I just returned home from flying for the first time since before 9/11

[catbyte]

and I have to confess I saw absolutely no difference. I think I lucked out flying with my friend because she flies on Delta and was a silver something so she paid for the tickets from Detroit to Phoenix & I paid for the hotel & rental car. We were pre-something (pre-checked?) so we didn't have to take off our shoes or have our bags searched or anything. All we had to do was show our driver's licenses, walk through a metal detector & have our bags go through the x-ray machine and that was it. Man, that's the way to go. The lines in the TSA area looked like they were snaking halfway across the terminal. Yuck.

It looked like an absolute nightmare. There was a young woman who checked in to a Delta flight before us, and we later saw her padding around in her stocking feet and she was re-packing her carry-on. It looked miserable. I guess two old Anishinaabe women aren't classified as "high risk" fliers.

[rurallib]

1. I just returned also from a long trip my 2nd since 2001

The seating area seems much smaller, the security checks were a pain and the flight times were so close we barely made connections.

Whenever we go someplace we always look for anyway to take a train. My recollection is that congress did such a thorough job of dismantling the train industry can barely get us across the street let alone across the country.

So I look with envy at Europe and Japan who have real competition in the travel industry. Our choices are to be crammed into a sardine can or drive.

Let's just say I was an unhappy customer.

edit to add - we went from the midwest to Arizona also

[handmade34]

2. welcome back!

sometimes hit or miss on flights and I have my share of stories but one time TSA searched my father (with Dementia)… it was not fun

[hlthe2b]

3. Don't kid yourself that an older woman is automatically considered low risk and thus

breezes through.

I will never forget an episode not all that long ago where a 60ish looking overweight large breasted woman was stopped likely because of an underwire bra. She was confused and frightened and the TSA agent intensely impatient. Rudeness quickly became outright abuse though as her loudly shouted orders to the woman to remove her cardigan-- over which she had a simple shell--were not quickly accommodated. The TSA screamed at her again and grabbed the bag and cardigan off one shoulder causing the shell to rip or drop down and her bra to pop open in front of at least four dozen or so passengers and snickering male agents. Many of the women seeing this became very upset, the humiliated woman passenger was in tears and when all was said and done so too were a lot of the rest of us. My blood was boiling and I guess another TSA agent anticipated what was going to happen next as she stepped in and hurriedly pushed those closest in line through so that we couldn't stage a protest. I wasn't allowed to go back, to speak with a supervisor or even wait for the poor woman to try to console her.

I will never forget this incident, though I've seen some similarly appalling albeit less horrendous incidents since then.

Friends who fly with me now note that-- though I am technically very polite-- that I wear a "don't you dare f..k with me look on my face that they would not dare cross. It isn't intentional, but I can say no one has messed with me since. I'd like to think the same to be the case for that poor woman from several years back.


I'm glad your flight was uneventful. Good on you.

[catbyte]

5. I've heard all of the horror stories too and I was frankly dreading having to fly.

I think it was just the fact that my friend has been flying a lot lately and Delta did something so we were spared the third degree. It looked awful. If I flew more, I would seriously consider spending the money to get that pre-check thing I've seen.

That poor woman! I can't imagine the trauma she went through. Shame on all of them. I also have always had that "don't even think about messing with me" air about me. I attribute it to being raised by an ex-WWII Marine Raider & cop for a dad. It has served me well my whole life.

[HipChick]

6. Delta didn't do anything...

Sounds as though your friend has a Silver Medallion status on Delta..prob the only reason she has TSA Pre-check...you can get this only any Airline if you qualify, or it comes with Global Entry Program as well..
Any status on Delta can be given a SSSS designation, and then you'll get extra special security with no TSA Pre-check

[catbyte]

7. I figured that. I only mentioned Delta because that happened to be the airline she frequents.

And yes, that's what the tickets said.

[snowybirdie]

4. Good thing you don't have an artificial knee

I always get full pat down and serious questioning even though I'm old and farty. Meanwhile my purse and carryon sit lonely and vulnerable to theft several feet away. Hate to fly!

[Sgent]

8. Pre-check is the way to go if you fly even semi-regularly

you probably got it because you were on the same reservation as your friend (who has it and has status). You can sign up at the TSA website and then have to go to an airport for an interview. TSA can also randomly bump people to pre-check for whatever reason (in this case same reservation).

Global entry is a little more expensive ($100 vs $85 / 4 years) but gives you TSA pre-check plus the advantage of a pre-check like experience when going through customs and immigration.

Global entry requirements are stricter -- although we don't know by how much cause they won't say. In addition, an interview for global entry can take months where a TSA pre-check can be done the same day if your at an airport with a desk.

[llmart]

9. Ironically, so did I.

Flew out of Detroit on Delta and I was frankly quite surprised at how smoothly things went and how nice and friendly the TSA people were to me. It's probably been seven years since I've flown. I asked the agent if I had to take off my shoes and she said you can only skip that part if you're 75 or older. I'm 70 and wear orthotics and always have to wear the heavy walking shoes, plus have a back that likes to act up, so taking my shoes off and putting them back on is a real pain. However, she was very polite about it, so I didn't mind so much.

The lines for the TSA were very short.