I travel quite a bit. It probably averages out to 2-3 weeks out of every 4 over the course of a year.
When I saw the new rules on airport security I was worried because I almost never check bags. I've had a couple of lost bags and plus I like the time it saves by not having to wait for checked baggage.
Well, I have to say that it is not bad at all. In fact, I would say that travel is even better in many ways. Here's why I am in favor of keeping these new rules banning liquids and gels from carry-on baggage (along with preventing attacks, of course):
-The added time during check-in is minimal. Granted, I arrived at a pretty slow time today, but even with United being short-staffed and one guy having a problem getting his surfboard checked in, the entire process only took 5 minutes.
-Screening checkpoints are much more bearable. It used to be annoying to have everyone get 2 bags, plus a laptop, plus shoes and whatever else through the X-Ray machines. The lines would especially backup because lots of travelers skip check-in by printing their tickets at home and only taking carry-on luggage. Since almost everyone has to check at least one bag, you avoid that bottleneck at the checkpoint.
-The terminals are less congested. When everyone used to have a carry-on bag with them, seating areas would get crowded. That didn't matter too much to me since I go to the Red Carpet Club, but even the executive lounges would have plenty of bags to maneuver around during busy times. Today in the Red Carpet Club it was super easy to get a drink at the bar and be disgusted that everyone gave two craps about boring a** golf on TV.
-Boarding is faster. Again, this one doesn't affect me as much because I get priority boarding, but it definitely took less time to get people on the plane because carry-ons were gone.
-Overhead bins are open. It used to be a mad dash for overhead bin space, especially on flights with a lot of business travelers on them. From now on I can spend more time in the Red Carpet Club because I won't have to worry about missing out on overhead bin space.
-Luggage retrieval is less painful than I feared. The one part of the trip that did take a somewhat significant amount of additional time was waiting for checked baggage after landing. Again, since I have priority my bag was among the first to come out, but it's still pretty efficient overall.
I'm curious to hear from other folks who have traveled with the new rules. I'd especially like to hear from folks who have to travel a lot. I was pleasantly surprised.
When I saw the new rules on airport security I was worried because I almost never check bags. I've had a couple of lost bags and plus I like the time it saves by not having to wait for checked baggage.
Well, I have to say that it is not bad at all. In fact, I would say that travel is even better in many ways. Here's why I am in favor of keeping these new rules banning liquids and gels from carry-on baggage (along with preventing attacks, of course):
-The added time during check-in is minimal. Granted, I arrived at a pretty slow time today, but even with United being short-staffed and one guy having a problem getting his surfboard checked in, the entire process only took 5 minutes.
-Screening checkpoints are much more bearable. It used to be annoying to have everyone get 2 bags, plus a laptop, plus shoes and whatever else through the X-Ray machines. The lines would especially backup because lots of travelers skip check-in by printing their tickets at home and only taking carry-on luggage. Since almost everyone has to check at least one bag, you avoid that bottleneck at the checkpoint.
-The terminals are less congested. When everyone used to have a carry-on bag with them, seating areas would get crowded. That didn't matter too much to me since I go to the Red Carpet Club, but even the executive lounges would have plenty of bags to maneuver around during busy times. Today in the Red Carpet Club it was super easy to get a drink at the bar and be disgusted that everyone gave two craps about boring a** golf on TV.
-Boarding is faster. Again, this one doesn't affect me as much because I get priority boarding, but it definitely took less time to get people on the plane because carry-ons were gone.
-Overhead bins are open. It used to be a mad dash for overhead bin space, especially on flights with a lot of business travelers on them. From now on I can spend more time in the Red Carpet Club because I won't have to worry about missing out on overhead bin space.
-Luggage retrieval is less painful than I feared. The one part of the trip that did take a somewhat significant amount of additional time was waiting for checked baggage after landing. Again, since I have priority my bag was among the first to come out, but it's still pretty efficient overall.
I'm curious to hear from other folks who have traveled with the new rules. I'd especially like to hear from folks who have to travel a lot. I was pleasantly surprised.
