Swiftie's friendship bracelet beads confiscated at Calgary airport

A friendship bracelet can be seen at Z99 radio station in Regina on Friday, July 19, 2024. The friendship bracelet is being created in attempt to be the largest in the world in a bid to bring Taylor Swift back to the province. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Heywood Yu)

A Canadian Taylor Swift fan has some 'Bad Blood' with the Calgary International Airport after security staff confiscated hundreds of dollars worth of beads she was going to use to make friendship bracelets.

The bracelets are crafted, worn and traded by 'Swifties' at concerts across the globe, inspired by a lyric on her album Midnights.

("So make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it.")

Caitlynne Medrek says she was flying from Vancouver to Toronto this week for one of the city's three The Eras Tour concerts when she encountered trouble on her layover in Calgary.

Medrek said though her carry-on bag cleared security in Vancouver with no problems, she ran into a roadblock during her screening in Calgary.

"Security told me I couldn't bring my beads on the plane with me," Medrek told CTV News. "Which I couldn't believe, because it wasn't a problem with security in Vancouver."

Medrek claims staff at the terminal told her she had exceeded the allowable bead limit and wouldn't be allowed to bring the crafting supplies on the plane with her.

The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) website indicates that solid beads in quantities less than 350 ml are permitted on carry-on baggage, and solid beads in quantities of 350 ml or more are permitted "subject to visual inspection."

Medrek admits she had more than 350 ml of beads, but says they were in a see-through container, to follow the Canadian rulebook. 

"I have tons of friends who've taken giant bags of beads with them to make these bracelets on the plane, so I didn't even consider that it wouldn't be allowed," she said.

"Staff told me, ‘You should report Vancouver security for not confiscating and taking the beads away.'

"I understand they are just beads, but isn't that the point entirely?"

CATSA said in a statement it cannot comment on the situation without an official complaint being filed, which Medrek has yet to do.

Officials note the problem could’ve been with the inorganic bead material, but couldn’t speak to what the Swift fan calls an "inconsistent" reading of the rules. 

CATSA says certain powders and granular materials may require additional screening, and in some cases, may not be permitted on board flights.