Since I was SO fortunate to get to spend a few hours straightening out all of my plane tickets at DFW a couple days before my initial flight back out of the country, it made my actual departure much simpler the day of travel. I had a nice lil’ glitch at the check-in kiosk that left me waiting for far too long, but it didn't phase me… I just stood around watching everybody in their frantic quest to go-go-go!
I arrived on the other side of the security kingdom with plenty of time to spare (the way I like it!) and was able to enjoy a little tex-mex at the Blue Mesa bar watching the final minutes of a March Madness basketball game… made for an exciting environment! (last taste of American life for a while!)... especially since it was Texas A&M making it into the Sweet 16
The flight to London was long on my legs (they tend to get restless with sitting – big surprise, I know) but great for finally catching up on some sleep – at the moments when I could get my neck comfortable! The reality of my world finally hit me upon the other side of the security gates at DFW… so tears now became something I was trying to fight back while in a crowded place. (Where are my mountains when I need them?!) I arrived in London, ironically, on their Mother’s Day… a holiday I was kind of not wanting to be faced with multiple times this year… made the best of it… took to some writing and watching little kids play in the airport… laughter is always a good thing.
I definitely think the IDIOT (yes, this person deserves this honorary title) who chose to try and bring bomb liquids on the plane in London a few hours after I departed back in August, has created a very unpleasant traveling experience for the rest of us at this stage. The London airport security process & rules are now twice as bad as the U.S. – if you can imagine that!!! They changed it so passengers are now only allowed 1 carry-on (thankfully my two items were small enough to creatively combine into one)… AND you have to take your laptop and toiletries out, BUT you’re not allowed to do this until you’re through the 1st part of the security ‘cattle call’! Oh, and multiple police officers are scattered throughout the airport (basically surrounding you) with machine guns strapped across their chest) – a shame to see this in London, of all places!
AND, the excitement grows… the shuttle driver AND two different airline agents all confirmed the WRONG terminal for my departure… so, 3 hours later, when I went to finally check my bags – oh, yes, you can’t check your big bag any earlier (more 'rules')… so EVERYONE is wandering around the airport with their luggage carts and trying to score seating in cafes to be able to see their bags!... I finally went to check my bag with an agent who informed me I had to transfer to Heathrow’s Terminal 4… this takes 1-hour – walk-lift-walk-train-walk-lift-walk… ai, yai! …luckily, once again, I had plenty of time to spare, so it allowed the experience to be entertaining. THEN (oh yes, there’s more), they never posted the gate for Cape Town, so I asked another agent once the flight time was within 1-hr, and made my way there… I was working on my computer and glanced behind me at one point to see a few travelers walking into the gate – THEY NEVER CALLED FOR BOARDING?! Thankfully I was paying attention, and took the liberty to board at this time. I have to say that I was FULLY entertained for what could have been a 'disastrous' experience had I been bothered by some of the challenges of the day!
The beautiful thing – My flight to Cape Town was basically empty! UNBELIEVABLE! I sat on a two-story plane, with a row of 3 seats just for me, and less than 10 people in my cabin… I was so shocked I asked the flight attendant what happened, she had no idea. She said that the flights are always packed full – which I am most certainly well aware of… so I soak in all of the extra space… had some wonderful sleep and a lot of time spent staring at the ceiling of the plane (why, I don’t know)… I’m certainly ready for traveling on foot into downtown, up a local peak, and along the coast, if I can make it happen!
I arrived on the other side of the security kingdom with plenty of time to spare (the way I like it!) and was able to enjoy a little tex-mex at the Blue Mesa bar watching the final minutes of a March Madness basketball game… made for an exciting environment! (last taste of American life for a while!)... especially since it was Texas A&M making it into the Sweet 16
The flight to London was long on my legs (they tend to get restless with sitting – big surprise, I know) but great for finally catching up on some sleep – at the moments when I could get my neck comfortable! The reality of my world finally hit me upon the other side of the security gates at DFW… so tears now became something I was trying to fight back while in a crowded place. (Where are my mountains when I need them?!) I arrived in London, ironically, on their Mother’s Day… a holiday I was kind of not wanting to be faced with multiple times this year… made the best of it… took to some writing and watching little kids play in the airport… laughter is always a good thing.
I definitely think the IDIOT (yes, this person deserves this honorary title) who chose to try and bring bomb liquids on the plane in London a few hours after I departed back in August, has created a very unpleasant traveling experience for the rest of us at this stage. The London airport security process & rules are now twice as bad as the U.S. – if you can imagine that!!! They changed it so passengers are now only allowed 1 carry-on (thankfully my two items were small enough to creatively combine into one)… AND you have to take your laptop and toiletries out, BUT you’re not allowed to do this until you’re through the 1st part of the security ‘cattle call’! Oh, and multiple police officers are scattered throughout the airport (basically surrounding you) with machine guns strapped across their chest) – a shame to see this in London, of all places!
AND, the excitement grows… the shuttle driver AND two different airline agents all confirmed the WRONG terminal for my departure… so, 3 hours later, when I went to finally check my bags – oh, yes, you can’t check your big bag any earlier (more 'rules')… so EVERYONE is wandering around the airport with their luggage carts and trying to score seating in cafes to be able to see their bags!... I finally went to check my bag with an agent who informed me I had to transfer to Heathrow’s Terminal 4… this takes 1-hour – walk-lift-walk-train-walk-lift-walk… ai, yai! …luckily, once again, I had plenty of time to spare, so it allowed the experience to be entertaining. THEN (oh yes, there’s more), they never posted the gate for Cape Town, so I asked another agent once the flight time was within 1-hr, and made my way there… I was working on my computer and glanced behind me at one point to see a few travelers walking into the gate – THEY NEVER CALLED FOR BOARDING?! Thankfully I was paying attention, and took the liberty to board at this time. I have to say that I was FULLY entertained for what could have been a 'disastrous' experience had I been bothered by some of the challenges of the day!
The beautiful thing – My flight to Cape Town was basically empty! UNBELIEVABLE! I sat on a two-story plane, with a row of 3 seats just for me, and less than 10 people in my cabin… I was so shocked I asked the flight attendant what happened, she had no idea. She said that the flights are always packed full – which I am most certainly well aware of… so I soak in all of the extra space… had some wonderful sleep and a lot of time spent staring at the ceiling of the plane (why, I don’t know)… I’m certainly ready for traveling on foot into downtown, up a local peak, and along the coast, if I can make it happen!
1 comment:
Security sounds hectic at Heathrow. Even in South Africa it's got worse, with us having to take our laptops out of our bags, but we don't have to take our shoes off...yet. I love those flights to Cape Town where the seats are empty.
Post a Comment