TSA nightmares

[jon-nyc]

I sleep and/or listen to podcasts. If it’s an overnight flight I’ll use some pharmacological assistance. Every once in a while I’ll watch a movie. Definitely so if it’s coast to coast or returning from Europe.

[taiwan_girl]

I leave tomorrow from the US. And yes, I will arrive way too early (just in case). But that is okay. I have a good book. LOL

[Axtremus]

@taiwan_girl said:
I have a good book. LOL

If not, you have TNCR. 55555

[taiwan_girl]

@Axtremus said:

@taiwan_girl said:
I have a good book. LOL

If not, you have TNCR. 55555

LOL +

[89th]

@Doctor-Phibes said:

@89th said:

Ya'll have any routines on flights? Nap before wheels up? Movie? Work?

I always try (and fail) to sleep, maybe I'll cat-nap if I'm really lucky. Generally I'll read and/or watch a movie. I never work.

Me either. Not sure if I'm jealous or judge-y of people who work. I think judge-y. I could actually work and get paid per hour, but there's something about the lure of falling asleep that is much more valuable!

[Tom-K]

@jon-nyc said:

Mayla never qualified for Clear or PreCheck until she got her green card a couple months ago and we didn’t get it yet in the little time we’ve had. So it’s the long line for us.

It's nice having gray hair. My wife starts walking with a limp and I look at the ceiling, bark and drool and they let us through the handicap gate no questions asked.

[jon-nyc]

I thought about that but I’m sore that’s a multi hour wait too from all the people who figured out they can feign a broken foot and ‘skip’ the line.

I’ve gone through the wheelchair method before when I was really sick. It was pretty slow overall in normal circumstances even through you skip the security line. You go to a waiting area, wait in line for a clerk who enters your info into a system, then sit and wait for your guide. Can’t imagine how busy that system is during these times.

[jon-nyc]

We got to JFK at a few minutes before 6am. The line was already outside. I put Mayla in the line and checked both our bags. I actually got to the Cathay Pacific desk before it opened and there was a line. About 45m later I joined Mayla in line, where she had already moved inside.

Inside the airport the line snaked back and forth through the width of the main hallway/atrium (the large open space about 60ft deep and as wide as the terminal, that every terminal has). It wound 5 complete times before entering into the back of the terminal where security is.

We got through in 2hr 45m. That gave us 45m to grab breakfast.

We’ve now boarded, 16hrs and 10m to Hong Kong.

[89th]

Wow, that's a long wait. Was it stressful, that didn't give you "lots" of time before your actual flight. I wonder what the dynamics are:

• people trying to cut
• people saying "I'm going to miss my flight"
• are there line holders you can pay?

I fly to DC on April 6 and then back on April 10. I've heard the waits at Minneapolis aren't terrible (yet), but we'll see as the dates get closer.

[jon-nyc]

Far less so than I was expecting. A couple people cutting in line with sob stories. People were pretty calm though. Partly I think because it was expected (that changed my outlook considerably) and partly (I speculate) there was a little bit of ‘we’re all in this moment together’ spirit like you see during a big weather event or tragedy of some kind, though I don’t want to exaggerate that too much.

The most stressful part was when the line was snaking through the front atrium. It didn’t look like a line, it looked like a crowd. The only thing that made it a line was everyone knowing who was in front of them and who was behind.