stimpy
Sep 20, 01, 8:01 am
Starting at the Hilton Heathrow which was quite full, I hired a car to T3 rather than walking a country mile and taking the train. I checked in at the First desk (which had no line) thanks to an upgrade. They asked me twice to read a long list of items I was not allowed to carry on. I just ignored it as I won't change any plans due to terrorists.
So I went up to X-ray and they stopped my bag. I should note that I left home before the attack (I've been flying around Europe since then), so I had a corkscrew/knife, tiny scissors, jewelers screwdriver, a somewhat larger phillips screwdriver, a tiny lancet, and assorted computer gear. This was my 4th flight since the attack and I hadn't been searched yet, but this time I was.
The Heathrow security person started unpacking my bag and putting all the items in a pair of trays. He wipe-checked the electrical items and items he didn't understand. He tried to open a box of chocolates, but I told them it was sealed. So he left it alone! He pulled out all my clothes, papers, etc. My bag was quite full so this took time and was entertaining to all the other people standing behind me waiting for their turn.
Then he got to my small toiletries bag which had some of the banned items. He rooted around it in and found the jewelers screwdriver and told me he had to confiscate it. I showed him my ballpoint pen and asked him what the difference was. He just shook his head and said he didn't make the rules up. At that point, he gave up the search, and never noticed all the other contraband I had. He didn't re-x-ray anything. So what was the point again?
I made my way to the First lounge where they had removed the Champagne for some unknown reason. When I asked, they sent someone back to fetch it, but it was cheap Moet from the RCC. Ugh.
I was the last to board the 777 and the horde of security people out at the gate all got to take a peek at my passport. I went to my usual 1A and got buckled up. A few minutes later, I needed a kleenex so I went up to the head and grabbed one. Even though the cockpit door was open, no one seemed to notice me going up there.
Channel 9 ATC was on thank goodness. I was worried they would take that away from us as well. The only thing different I could hear was that every plane had to have verbal clearance to their destination before they could pull back from the gate. I heard various planes getting approval to places like Helsinki, Hanover, etc. We had a short security delay (no explanation) which caused us to miss our slot. Thanks to channel 9, I knew about this long before anyone else, so I recline my seat for 30 minutes til we pulled back. Another thing different on Channel 9 was that it seemed that ATC in the U.K. were making sure that all pilots stayed on their precise flight path as indicated by radar. I didn't hear that in the U.S. though.
I stayed in my seat for most of the flight watching movies, but after a while I went up to the galley to gab with the girls as I usually do. They were still mostly somber, but I tried to cheer them up. They were London based so we talked about some good pubs to go to. They asked me to write down my favorites for them, so hopefully I'll seem some FA's at my local pub next time. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif
The purser said that she really did not want to fly again and dreaded taking this flight. But once she saw that it was business as usual, she was more of the opinion that she wouldn't let terrorists take her away from her chosen career. BTW, she also had scissors in her bag that weren't checked by security. I told her that there were plenty of items in the galley that could be used as a weapon and she proceeded to tell me about lots of other things that could be weapons. You could break a plate or a plastic cup and cut someone, etc.
The food was the same as normal, but of course we had plastic cutlery which really didn't seem right. There is the tendency to say "Oh well, we'll just have to get used to it". But I really don't want to get used to losing freedom and the good things in life.
Landing was normal, except we weren't towed into the gate as is usually the policy at LAX. I don't know why. I went down to immigration and of course the INSPASS machine was broken. I asked the agent if it was broken or closed, and he said it was just broken. There were no special questions and no searching of bags as far as I could see. The flight ahead of us must have been from Mexico or Guatemala as everyone ahead of me was speaking that dialect of Spanish. But no searching of bags.
So out the door to a...ghost town? I was totally unprepared for the lack of cars. At first, I thought "Great! No more congestion at LAX". But then I thought it was a **** disgrace and yet another theft of liberty. That brand new multi-million dollar parking garage that we paid for is sitting empty. I got on the Avis bus and saw all the police surrounding LAX and was not happy at all.
The Avis lot at LAX is jam packed with cars and few of us to rent them. They said business was expected to stay poor til Thanksgiving.
My next two trips are domestic U.S. and I'm dreading them.
So I went up to X-ray and they stopped my bag. I should note that I left home before the attack (I've been flying around Europe since then), so I had a corkscrew/knife, tiny scissors, jewelers screwdriver, a somewhat larger phillips screwdriver, a tiny lancet, and assorted computer gear. This was my 4th flight since the attack and I hadn't been searched yet, but this time I was.
The Heathrow security person started unpacking my bag and putting all the items in a pair of trays. He wipe-checked the electrical items and items he didn't understand. He tried to open a box of chocolates, but I told them it was sealed. So he left it alone! He pulled out all my clothes, papers, etc. My bag was quite full so this took time and was entertaining to all the other people standing behind me waiting for their turn.
Then he got to my small toiletries bag which had some of the banned items. He rooted around it in and found the jewelers screwdriver and told me he had to confiscate it. I showed him my ballpoint pen and asked him what the difference was. He just shook his head and said he didn't make the rules up. At that point, he gave up the search, and never noticed all the other contraband I had. He didn't re-x-ray anything. So what was the point again?
I made my way to the First lounge where they had removed the Champagne for some unknown reason. When I asked, they sent someone back to fetch it, but it was cheap Moet from the RCC. Ugh.
I was the last to board the 777 and the horde of security people out at the gate all got to take a peek at my passport. I went to my usual 1A and got buckled up. A few minutes later, I needed a kleenex so I went up to the head and grabbed one. Even though the cockpit door was open, no one seemed to notice me going up there.
Channel 9 ATC was on thank goodness. I was worried they would take that away from us as well. The only thing different I could hear was that every plane had to have verbal clearance to their destination before they could pull back from the gate. I heard various planes getting approval to places like Helsinki, Hanover, etc. We had a short security delay (no explanation) which caused us to miss our slot. Thanks to channel 9, I knew about this long before anyone else, so I recline my seat for 30 minutes til we pulled back. Another thing different on Channel 9 was that it seemed that ATC in the U.K. were making sure that all pilots stayed on their precise flight path as indicated by radar. I didn't hear that in the U.S. though.
I stayed in my seat for most of the flight watching movies, but after a while I went up to the galley to gab with the girls as I usually do. They were still mostly somber, but I tried to cheer them up. They were London based so we talked about some good pubs to go to. They asked me to write down my favorites for them, so hopefully I'll seem some FA's at my local pub next time. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif
The purser said that she really did not want to fly again and dreaded taking this flight. But once she saw that it was business as usual, she was more of the opinion that she wouldn't let terrorists take her away from her chosen career. BTW, she also had scissors in her bag that weren't checked by security. I told her that there were plenty of items in the galley that could be used as a weapon and she proceeded to tell me about lots of other things that could be weapons. You could break a plate or a plastic cup and cut someone, etc.
The food was the same as normal, but of course we had plastic cutlery which really didn't seem right. There is the tendency to say "Oh well, we'll just have to get used to it". But I really don't want to get used to losing freedom and the good things in life.
Landing was normal, except we weren't towed into the gate as is usually the policy at LAX. I don't know why. I went down to immigration and of course the INSPASS machine was broken. I asked the agent if it was broken or closed, and he said it was just broken. There were no special questions and no searching of bags as far as I could see. The flight ahead of us must have been from Mexico or Guatemala as everyone ahead of me was speaking that dialect of Spanish. But no searching of bags.
So out the door to a...ghost town? I was totally unprepared for the lack of cars. At first, I thought "Great! No more congestion at LAX". But then I thought it was a **** disgrace and yet another theft of liberty. That brand new multi-million dollar parking garage that we paid for is sitting empty. I got on the Avis bus and saw all the police surrounding LAX and was not happy at all.
The Avis lot at LAX is jam packed with cars and few of us to rent them. They said business was expected to stay poor til Thanksgiving.
My next two trips are domestic U.S. and I'm dreading them.