I thought I would write about my personal experiences and observations of flying in this country on Aug. 11.
On Thursday, both boys called to tell us about the heightened security at airports and the new rules. We called the airline and watched CNN for the latest. Placed any items that were normally in carry on bag or purse in our suitcase so we would not forget.
Friday, we got to the Newark aiport 2 3/4 hours early. I was nervous. We first went to the Northwest check in and it was very long, but I knew that even though we had a Northwest flight number the flight was on their partner Continental. I had Continental's number and called them and they said we could check in at Continental. We went over there and the line was much shorter. Took maybe 15 minutes to check in. Security took maybe 5 minutes tops. We did not see many people needing to dump items.
At the gate, I talked with a couple of women who were on standby as they had missed their flight earlier in the morning due to a wait time of 2 - 3 hours. The reason for this was that there were people who came about 5 or so hours early to check in which then bogged down the check in causing those who came the recommended 3 hours to miss their flights.
We had three flights and only one did we have to go through the gate check. I did notice that the trash bins filled faster and that there were many more bottles and cups left sitting in gate areas that day. One could purchase drinks in the airport after going through security but could not take them on the plane. I am one that likes to have a bottle of water handy so I don't have to be constantly asking for a drink on the plane. It was no problem getting extra drinks though.
My recommendation is to check with your airline, the airport and the TSA website for updated information if you are planning to fly in the near future.
No comments:
Post a Comment