Hi-
Put mine in checked luggage on a ryanair flight to France last June.
As we were boarding the customs appeared and called my name.
I had to walk ten minutes to a customs shed and there was my suitcase spread over a table.
It had shown up on the x ray, and between that and the fold up shovel must have looked very sketchy.
They knew there was no problem and let me pack up and Leave.
By this time my flight had left. No chance of a refund from Ryanair, so I had to pay another 260e to get another flight-- 46 hours
later to the wrong city, followed by a six hour wait for a four hour train journey home.
Two days sitting in an airport gave me plenty of time to decide to just take it in carry on from now on.
Just a cautionary tale. Having said that, Murphy always seems to follow me around airports!!!