The Esther Has Landed
OK, that was lame. Forgive me. Just wanted to let you guys know I've overcome the first hurdle on my quest to the AIPAC conference -- I survived flying from LAX! What is with airports these days?!
I did the self-check in, which was on one end of the terminal. I looked up to the second level and was pleased to see the security line was rather short. Yay! I was then sent to the other side of the terminal to take my bag to X-ray before it was allowed to be checked through. Didn't matter that the X-ray setup right next to me was empty and the guy looked bored. Nooooooo. I had to go to the other end. So after finishing that, I then had to go back to the other side of the terminal to get the correct escalator up to security (the other, right near the correct X-ray area, was for first class/business only). The security line? SUPER LONG now. Of course. And this helps....what?! And don't get me started on the little conclave of sneezers I was seated with on the plane. I hate flying. But I'm here!
posted by Esther @ 1:44 PM
16 comments
16 Comments:
hello, you don't know me..but I so agree on Airports. I am a vetern. Traveler, and I have done my fair share of AP's and Customs. They are long, tedious, the staff are sometimes rude, they like to poke at my Lomographic camera(its has four single shot lenses-enough already.) and I have even seen a report of baggage handlers going though bags before they go on the plane.
But even after all of that-I still love to fly..
thanks for stopping by and commenting jia li. Your camera sounds AWESOME! Funny, when I went to X-ray, he asked if I had any lighters, camera or film in my suitcase. I was like, "So he knows whether or not to waste the effort to break into my luggage?"
I can't say I love to fly....but I love to travel. :) I keep waiting for them to make the Star Trek transporter a reality!
anonymous....oh how could I ever leave Blogger? It's so....oh right. It's Blogger. ;) Thanks for stopping by.
Esther, those are exactly the reasons I don't fly; adding in that commuter aircraft are built for sardines and if one more computer commando ever hits me in the head with his/her laptop case I will obtain my 15 minutes of fame instantaneously! Besides ... my arms get tired! ;) (... had to type it!)
SA!! Always good to hear from you. How's fishin' goin? :)
I'm glad you survived the trip. Flying is not a lot of fun nowdays.
Have a great time!
Did they make you go through the new xray machine?
Thanks MoM!
TS, I don't think so. Seemed like the same contraption I always walk through. Are they supposed to be all over? Maybe I just didn't notice. ;)
Just thought I'd pass along a tip to all of you women who travel by plane. My cousin was stopped going through the metal detector because she had an underwire in her bra. It's probably not something most of us would think about, but I would imagine it could be pretty embarassing to have your underwear set off an alarm in the middle of a busy airport.
Rory, I've heard that but never had a problem. Hmm...
Patrick--thanks for liking it! LOL! Yes! :) I totally wish everyone functioned like El Al. Maybe then I'd feel safe flying.
Those airports seem to be getting bigger and bigger. I guess they figure that the travelers need to exercise, since sitting in the plane for long isn't healthy.
Patrick, I agree about El Al being the model. Unfortunately, though, having that sort of highly trained personnel costs money, but the Israelis have made it a priority. Their security people are trained to scrutinize everything about their passengers. They'll ask you a bunch of seemingly inane questions, but it's not so much your answers that concern them, rather it's your body language. In fact, using those techniques enabled them to avert a near tragedy when they detained a young, pregnant, Irish woman, who was on her way to Israel to meet the family of her Palestinian boyfriend. Unfortunately, and totally unbeknownst to her, one of the "gifts" her boyfriend had given her was designed to blow that plane out of the sky. We can only wonder if there would have been the same outcome, if she had been travelling on one of our planes.
I set the alarm of the airport once and was on my way to a European winter so to save luggage space I put heaps of clothes on
I had to take off layer after layer and the security guy kept laughing because I got down to the thin calico hippi skirt and tight black singlet and the alarm bells were still going off!
I had a packet of cigarettes in my pocket and it was the silver lining that make the alarm go off
I don't know what I'm going to do now though next time I travel, because it's not like I can get up out of my wheelchair and walk through :-) you never know, I could become a drug courier:p
by the way, can enlighten me about the conference?
I read all the stuff below, and I would kill to go to a conference like that, but what I meant was how your involvement got you there and the like
"But I'm here!"
Stage one - Ticked
Please keep us posted.
"But I'm here!"
Stage one - Ticked
Please keep us posted.
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