I’m back and after talking to my neighbor who has just flown to Fargo and Cleveland I will give you a security update.
Not much different than before the underwear bomber attack at Christmas. They have certainly turned up the magnetometers and you will get caught if you don’t take off your belt or forget a quarter in your pocket. Also they are a tad more finicky about what they see in your carry ons, and you most likely will be asked to show them what’s in that bag with all your computer connections, ipod, blackberry and all (I actually wondered about that. I was certain that my carry on looked like a bomb maker’s kit with all the transformers, computer parts and wires in it, but no one ever seemed to care).
So it does take a bit more time to get through security, and you have to work harder keeping the smirk off your face as the TSA folks make fools of themselves going through diapers and frisking grannies while they let swarthy, bearded accented young men in turbans sail through.
I did get patted down twice before I boarded the plane from London to Atlanta. It was Delta and it was their plane that carried the bomber so they are a little stressed. The kid who did it was relatively benign and bored. No harm, no foul.
I’m off to Phoenix next week – I’ll report back if there is anything to report.
JVH
Oh, it’s probably out of theaters now, but if you are a frequent flyer and get a chance to see George Clooney in Up in the Air, do it. Fun movie. The more you fly, the more you relate.
