Passengers traveling in or carrying a Norwegian national costume known as a bunad once again had their own line when they went through security control at Oslo’s main airport at Gardermoen over the weekend. The goal was to reduce waiting time for passengers stuck behind them in the queue.
The traditional Norwegian costumes, used for special occasions and especially on the country’s national day on the 17th of May, are laden with silver and gold belts, pins and jewelry. That tends to set off alarms during security control.
“The metal sets off our metal detectors,” Joachim Westher Andersen of Oslo Lufthavn (OSL) told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK). Several of the men’s national costumes also feature knives carried in knife-holsters, and they’re not allowed in carry-on baggage either.
Last year the airport introduced a special queue for all those wearing or carrying a bunad “and the idea was brilliant,” Andersen said. Airport officials are therefore offering separate lines once again, he said, for those dressed in or carrying a bunad on both May 16 and 17, “to repeat the success.”
Andersen recommended that passengers place all the metal accessories for their bunad in a separate bag, to show to security personnel. A bunad, which can cost as much as NOK 50,000 (USD 6,600) or even more, is so valuable that most passengers don’t want to pack them in checked luggage for fear their baggage may be lost or stolen.
Andersen noted that some passengers flying around May 17th often want to carry cakes with them as well, but that’s normally not allowed. Whipped cream and cake frostings are classified as liquid substances that aren’t allowed on board aircraft.
“Since cakes also don’t transport well in checked luggage, we suggest that guests allow their hosts to provide the cakes,” Andersen said. “Alternatively, passengers can share their cakes with other travelers before going through security.”
newsinenglish.no/Nina Berglund
