Encounters with the TSA

On Sat, 08 Nov 2003 16:23:05 +0000 in rec.travel.air, Julian
Fowler wrote:

Without commenting on any who've posted here, my observation is that
those who get delayed and/or delay others while sorting out their
belongings are simply travelling with too much stuff

some of us need that "stuff" for work --- we don't carry it by
choice! often it *must* be in a carryon, since it is needed for
work immediately when we arrive at our destination.

On Sat, 08 Nov 2003 18:01:36 +0000 in rec.travel.air, Julian
Fowler wrote:

which is why I travel without a jacket

yeah. in the tropics. doesn't work in the north country!

Roland Perry wrote:
Horny Raccoon writes
Pens and writing paper can be obtained at hotels or airport. You can
live without the mobile phone charger: just use remaining battery to
connect and call forward. Razors can be obtained at hotel or airport.

Why use new and unfamiliar stuff when I have my own?

Last time I tried using new and unfamiliar writing paper it was a total
disaster. I had just arrived in Japan and my writing paper was lost due to
the short length of the table at the security checkpoint in IAD where I
boarded. So I bought some at the gift shop at NRT and eveything I wrote came
out in Japanese.

miguel
--
See the world from your web browser: http://travel.u.nu/

On Sat, 8 Nov 2003 20:42:37 +0000, Roland Perry
wrote:

In message , Julian Fowler
writes
I really do wonder what all these essential/non-replacable items that
people *have* to take with them are.

Tickets, passport, foreign currency, itinerary and maps, invitations to
meetings (needed to get past the door), papers for the meeting, other
papers to read while travelling, pens, writing paper, business cards,
diary, fold-up umbrella, computer, power supply,
all-those-other-bits-a-computer-needs [1], mobile phone, phone charger;
and for many destinations that don't really have shops near the meeting,
a razor and clean shirt for that early morning meeting. Obviously, this
requires one to travel wearing the suit and tie (with much disparaged
jacket). If cold, a coat as well.

[1] Including for some venues a long ethernet cable and hub. I'll often
also have a digital camera, cable and spare batteries.
However on earth did we cope with doing business in the 1960s and 70s?
Im at a loss to think how I managed.

"Roland Perry" wrote in message
...
In message , PTRAVEL
writes
Several piles?

Jacket, shoes, top coat, duty free, camera, and the troublemaking
laptop-in-the-briefcase. (I make that seven).

You're talking about the specific instance of someone transiting from
international to domestic. Duty free normally wouldn't be in a "pile" for
the scanner. Still, you pile of seven objects is easily picked up. Of
course, I assume it would make sense to remove the laptop first, before
taking of the jacket, shoes and top coat.


--
Roland Perry

"Horny Raccoon" wrote in message
...
Roland Perry wrote:
Tickets, passport, foreign currency, itinerary and maps, invitations to
meetings (needed to get past the door), papers for the meeting, other
papers to read while travelling, pens, writing paper, business cards,
diary, fold-up umbrella, computer, power supply,
all-those-other-bits-a-computer-needs [1], mobile phone, phone charger;
and for many destinations that don't really have shops near the meeting,
a razor and clean shirt for that early morning meeting.

Much of the paperwork fits in your briefcase. Umbrella not really that
necessary, you can survive if you don't have one. Pens and writing paper
can
be obtained at hotels or airport. You can live without the mobile phone
charger: just use remaining battery to connect and call forward. Razors
can
be obtained at hotel or airport.

Proper labeling of your luggage can also greatly help preventing it from
being
lost. At one point in time, some human does pick it up to put in in the
aircraft container. If there is a big "LONDON" sticker on each side, the
handler may realise that this piece may not be going to Paris which he is
currently loading.

And if you have stuff that is *really* important, then you send it FedEx a
few
days early and then verify that it has arrived at hotel so that if there
has
been a problem, you can bring a second copy of documents with you.

This thread is getting even more ludicrous.

Horny racoon, you are obviously someone who doesn't travel for business and,
perhaps, not much at all. Maybe YOU can live without a mobile phone
charger, but I can't -- the mobile phone is critical to my business, and I'm
frequently gone for more than 3 days at a time (the absolute limit of my
battery). I'm also, frequently, in analog-only service areas (happens a lot
at airports where a lot of people are competing for channels), which drains
a battery up to 10 times faster.

No one buys a new razor, pens and paper every time they fly. Perhaps you
can survive without an umbrella, but I cannot show up in court looking
dripping wet.

And finally, luggage gets lost regardless of what is written on it --
baggage handlers only look at the baggage tag that's placed on the bags at
check-in. However, the issue isn't misdirected luggage, but delayed
luggage. If you have a tight connection at a hub, you might make it but your
luggage might not.

PTRAVEL wrote:
perhaps, not much at all. Maybe YOU can live without a mobile phone
charger, but I can't -- the mobile phone is critical to my business, and I'm
frequently gone for more than 3 days at a time (the absolute limit of my
battery).

We are talking here about instances where your luggage doesn't make it to you
in time. Your phone charger would arrive usually well before those 3 days. And
meanwhile you can greatly extend the life of your phone by using that old
fashioned thing called a payphone at airport and using your customer's own
landline phones in their offices.

And get a more modern phone on a network that doesn't need analogue. Remember
that people survived before the advent of mobiles.

No one buys a new razor, pens and paper every time they fly.

You'd only need to replace those when the luggage doesn't arrive, not
everytime you fly.

Perhaps you
can survive without an umbrella, but I cannot show up in court looking
dripping wet.

Again, on those rare occasions where your luggage wouldn't show up, there are
many ways to deal with this. But I guess if you're too old, you've lost the
ability to improvise and really can't live when your routine is perturbed.

And finally, luggage gets lost regardless of what is written on it --
baggage handlers only look at the baggage tag that's placed on the bags at
check-in.

Nop. Scanners only look at those tags. Humans who look at the lugggage will
still see non-tag writing (such as "fragile" for instance). The presence of an
extra label doesn't garantee the handler will see or act on it, but its
abasence garantees the handler won't see it.

Consider the handler who gets to load the aircraft containers from a carousel.
his job isn't to "sort" luggage, it is to load the container. If he knows it
is a flight to Paris, and sees big "LONDON" written on the luggage, he might
take a look at the tag to see LHR instead of CDG on it, at which point he
would oput the luggage back into the sorting system. If he doesn't see the big
"LONDON", he won't bother looking at the tag.

However, the issue isn't misdirected luggage, but delayed
luggage. If you have a tight connection at a hub, you might make it but your
luggage might not.

**** happens. But when you don't get your luggage right away, there are many
things you can do without until you do get your luggage.

Selecting the right fllights with reasonable connections also greatly reduces misconnections.

Dennis P. Harris wrote:
On Sat, 08 Nov 2003 00:06:57 GMT in rec.travel.air, mrtravel
wrote:


What is important to note is whether the person who couldn't get the
laptop out of his bag had any room to move out of the way and do it.
I suspect he had...


CAN YOU READ? he has said several times THAT THERE WAS NO ROOM.


Where did it say this?
I read through all of his post up to my response and HE never said this.
Other people were discussing not having room at some airports.

AJC wrote

You are again ignoring the fact that by that stage his carry-on bag,
his coat, a tray with his keys and coins may well have been on their
way through the scanner. Are the security personnel really going to
want someone to move away at that stage?
--==++AJC++==--

Keys and coins could be put elsewhere.. It sounds like he is one of the
many people who don't even try to get the laptop out of the bag until it
is time for them to walk through the metal detector. I observe many
people who aren't ready when it is their turn. I don't buy the issue
about people carry so much stuff they are unable to get the laptop out
before they get to the x ray machine.

Lansbury wrote:

On Fri, 7 Nov 2003 17:03:59 -0800, "PTRAVEL"
wrote:


Obviously, he can gather up his $%^&* possessions and step aside, because
they WOULDN'T HAVE ALREADY BEEN PUT DOWN THE CONVEYOR BELT BECAUSE THERE ARE
LONG TABLES ON WHICH TO ASSEMBLE THEM.


and of course put them in the only place available on the floor where
people are trying to walk, because there was nowhere else to put them.
Or should I have held those possessions in one hand, the rack sack in my
second and pulled the laptop out with the third.


Can't you put the bag strap over your shouldier?
What "possessions" do you have in your hand?

Before you get to the x ray machine, put wallet, cellphone, etc in your
bag. Normally the bag with the laptop has a shoulder strap. I have the
laptop bag on my shoulder, my carry on bag on my shoulder or being
pulled (depending) on the bag. My laptop is being carried by one hand.
If I am not pulling my carryon, I still have a free hand. When pulling
my carryon, I have all of the hands I need. If you can't manage this,
you have to much stuff.