Airport Adventures
When I left Philly early Sunday morning, I had an encounter with airport security. At the front of the line, I put everything on the belt and proceeded to walk through. With my purse over my shoulder. Um, yeah. Did I mention that it was early? So they let me go back and put it on the belt. When I walked through the second time, the machine beeped again. I was wearing shoes. Can you imagine? Shoes! In a public building!
Ordinarily I take my shoes off proactively, but since I was wearing sandals and the TSA agents could clearly see that I wasn't concealing any toenail clippers or cigarette lighters, I thought it would be fine. But no. And that three strike rule? Apparently it only applies to convicted criminals. We law-abiding citizens get two strikes. So I was subjected to 'secondary screening,' which usually irritates me to no end. But really, who did I have to blame?
Today when I went through security, there were no gray bins for my laptop, shoes, purse, terrorist bomb*, etc. They only had those bowl thingies that men use for their pocket change. And not even one of my shoes would've fit in that. When I asked the I.D. and Boarding Pass Inspector about it, he gestured toward the x-ray machine and I stepped out of line to get some bins.
Now, being the nice and thoughtful traveler that I am, I usually grab a stack of bins and bring them back for my fellow passengers. You know, pay it forward and all that. So I asked X-ray Man about the bins that he was hoarding on the other side of the conveyor belt. He handed me one. One. When I asked for another, I thought he was going to ask me to provide some collateral. Did he think I was going to run off with his precious bins? At this point, my fellow passengers were officially on their own.
Thankfully, this time I did remember to actually put my belongings into my hard-won bins, and I made it through without further incident. Home again, home again, jiggity-jig.
*Can I get in trouble for putting these two words together in a post about airline security?
Ordinarily I take my shoes off proactively, but since I was wearing sandals and the TSA agents could clearly see that I wasn't concealing any toenail clippers or cigarette lighters, I thought it would be fine. But no. And that three strike rule? Apparently it only applies to convicted criminals. We law-abiding citizens get two strikes. So I was subjected to 'secondary screening,' which usually irritates me to no end. But really, who did I have to blame?
Today when I went through security, there were no gray bins for my laptop, shoes, purse, terrorist bomb*, etc. They only had those bowl thingies that men use for their pocket change. And not even one of my shoes would've fit in that. When I asked the I.D. and Boarding Pass Inspector about it, he gestured toward the x-ray machine and I stepped out of line to get some bins.
Now, being the nice and thoughtful traveler that I am, I usually grab a stack of bins and bring them back for my fellow passengers. You know, pay it forward and all that. So I asked X-ray Man about the bins that he was hoarding on the other side of the conveyor belt. He handed me one. One. When I asked for another, I thought he was going to ask me to provide some collateral. Did he think I was going to run off with his precious bins? At this point, my fellow passengers were officially on their own.
Thankfully, this time I did remember to actually put my belongings into my hard-won bins, and I made it through without further incident. Home again, home again, jiggity-jig.
*Can I get in trouble for putting these two words together in a post about airline security?
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, May 18, 2005 at 8:26 PM.
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