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How quickly can you compose yourself after going through airport security?


Ordos

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Ordos, you sound like a generally disorganized mess when traveling, and I think most of your problems will go away if you knock it off. Get to the airport early, as you're supposed to, so you're not in danger of missing your flight. Wear pants that actually fit, so your pants aren't in danger of falling down when you aren't wearing your belt. Stop putting your passport down on the X-ray machine and relying on the TSA officer to remind you, because what the fuck.

Isk: TSA offers Global Entry now in addition to Pre-Check so that international stuff is easy-breezy too. Worth looking into.

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I don't get why you need to put your passport down. There's nothing to say you can't keep it in your hand or even your pocket. It's not made of metal. I always do this, I'm not breaking the rules and no security staff has ever told me not to do it. 

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13 hours ago, The Killer Snark said:

baxus - I think it was the only label on a case that day they'd seen in Arabic, and they didn't have anything else to do.

Still not a valid reason to single you out and examine your suitcase or pat you down or anything like that.

That's why there are all those checkpoints and x-rays and stuff, to reduce the chances of harassing the regular people.

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14 hours ago, The Killer Snark said:

baxus - I think it was the only label on a case that day they'd seen in Arabic, and they didn't have anything else to do.

Did they actually tell you this or are you just assuming that's the reason? 

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In all seriousness; I don't think I've ever been really flustered at the airport. I always think I'm going to be leading up to it so I end up preparing for anything that could go wrong because I have do seem to have at least a shred of common sense and it's always been easy and fine. Never took me very long at all to sort my shit out afterwards. 

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I'm wondering how little you all travel with.  I tend to use four or five of those boxes (coat: laptop: laptop exterior fan: shoes, Kindle, laptop charger: handbag, liquids bag and passport if I've been told to leave it out - if shoes don't need to come off, the remaining stuff can generally fit all in one box).  At least I always fly in slip-on shoes.

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24 minutes ago, Zoë Sumra said:

I'm wondering how little you all travel with.  I tend to use four or five of those boxes (coat: laptop: laptop exterior fan: shoes, Kindle, laptop charger: handbag, liquids bag and passport if I've been told to leave it out - if shoes don't need to come off, the remaining stuff can generally fit all in one box).  At least I always fly in slip-on shoes.

I am baffled by the idea of an external laptop fan. I've never even heard of that. I guess that might need its own box?

Your Kindle and laptop charger don't need to come out of the bag. I don't think liquid bag needs to either but I could be wrong.

I'm male, so I've never had the handbag to worry about, but you can probably put that in the same bag with some of the other stuff, which also don't need separate containers.

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3 minutes ago, Inigima said:

I am baffled by the idea of an external laptop fan. I've never even heard of that. I guess that might need its own box?

Your Kindle and laptop charger don't need to come out of the bag. I don't think liquid bag needs to either but I could be wrong.

I'm male, so I've never had the handbag to worry about, but you can probably put that in the same bag with some of the other stuff, which also don't need separate containers.

My laptop was very high spec when I got it (not any more)... in every area except its internal fan. See example of external fan.  My laptop overheats even when I use the external fan but that makes it last a little longer.  The fan is one of those (many) things that technically shouldn't need to come out of the carry-on bag but needs to come out because it's confusing to security when they see it on the scanner.

The Kindle also needs to come out because airport staff can't tell the difference between ereaders (allowed in bag) and tablets (not allowed in bag) on a scanner.  Yes, liquids do need to come out. Sometimes chargers can be left in the carry-on without causing questions from security staff, other times not, as with the exterior fan situation above...

But I only fly for holidays and generally only for holidays lasting at least a week.  Leaving the laptop at home would eliminate a whole level of annoyance.

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55 minutes ago, Zoë Sumra said:

I'm wondering how little you all travel with.  I tend to use four or five of those boxes (coat: laptop: laptop exterior fan: shoes, Kindle, laptop charger: handbag, liquids bag and passport if I've been told to leave it out - if shoes don't need to come off, the remaining stuff can generally fit all in one box).  At least I always fly in slip-on shoes.

One backpack in which I may or may not carry a laptop (with charger, of course) and a power bank for my phone.

Other than that, it's wallet, phone, passport and boarding pass, whether I carry a coat or not depends on the season. Keys and all the other stuff go into backpack.

I usually travel with a bag or one of those big hiking backpacks and that gets checked in so I don't bother with liquids, cosmetics and stuff like that.

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 I think if you travel often enough, especially internationally, then you get into a sort of routine at the airport. Like Helena and Polish have mentioned up thread, most airports I go to follow the layout of Check in - Security - Lounge - Departure gate. However, some airports I've been to have the system that Ordos has described, I think the Singapore Airport ( Changi) used to be like that. 

As for me, as soon as I check in with my bags I generally put everything I have into my bag. And yes, I almost always travel with my bag as I often work on the plane/ lounge area. I usually have my laptop, a couple of books ( Will always resist the kindle!), something to write in etc. Putting everything into my bag ( including my phone) just makes security much easier. My laptop, belt, shoes all go into one tray, and like Isis, I hold onto my passport and boarding pass. Ordos is right in that sometimes there isn't much space to put everything back, especially if you're at a crowded/ transit hub, but it only takes a couple of seconds to put on my belt and shoes and put the laptop back into the bag. 

I'm not even close to the most organised person you'll meet, but I manage airports fine. As for coat, I usually have that in my hand luggage, and if I need it at my destination I open it up in the airport ( it's a tiny bag) and put it on. 

Edit: My biggest pet peeve at the airport is the double security checks that you end up having to do in transit, this can take ages in airports that are busy - the dubai airport being a good example of one.

 

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I went through this voluntarily an extra time today because it's still better than spending 10 hours sat in the airport.

Actually it doesn't really bother me that much, just take all the stuff out of your pockets etc and stick it in your bag for a couple of minutes. The only thing I find mildly irritating is if you have to take your shoes off because they're a bit inconsistent about that. I do tend to get patted down fairly often but it's just the security people doing their jobs, again it doesn't particularly bother me.

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7 minutes ago, ljkeane said:

The only thing I find mildly irritating is if you have to take your shoes off because they're a bit inconsistent about that.

It does seem inconsistent, it feels like 90% of the time they're happy but 10% they'll demand I take my shoes off.

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For me, I don't think I've ever been asked to take my trainers off but I always take boots off. I guess normal, smart, shoes fall in between and might therefore be a grey area, but I wear regular shoes about once a year and have never on a flight so I wouldn't know.

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On 4/24/2016 at 9:57 AM, Zoë Sumra said:

My laptop was very high spec when I got it (not any more)... in every area except its internal fan. See example of external fan.  My laptop overheats even when I use the external fan but that makes it last a little longer.  The fan is one of those (many) things that technically shouldn't need to come out of the carry-on bag but needs to come out because it's confusing to security when they see it on the scanner.

The Kindle also needs to come out because airport staff can't tell the difference between ereaders (allowed in bag) and tablets (not allowed in bag) on a scanner. 

I'm not sure this is true.  I've literally never taken my kindle out of my bag and it's never an issue. In fact, i make a special effort to put it IN my bag with my phone, etc to avoid having shit strewn everywhere......

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Raja, thanks for confirming what I say is true about some airports.

By the way, the reason Indonesia has two security checks one as you enter the building and another at the boarding gate, is in case you have an accomplice inside the airport that gives you something. The entrance security check is so you don't cause an incident in the airport, and the boarding security check is so you don't cause an incident in the plane.

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I've always had to take my Kindle out of my bag.   - At least while flying from the UK.

I have a padded pouch I keep my laptop in while traveling, the kindle fits in that. and both fit side by side in one of the boxes.

 

While in the queue I take my belt off and stuff it in my bag.  My jeans don't fall down without it (maybe they would if I ran and jumped about)   Go through my pockets and put anything in them in my coat pockets.

Any liquids are in the very top of my bag all ready to pull out.  (laptop and liquids can all be removed in less than a second)

I have a bum bag I only use when traveling.  I keep my purse, phone, pen, boarding pass and passport in that.

 

As I near the front of the queue, the coat if I'm wearing it comes off,  I open the top of my bag and I Unclip my bum bag and sling it over my shoulder.

Get almost to the boxes and roll my eyes at the disorganised sod in front of me and wait about 10 mins until he/she has moved on allowing me access to the boxes.

Bag in first box (in the UK they don't allow anything not in a box). Laptop and kindle in the next box.    Coat and bum bag and liquids in 3rd box.  Passport and boarding pass in hand.     done in less than a min.

Flash my trainers at the staff.  I've never been asked to remove my trainers since the time I traveled just after the shoe bomber incident.  although that wouldn't hold me up for long either.

then walk through the metal detector,  set it off about half the time due to my bra.  - I'm considering taking the bra off in the queue just to speed things up a bit.  although it wouldn't help that much cos that dissorganised sod is now taking up all the exit conveyor with his boxes while he faffs around and sorts himself out. which blocks the exit from the xray machine stopping my stuff from coming out.   Then the bastard just leaves his empty boxes in a row and won't stack them in.   (I know the box return thing is supposed to automatically take the boxes, but its a bit slow and seems to get full and stop collecting boxes whenever I go through.

Finaly my boxes start coming though.  Grab my bag put on floor,  stack empty box in box net to it. Laptop and kindle in bag - stack box, grab coat bum bad and liquids, stack box.  walk away past the dissorganised sod.

 

finish sorting my stuff out while walking through duty free corridor.

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Luckily I work for a corporation that has its own jets for travel, so I am not subject to the kabuki dance of regular airport security for half of my trips. We pretty much just get on the plane.

The other half is an exercise in frustration, but I still have a mental checklist going while the person in front of me is loading stuff onto the belt.

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