I wasn’t going to write a post about the trip home…but…you know…
When we booked our flight back in May, we had a connection in Heathrow. It was an hour and ten minutes, and both planes were in Terminal 5. Then, two weeks ago, they changed our departing plane to Terminal 3…
You know we didn’t make the connection. (To be fair, I knew as soon as we got the notice of the terminal change that we wouldn’t make the connection- my husband had thought about checking our bags and I said Nope- let’s just do carry on- another side note…people were amazed that we packed for a week in Europe with just a carryon)
So we aren’t allowed to even go to security to get our flight because Heathrow has a policy about the time you can enter a line to get to a plane, which basically means that when we got on the customer service cue…there were eight not so happy people ahead of us…
Two hours on the first customer service line…
Here’s what I don’t understand- these people working this particular section are supposed to rebook the people who miss their flights…yet they don’t just tap, tap, tap away at a computer…they need some sort of permission, which means that they are on hold. A lot. The family next to us was parents and four kids between I’d say eight and fifteen, trying to get back to I think New Mexico…the agent saw the flight, but by the time the agent got permission, five of the six tickets were gone…
We were originally put on standby. My husband was worried we wouldn’t get on the flight. The agent told us not to worry- he figured at least two people would miss the connection…so there I was rooting for someone to be in the same lousy position I was in. As another lost traveler said to me though- “Well…someone got your seat on your flight, so it all works our in the end”. We were very lucky to be on a flight which left a few hours later. Hours we needed because security at Heathrow is intense.
Here’s the thing about airport security: they are doing this for the safety of all. Can you really complain about then doing their jobs thoroughly?
Of course you can, but should you?
I am a very careful packer. I look at the rules of what we are supposed to do and not supposed to do and I follow them.
The rule for liquids is nothing over 100ml in bottle or jar or tube (slightly more than 3 ounces), and this goes for anything listed in fluid ounces. The sum total of those bottles and jars must fit in a quart size clear plastic bag. I own a clear, quart sized cosmetics bag for this particular purpose (in fact, it’s smaller) I adhere to the rule. (I give my husband the toothpaste and sun block because he carries much less fluid ounces than I do- hello moisturizer, face soap and perfume)
First off- when I was putting my laptop, ipad and clear bag in the security bin, I asked the person if I should put my liquids in the available plastic bags that they had- she said “No- that bag is small enough”.
You know I got flagged. Did everything right, asked if I was OK, and still got flagged…
FYI- so many people get flagged. And not only do they take everything our of your bag…with permission of course (because really, when the security guard says do I have permission to open this bag, are you really in the position to say No?) The person ahead of me must have had forty assorted tubes and such. They made her throw our half of her stuff… Plus- if your bag gets flagged they put this little wand over it, checking for substances. I think I stood waiting for my flagged bag for at least ten minutes.
Now, my husband says he didn’t know this liquid thing was a rule. Of course he doesn’t because I pretty much pack for him and put his liquids in a clear case. My husband got flagged because he didn’t realize his inhaler is counted as liquid and had it in another part of his carryon…
Because we have traveled to a lot of places and never actually had the liquid rule put to the test…Never. And we leave from JFK and Newark most of the time, and we thought security was tough there. We’ve never been flagged in any other European country either.
And seriously- they have more security checkpoints than any other airport I’ve every seen.
But, as stated, can you really complain about securtiy?
Side note: all the security didn’t make me actually feel any safer…
Obviously we made it through security because I’m back at my desk blogging…
The vast majority of people we encountered on the customer service lines were being really good sports- we were maintaining a gallows humor sort of vibe. As our new friends got off the line holding up boarding passes, we would cheer for them… When our agent told us where to go to see if we got off standby, he remarked it was in front of the Prada store. I asked if Prada was cheaper in the airport…because if you don’t keep your sense of humor, you have nothing…For example, one woman kept trying to get ahead in the line: she said I have a problem and you don’t care- I told her to stop cutting in the front because none of us were in that line for fun- we ALL had issues…
As for the issues- I know that my husband and I were very, very lucky. We met people who were not able to be rebooked for DAYS.
DAYS.
So gratitude was in order.
We went to the Gordan Ramsey restaurant- didn’t realize that my first cup of tea in London would be in the airport though…
My only regret was that I didn’t pick up a tin of tea at Fortnum and Mason…
Tomorrow I will wrap up my thoughts on Barcelona and the trip in general.