more on Flight experience yesterday (Thursday) at Heathrow

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Earle Jones <earle.jones () comcast net>
Date: September 1, 2006 7:20:53 PM EDT
To: dave () farber net
Cc: ip () v2 listbox com
Subject: Re: [IP] Flight experience yesterday (Thursday) at Heathrow

I landed at Heathrow (LHR) yesterday from Prague via Dusseldorf on  
Lufthansa at 11:35 AM local time with a connection via United to SFO  
scheduled for 2:15 PM.  The two-hour, 35-minute layover was just  
barely enough time to make the flight.  When I finally arrived at the  
United gate, the flight had already begun to board.

At LHR Lufthansa uses Terminal 1 and United uses Terminal 3.  This  
compounds an already significant problem.  Arriving and departing the  
same terminal would only be a miserable hour-long security check  
line.  But departing from a different terminal substantially  
increases the difficulty.

The line through baggage check made six "loops" of about 50 feet each  
and was painfully slow-moving.  Hand carried baggage was allowed,  
provided there were no liquids in them.

I was amazed at how many people just didn't get the word about taking  
liquids in their hand-carried baggage.  Women were complaining about  
losing their expensive lipsticks (some of which were purchased just  
moments before in the Duty-Free shop).  "Use it now and then get rid  
of it", commanded the young security woman standing over a rapidly  
filling plastic bag of disallowed stuff.  In went not only the  
shampoo, hair spray, toothpaste, ChapStick, hand lotion and liquid  
medications (without Rx), but I saw a couple of bottles of some  
interesting looking French wines and many, many bottles of water.

Lap-tops, cell phones, PDA's were ok, but had to be removed from the  
hand baggage before scanning.  I could have taken the plans for an A- 
Bomb through on a hard disk, but a two-dollar ChapStick -- no.

Ironically, the United flight left on time and arrived in SFO a  
couple of minutes early.

Security at the smaller airports:  Prague, Dusseldorf, even Berlin  
seemed almost normal.  Frankfurt was hectic.  Hotel security was  
obviously turned up a notch in most cities, with military-looking  
guards making the rounds in the Budapest and Warsaw hotels.

Flying used to be fun, but no longer.  Most believe that it is only  
going to get worse.

Happily retired,

earle
*






On Aug 14, 2006, at 9:50 AM, David Farber wrote:

> Begin forwarded message:
>
> From: Bob Hinden <bob.hinden () nokia com>
> Date: August 13, 2006 10:27:02 PM EDT
> To: David Farber <dave () farber net>
> Cc: Bob Hinden <bob.hinden () nokia com>
> Subject: Flight experience on Saturday from Nice-Frankfurt-San  
> Francisco
> Reply-To: bob.hinden () nokia com
>
> Dave,
>
> For IP, if you find relevant.
>
> I flew from Nice to Frankfurt to San Francisco on Saturday with two  
> colleagues.  When we arrived at the check-in for our Luftanza  
> flight to Frankfurt, we were told that we could not take our normal  
> carry on with laptop, electrics, keys, camera, etc. as carry on.   
> This was a surprise as I had been reading the news reports and the  
> United site and was assuming that this was only happening at the UK  
> airports, not in France.  I had assumed that only liquids were  
> being restricted and had planned to check my larger bag (I had done  
> all carry-on for the trip over).  We were only allowed to bring  
> prescription, passport, wallet, papers, money, and glasses.  We  
> were told these restrictions were only being applied to people  
> traveling to the US.  They checked us in and sent us over to a  
> customer service center to get a plastic bag and resort and pack  
> our stuff.  I was charged four euros for a plastic bag.  I made a  
> quick call to my wife telling here I was going to not have my cell  
> phone for the trip.  I shut down my laptop, put my cell phone in my  
> laptop bag, and removed the stuff on the list above.   I then  
> returned to the check in area, but was able to go the front of the  
> line where I checked my laptop bag as luggage.  I did not lock it.
>
> Going through security in Nice was about normal, but they did look  
> at my prescription medications.  Liquids were being restricted for  
> all passengers.  The flight was a little late, but we arrived in  
> Frankfurt with plenty of time to catch our United flight to San  
> Francisco.
>
> Security in Frankfurt was more attentive then usual (and it's  
> pretty extensive normally).  I had to remove my belt and shoes that  
> I normally don't have to do there.  They do a pat down with metal  
> detector and hands.  They were restricting liquids, but other  
> passengers with laptop bags were OK.
>
> When we got to the lounge, I noticed most people had their laptop  
> bags.  There were a few people with plastic bags like us, but some  
> of these people had laptops in the plastic bags.  I asked at the  
> counter and was told that at this station (e.g., Frankfurt) only  
> liquids were being restricted.  They were not able to give me any  
> explanation as to why Lufthansa in Nice had told us that we could  
> not bring our laptops, keys, and electronics onboard.  They were  
> able to tell me that both of my bags were in the system and one had  
> been loaded on the plane to San Francisco.  They could, of course,  
> not tell me which bag it was.
>
> Security at the gate was normal and the flight left on time.  We  
> were one of the very few passengers who had plastic bags.  There  
> was a passenger who I talked to who had arrived in Heathrow on  
> Thursday and his luggage was still in Heathrow somewhere.  He was  
> wearing the same clothes since he left the USA.
>
> Flight arrive on time in San Francisco.  My laptop bag arrived  
> intact and my Powerbook seems to be fine.  I did let it come to  
> room temperature plugged into the power adapter just to be safe.   
> When I took out my cell phone, I realized I forgot to turn it off  
> in Nice.  Somewhere in the trip it had received a message with the  
> status of the Frankfurt-San Francisco flight :-)
>
> While this was no fun, it turned out OK.  Had the laptop bag been  
> lost or the stuff in side damaged, I would be unhappy.  But the bag  
> and the stuff inside are replaceable and I had backed up the laptop  
> before the trip.  I am not replaceable and I am very glad that they  
> caught these people.   Note, I was in the air during 9/11 flying  
> from Frankfurt to Helsinki.
>
> I do hope that the airlines and airports get a consistent set of  
> rules together soon.
>
> As I finished writing this, I note that UK has just downgraded it's  
> threat level, so I suspect that the restrictions on hand luggage  
> will be gone soon.
>
>   http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4789169.stm
>
> Bob
>
>
>
>
>
>
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