so today is my last day in the area. i’ll be staying in detroit tonight, and flying out early tomorrow morning. this will be the first time on a flight since before the wtc attacks. i’ve heard mixed stories on how easy/hard getting on the flight is. other than clothes, i’m taking a cell phone, pda, gps, laptop, and digital camera. i’m carrying everything on board since it’s a short visit.
what do my frequent flyer viewers think about carrying laptops on board? do i need to have them hand check it, or is the x-ray machine going to be kind to my sexy little ibook?
anyway, as some of you know, my nice digital camera — the one i paid well over $300 for not two years ago — went up missing some while back. i’ve searched everywhere and can’t find it. i don’t want to be in californ-i-a without a camera, so i’m buying an el cheapo at best buy today. between my $50 gift card, and the $50 gift certificate that my extremely excellent girlfriend is letting me use (under the assumption she gets something really nice for valentine’s day), i shouldn’t have to pony up too much cash for a decent cheapo. my previous camera was an olympus, and I loved it, so I’m thinking the $139 olympus d-390. or, maybe i’ll step up to the kodak with optical zoom for about $179.
the laptop comes out of the bag and in its own gray bin.
i left our camera in my side pack and they didn’t care…my phone/coat/keys/change/wallet through together and then the coat went through…
wear tennis shoes, otherwise shoes have to go through the x-ray separate…
the wait wasn’t too bad when we flew out and came back…however, heed the 2 hour rule or you run the risk of missing your flight (detroit was a lot of waiting, vegas they mean it…security just filled up an hour before our flight)
keep in mind we flew out of detriot at 7:10…seeing as your flight is 9:20 and with rush hour, plan to be there early (like 6-7) and sit and wait…also, don’t expect to find outlets around, there pain to find…
and i was happy with my iBook…even watching dvds, i got a good 3.5-4 hours out of the battery (granted brand new 01/06 and with latest battery update)
running 10.3.x?
10.2.8 which had a battery update with the security updates about a month ago…
yeah..take the laptop out and put it in a grey bin. you will also have to do that with the other electronic stuff you have. so if you can, make all those things VERY easily accessible.
Make sure to wipe down your laptop too. I made the mistake of taking a dusty laptop on a trip with me onetime and they had to wipe it down with the little round cloth and analyze it in the machine.
Also make sure to wear easy to take off shoes and also socks because they’ll probably make you take them off even if they are tennis shoes. Some airports have this thing that you can step on so you don’t have to take off your shoes, but I can’t remember if Detroit has one of those yet.
If you’re flying Northwest out of Detroit, you’ll want to be there at least 1.5 hours early to check in and make it through security. Since Detroit is Northwest’s hub, they are always busy. If you’re flying any other airline, you should be okay with getting there an hour or less before your flight, especially since you’re flying midweek.
And as always, make sure to check items like your cattle prod and nunchuku in your check-in luggage. It’s also a wise idea to not wear shirts that say “naughty” on them because when you do, you’re automatically a terrorist (i learned this the hard way and was checked 4 times between the ticket counter and plane).
On the plus side, the Northwest terminal of the airport has wireless 🙂 Yeehaw!
take your entire knife collection. they won’t mind. don’t forget the anthrax. always spices up a dull day at the airport.
oh, and i heard that if you have a bomb in your shoes, you get special service. give it a try.