My folks are flying into Washington D.C. next week. Dad is there to pick up a car for a local dealer and drive it back to Kansas. They plan to take only a carry on bag, as it will be a short trip.
Has anyone here flown since the latest restrictions on carryon luggage went into effect? They know about liquids, prescription meds, and so on, the official warnings. But what is it like IRL? What are the attitudes amongst the clerks they will have to deal with? My folks are in their seventies, Caucasion, middle class in appearance. Will that make a difference in how closely they are inspected? Not that it should, you understand.
If anyone has any stories to pass on, or tips to make their flight easier I’d appreciate hearing them, and will pass them on.
I flew out on Sunday, and back on Wednesday.
Lots more people are checking luggage. Lines at the ticket counters/baggage check are a bit longer. There is more overhead bin space then usual. Waits to get your luggage afterward seemed just a bit longer.
Both times, the security checkpoints were moving very smoothly, but they ARE looking for and catching the stuff that is now not allowed. I forgot about a small bottle of lotion I had, and got pulled aside. The TSA person was very polite, asked if I wanted to give it up, and when I said yes, I went on my merry way. I talked to someone that had forgotten about some lip gloss, and the experiance was very similar.
My SO had to leave for a trip on Monday. He told me that in addition to the standard security check point, he was also randomly pulled aside at the gate for another check.
If they can handle waiting for their luggage, I’d suggest checking as much as possible. If they don’t, they are going to have to get all new toothpaste, shampoo, mouthwash, lotion, makeup, etc when they arrive in DC. Waiting for the luggage seems faster.
Well, the trip home will last two days and so they plan on buying any liquid things they need, or using stuff like lotion or shampoo that is found in motel rooms. There is less than three hours from when their plane lands to get to the car dealership and pick up the vehicle, or they will have to stay in/around D.C. that night. My folks planned on just a carryon because they don’t want to waste time waiting for baggage checking, and since a couple changes of clothes don’t bulk too large. They plan on heading to the rent a car place, picking up their rented vehicle, head to the dealership, pick up *that * car, drop off the rented car after returning to the airport, and then heading back to Kansas.
I flew out the morning right after the restrictions went into effect. I was at O’Hare and I had my dog with me, so that made things even more complicated than normal. Security lines were insanely long (2+ hours) and people were missing their flights as a result. Security personnel were actually a lot more friendly than I had anticipated.
I flew again a week later from SeaTac and security wasn’t any different from how it normally is. It took me about 30 minutes to get through security. I did a curbside check-in for my luggage and didn’t even have to wait in line for that. They were doing random carry-on checks at the gate as we boarded, but the personnel knew that it was an inconvenience and were very efficient and corteous as a result.
There’s no point expecting consistency - as usual, some people are having nightmare experiences and others not at all, evidenced even with the few replies here.
I flew from Chicago (O’Hare) to San Francisco on the day the restrictions went into effect. I heard that people were having insane trouble on United, but I flew American and had an e-ticket, so I checked in at an automated kiosk (no line at that point). I checked everything except for a book. Was through check-in and the security line and at my gate in just over twenty minutes. I was kind of taken aback.
Three days later I flew from San Fran to Los Angeles, and four days after that, from Los Angeles back to Chicago. Same experience in both California airports. LAX took the longest because of the way they have bag-screening set up, but even then it only took about 35 minutes to get to my gate.
If your parents have been following the lists of what they can/can’t bring, they’ll be fine. I’ve never had trouble with security people - they can rush you and be brash, but you don’t go there expecting your cuddlesome great-aunt from Sarasota, so that’s OK.
Tell them to get there early and bring a book. The hardest part for me was picking a good seat near the gate to spend 3 hours reading.
Thanks again for the further replies. I will copy them off later.
At least my folks aren’t flying* out* of D.C., just flying in. The airport they will board at will be KCI, in Missouri, and it’s actually set up in a very convenient fashion. Hopefully that will help.
I flew last week, domestically. I checked a bag I normally would have carried on since I didn’t want to buy all my toiletries again in Salt Lake. The security wait was marginally longer in Denver, and on the other side, ny bag was on the carousel when I got there. Pretty much the same on the return.
I’d say, all in all, the trip took 5-10 minutes longer. No big deal at all.
OTOH, people in Salt Lake City apparantly don’t watch the news or read the paper, as the tables and bins at the security screening were full of bottles of water, makeup, etc. Full to overflowing.
I flew from San Jose to Portland last week. I checked a bag I would have usually carried on, but there were no lines at the eticket bag check, and it came fairly quickly. I flew Alaska, and the security lines were shorter and moved faster than before the restrictions, and fewer people carried all their personal possessions on board. I had a tube of epoxy cement in my bag I had forgotten, but it wasn’t detected on the way up, and I put it in my checked luggage on the way back.
My daughter flew Southwest out of Oakland on Wednesday morning, and also got through very quickly. She checked three bags.
I understand it was dreadful right after the restrictions, but it seems fine now.
I flew last week from Roanoke, VA to Alexandria, LA via Atlanta. I had a lot of stuff and checked three cram-full suitcases, keeping a backpack and laptop bag as my carry-ons. Things actually went pretty smoothly and quickly. It was more of a hassle for me because of personal circumstances, but it didn’t seem to take that much longer than it ordinarily would have. I sat around for what seemed like forever, working on things on my laptop, as I’d followed advice and gotten to the airports very early, expecting major delays that didn’t happen.
I flew from Cleveland to Atlanta just four days after the new restrictions went into effect.
I checked everything and carried on nothing. It was, if anything, faster than before. I did get there early, expecting delays, and thus had to sit around the Cleveland airport people watching for an extra hour.
Your folks shouldn’t have any trouble, especially if they are willing to check their baggage.
I flew from California to DC last weekend. The check-in line was insanely long. It took 2 hours to get to the check-in counter, and with about 20mins left for the plane to take off I thought I had missed the flight. All liquids, gels etc. were packed in my checked-in luggage. I had lots of electronics in my carry-on bag. Security was pretty swift. No issues. There were random checks again at the gate while boarding the aircraft. Checked-in baggage was tagged with “late check-in” tags, but they made the flight. I was literally the last person to board the plane, just as they were closing the doors.
Return flight check-in was much faster, took about 25 minutes for baggage check-in and security. So I had to waste about 2 hours sitting around, since I came in early anticipating long lines.
Since your folks don’t have any bags to check-in, they should be fine, but check with the local airport and airline for any expected delays.