My sister came to see me off: at first, I didn't see her, and called to see where she was. And she was already IN the airport, on another level. ( I felt like a real DOLT.). I did manage to find her, eventually. Thing is: the airport I left from had changed so much since my last overseas trip in 1990. I didn't recognize the main terminal at all! It was almost time to go through security, so I hugged my sister and she wished me 'bon voyage'. And that's when the 'fun' began, in security....
These days, passengers are under an awful lot of scrutiny: you have to take off your shoes, and put them in a tray, as they go through the X-ray machine. You also have to take off your coat, your belt (if you're wearing one), any security pouches under your clothes AND any carry-on bags, and have them x-rayed too. After I walked all right through the metal detector, I got called over by a female security staffer, who had examined my liquid carry-on baggie, and determined I was carrying too much for one person, in one Zip-bag. Seems you can only carry one such baggie on your person per person, unless you put them in your checked baggage. She was very kind and patient in explaining the regulations, and managed to squeeze most of what I could take into the Zip-bag. But I had to leave behind some facial cleanser, my eyeglass cleaner--and a $16 jar of Clinque cleansing cream!
The staffer felt badly about that--but rules are rules, in this post-9/11 age. Wretched terrorists, who make life miserable for the law-abiding flying public!
So, after that little hoo-hah was done, I had a panic-attack when I couldn't find my boarding pass. Turned out it was in the last place I'd look for it: my passport, in the security sack I wore round my neck! Time to take a deep breath, and relax....! I thanked the security staffer for her help, and trundled off to the boarding gate.
I'm not scared to fly; it's a matter of making sure I've got all the important stuff I need close at hand. But I feel like I've never flown before--and I did it A LOT in the 1970s and 1980s! I just need to keep in mind a British WW2 poster I have on my wall at home: "KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON". That'll get me through to my goal!
My 'origin' flight left Syracuse, NY, around 6:30 pm, and it took around an hour to get to Philadelphia, where I'd catch my flight to London. Not much conversation happened with my seatmate: he was too engrossed in his Stephen King novel to chat. The plane--one of those 'express' flights some call 'puddle-jumpers'--was pretty darned full. But it was an uneventful flight, thankfully. The one thing that surprised me was how far I had to walk to get to the departure gate; you could get a full day's exercise just inside one terminal! Even with those 'moving sidewalk' things, it took a seeming eternity to get to my departure gate. I definitely got my exercise that evening....!
The wait didn't take long, before we boarded. That's done by 'Zone', depending on what part of the aircraft you're sitting in. I was in Zone 3--meaning, I was one of the last passengers to board. At least it's not a mad push anymore. I had a window seat, and my seatmate this time--a nice woman from Indiana, who was attending an academic conference in London--was much more talkative. So overall, it was a pleasant experience on USAirways.
I must mention a really cool thing that USAirways has: there's a GPS tracker you can watch, to see where the flight is headed. You can watch it on the wall screen, or see it on a screen in back of the seat in front of you. It gives things like aircraft speed, how many miles (and km) to go, or how much distance is covered--and even what US States or Canadian Provinces you're flying near. It's kinda fun to watch! Don't know if other airlines have that function as well.
Meals were pretty good too. I had a chicken and rice dish that actually had taste! But I didn't sleep much, even when the lights and window shades were drawn. Too much excitement for me, I suppose?
It's all about safety and I have no problem with it but still never quite get used to it all. And panic attacks when I forget where I put that boarding pass.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed you resume of the hockey game and the clips. What memories!