"Chewbacca" actor Peter Mayhew has a pretty cool lightsaber cane.
It's good to see my old friend....
Peter Mayhew
@TheWookieeRoars
It's good to see my old friend....
Unfortunately, it's not exactly TSA-friendly.
@AmericanAir won't allow me through the airport with me cane! Can I get a retweet?
Peter Mayhew
@TheWookieeRoars
@AmericanAir won't allow me through the airport with me cane! Can I get a retweet?
The Associated Press reports that agents at Denver International Airport stopped Mayhew to inspect his cane on June 3, prompting an agitated tweet from the 7-foot-tall actor and outrage from his some of his 25,000+ followers.
The agents eventually released Mayhew in time for his flight.
Magic words to TSA are not "please" or "thank you".. It's "Twitter".. cane released to go home..
Peter Mayhew
@TheWookieeRoars
Magic words to TSA are not "please" or "thank you".. It's "Twitter".. cane released to go home..
But not without some confusion about why exactly Mayhew was allowed through security. From the AP:
Many subsequent media reports made it seem as though security officials buckled to pressure from Chewie's fans in allowing the actor to board the flight to Dallas with the cane, but officials say that characterization is inaccurate.
"Because of the unusual weight of the passenger's cane, a security officer alerted a supervisor. Less than five minutes later the passenger and cane were cleared to travel. Social media played no role in the determination," the TSA said in a brief statement released to The Associated Press on Saturday.