By Roland Piquepaille
You all know that security measures have been dramatically reinforced in U.S. airports since September 11, 2001. In particular, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has a long list of objects you cannot carry on board. So what to do if your gold lighter is to be confiscated by security or airline personnel? ReturnKey Systems Inc. has a solution. The company has deployed Automated Mailing Kiosks (AMKs) in several airports. These AMKs look like ATM machines. Using a touch screen, you enter your personal information and a description of the object. If your address is valid and if the object is not included in the list of prohibited items by the US Postal Service, you pay and you send the item. And international shipping is also available since mid-April. Read more...Before going further, let's look at one of these kiosks.
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On the right, here is a photograph of a happy traveler using an AMK in Newark airport (Credit: ReturnKey Systems Inc.). And here is a link to a larger picture. |
A short article in CIO Magazine, "Send Your Cattle Prods Ahead," gives more details about the mailing process.
The AMKs look much like ATMs. There's a touch screen where users can enter information and access directions, along with a mail slot for sending packages. To use the system, a user first enters personal information, such as a name and address, which is verified against United States Postal Service records. (If the information doesn't match up, the user cannot proceed.)
Next the user identifies the article he wishes to send, which the system then checks against an extensive list of items prohibited by the postal service. If the item is accepted for mail delivery, the system takes a picture of the user that gets sent to an offsite location for storage and scans the user's credit card for payment. Finally, the user inserts the item into a depository.
CIO Magazine adds that it will cost you between $6 and $22 to send an item depending on its size and weight. But as the article was written before international shipping becomes available, chances are high that it will cost you more than that to mail something from Houston to London for example.
ReturnKey has started a new service -- probably for the last smokers -- which allow you to send your lighter. I like the distinction between full and empty lighters.
ReturnKey Systems can process FULL lighters through special permitting by the USPS. All full lighters will be sent via surface transportation to the end destination and will not require forfeiture to TSA. ReturnKey Systems will continue to process empty lighters by standard First Class, Priority, or Express Mail.
The company has already installed AMKs in Houston, Newark, La Guardia and Dulles airports and plans to add more in the months to come.
For more information about what the TSA allows you to carry or not on a plane, please read this page about Travel Tips and print this list of Permitted and Prohibited Items (PDF format, 5 pages, 132 KB). I guess you will not be surprised that you can't introduce dynamite, fireworks or hand grenades in a plane.
Sources: Al Sacco, CIO Magazine, May 1, 2005 Issue; and various websites
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