them if I could get a member of AA personnel to accompany me. I did, and they let me take it all on the plane.
Lessons Learned
I’ve looked online to see if I could find the list that security had, but can’t, and there isn’t any chatter about it on any of the Dominican Republic forums. So, all I can say is if you’re packing your carry-on and come across anything that looks like it could be dangerous, even if only in an alternate reality, you had better check it on because they won’t allow you to leave the airport once you’ve gone through customs, and you can’t take it on the plane.
If you are flying to (or through) the states, buy your duty free items after you get there because anything bought on foreign soil will get confiscated at the security gates if it’s not checked.
Lastly, you can print out your boarding pass without fear of Rafael – he got the memo.
May 24th, 2010 at 7:48 am
Great information to know. It should be publicly posted to avoid problems when you get to the airport.
June 3rd, 2010 at 12:21 pm
I had a similar incident happen on 05/30/10 at the Santiago airport. While going through security, my carry-on bag set off one of the scanners. So they opened the bag up and took my umbrella, blow dryer and an expensive hair straightener. I was pissed and as I was cursing the Dominican Republic (I had just had a nightmare of a vacation), I wondered why they didn’t take my curling iron. So I went back up to security with my curling iron in hand demanding an explanation as to why they would take the straightener and not the curling iron. They then took the curling iron. At this point I was furious! I very loudly said that they just wanted to keep my shit to make some money. I couldn’t understand why the U.S. would allow these same items on carry-ons but the DR wouldn’t? They finally allowed me to check my carry-on bag with all my stuff. They were not that nice about it though…I just think they didn’t want to have another American saying nasty things about the DR…which I have a lot of nasty things to say about it!
June 18th, 2010 at 9:07 pm
I have been through the Santiago airport three times this year. Different lists is just an excuse. If you are traveling direct to the USA then FAA & Homeland Security rules are the only applicable ones. They have taken several approved items from me. I have seen them take lots of items from others. They obviously target Americans. Of course they are just taking things of value they can keep or sell. Haiti isn’t the only corrupt country on that island.
June 19th, 2010 at 10:12 am
Unfortunately this seems to be a real problem while traveling to and from the DR.
Carry on luggage often gets things confiscated in the name of security and when you check your luggage in there is a real risk of having them go through and steal items. Usually they don’t steal too many from a single suitcase but I have had many things stolen during my travels.
Putting a lock on doesn’t really help much, if it is a TSA approved lock anyone can get a key to get in. If it is not an approved lock, that sends up a flag and they cut it off to see what is in it and then put a notice in saying that they did it for security reasons, after words of course, you now have an even higher risk of having something stolen.
Bottom line, it is a little difficult to travel here with anything you value highly.
June 21st, 2010 at 12:10 pm
When returning to Santiago…did anyone notice whether or not immigration was taking fingerprints of travelers?
June 21st, 2010 at 2:33 pm
That’s an interesting question..
No, I’ve never been fingerprinted while going through immigration. My last time was about a week ago.
June 24th, 2010 at 7:19 am
I had the same problem. They stopped my aunt and I, but not my cousin, who had a blow dryer and flat iron as well in our carry on luggage. When I asked why I can go to DR with it but not leave DR with it, the agent had no answers. When I told them that the items weren’t on the prohibited items on the screen at the airport, she said she didn’t know. She then said the law was in effect for about 15 or 20 days but had no list or paperwork to show me. I ended up checking it in, which wasn’t so bad because Jetblue allows you one bag to check in at no charge.
June 27th, 2010 at 8:42 am
Went thru Puerto Plata Security yesterday. They took eyelash curlers from me and my daughter, there is no threat from an eyelash curler. They threw my eyelash curler, tweezers, toothpaste 3.5 oz, then they found my fat barrel curling iron and my daughters flat iron they thought they found pay dirt but we told them we wanted them back to check them. They wouldn’t give me my eyelash curler back because it had already been thrown in the trash even though it was on top of the other items that were confiscated that shouldn’t have been. I work for the airline I know what you can bring on board.
July 10th, 2010 at 8:52 am
Thanks for the info today i’ll be on my way to the Dominican so i’ll be careful on what to pack on my way back on my carry-on bag.
August 6th, 2010 at 9:06 pm
My family and I just got back from Punta Cana today. It was a wonderful vacation, until we arrived at the airport to come home. I had my hair dryer and my flat iron confiscated while going through security. The guy was a complete a*hole. We traveled with apple vacations and the guy told me I would be fine with the two items in my carry on. Apparently I went through the wrong line, because the guy made me “throw” both away aka put them in a container so that they could take and sell them once everyoen was gone. After arguing with the guy for fifteen minutes, he told me I could go and check my carry on and keep it. The line was rediculous and doing that would result in me missing my flight, or my nice carry on staying in the dominican republic without me. My dad was about as pissed and I was, and knowing what their intentions were, he snapped my straightener in half and broke the blowdryer as well. At this point the security guy was pissed and demanded my dad’s passport and told us he needed us to go into a room to talk to him. We turned around and walked away and told him he got what he wanted. BE VERY CAREFUL with your carry on items. I am just very thankful I didn’t take my $200 hair straightener, or I’d be in a DR jail right now for killing the security guard!
September 1st, 2010 at 3:56 am
Returned home to Canada from Punta Cana on August 24th, 2010 and had my hair straightener taken as well. I argued with security that I came into their country with it and used it for a week and no one stopped me but now I was leaving and they felt threatened? Just an excuse to steal people’s property. I had a curling iron and blow dryer in a second carry-on and they didn’t even check that so we just grabbed our bag and proceeded to the gate. Obviously this country makes their own rules. We were very happy to get back on Canadian soil.
January 27th, 2011 at 2:46 am
I flew out of Santo Domingo Airport three weeks ago. I didnt have a hair straightener with me and they didnt take anything. I am flying from Santiago next week. If those guys try to take anything from me, I’ll be all like, “HEY!! YUYUYOU BETTER LEAVE MY STUFF ALONE MISSY!” I hope that works. I’ll keep everyone posted.
January 27th, 2011 at 7:52 am
@Chris
With as many guys as you see here carrying side arms you could almost would almost think this is the wild west, John Wayne would feel right at home (i’m pretty sure yours was a John Wayne quote right?)