Clue me in?
I have to fly (from PDX to MDW) Sunday AM.
Anybody flown domestically who can tell me what the real-world impact of the new rules has been in terms of delays at security?
As Leslie NielsenLloyd Bridges might say “I picked the wrong four days to go on vacation”.
Updated: Lloyd, not Leslie. Thanks, Asteroid.
I flew from Boston Logan to Denver on Thursday evening and from Denver to Telluride on Friday morning. Both airports suggested three hour check-in. At Logan I turned up at 5PM (very light traffic) for an 8:20PM flight to find hardly any line at the check-in desks and I only waited 15 minutes for security, nine minutes of which were with my bag already on the belt because the obstreperous woman in front of me refused to believe that the “no liquids, creams or gels” applied to her cosmetics (she was eventually escorted back to the check-in area by two TSA staff). At Denver I turned up at 8AM for a 10:20AM flight and had two people in front of me at security; I went through in less than two minutes, total, including getting my shoes back on.
Having said that, in both airports I commented to staff at the short lines and in both cases they said “you should have seen it a few hours ago”, which suggests that the lines can still be bad at peak times. That said, it seems that the airports are coping very well.
I was flying on Thursday out of Reagan National. Lines were a bit longer, and lots of bag checks but if you don’t have anything in them on the new list, then you’re fine.
Honestly, it looked the same as any other weekday. Busy, but not overwhelmingly so.
What I’m reading in the news suggests that the lines are less of a problem now. At first a lot of people were unfamiliar with the new rules, and were wasting time arguing with the TSA folks or deciding what to do with their makeup and contact lens solution. Now that everyone knows the score, things are going more smoothly.
I actually flew on Thursday evening. I flew out of Fresno, though, which is a pretty sleepy airport. There were only four people in line. I had a connection in SFO, though, and the flight I was supposed to hook up with there ended up being an hour late due to problems getting out of Boston.
Turned out to be a non-issue. Security lines were quick. However, many more people checked bags than usual.
Thanks for the help, folks!
No comment on the security procedures, but the “wrong week” quote is more properly attributed to the actor who actually said those lines: Lloyd Bridges.