Off to Chattanooga for a most sad occasion...great pal is getting married. Tried to talk her out of it...groom, too, but I digress.

Checked in at US Airways' counter and advised agent I was traveling with a gun in my checked luggage. "No problem," said the agent. Agent completed the orange card and asked me to place it INSIDE the gun case. (Last few times it was affixed to the outside of the gun case.)

FTR, I use a plastic case inside my hard-sided Samsonite suitcase. Gun was secured with a trigger lock; ammo in plastic Federal box inside the gun case; gun case secured with a TSA cable combo. Suitcase has combo TSA lock.

As noted before, in Pittsburgh you accompany your suitcase to the TSA counter/luggage checkpoint after airline check-in. Very nice TSA agent took my suitcase and placed it on the counter and retrieved a set of TSA "keys." She thereupon opened the suitcase, removed the gun case, and swabbed it with liquid to detect any explosives. That took mere seconds; she then replaced the gun case in the suitcase and wished me a good day. Off I went...

BUT BEFORE I DEPARTED I ASKED IF TSA LOCKS WERE OKAY. She said absolutely. I note this because some on this Forum repeatedly aver I am wrong to use them. (And I always use them whilst traveling. Traveling frequently, in fact.)


Flight is delayed so connection may be a problem. More upon arrival...

Be safe.

No problems whatsoever, as is the norm, in retrieving my luggage in Chattanooga. Despite my having to sprint through CLT from "B" gates to "E" gates, I made the connecting flight...so did my suitcase.

Returned yesterday; Chattanooga-CLT-PIT.

Check-in at CHA took all of two (2) minutes. This time the agent said "just put the tag atop the gun case." He then carried the suitcase about 15 feet to a portal where it was placed on a conveyor. He asked me to stand by while he ensured it cleared TSA beyond the portal. That took mere seconds.

Again, my suitcase was delivered intact to me in PIT, and I journeyed home. That drive was an experience, though. Monsoon rains, winds, hail, but I digress...

Be safe.

Well, what with all these meandering digressions, I'm not sure I followed the fine points of your posts --- but, I gather that your travels were minimally impeded by ticket agents and TSA minions, so, good on ya. I think, based on my probably more infrequent experience, that one runs the risk of encountering wildly differing classes of personnel, i.e., with divergent levels of training, competence, understanding of policies and regs, etc. I have had to ask for supervisory intercession to clear up such matters in my favor, and have had encounters with obstreperous TSA personnel who had to seek supervisory counsel to resolve procedural issues.

I think we're generally at the mercy of these folks, and are well advised to know the rules and regs as well or better than they do, and have the written proof to back up our arguments.

Glad you had a happy experience!