Christmas trips to the airport.....arrrgggghhhh!!!

jujube

jujube

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Location
I think I'm in Florida, but I'm not sure any more.
Just made my third trip to the airport in ten days with two more trips coming up later in the week.

45 minutes to an hour each way, usually at 5 a.m. or afternoon rush hour.

$5-7 to park if I can't pick them up at the arrivals door. (Able-bodied guests get that option only, but elderly ladies and mothers dragging babies, strollers, carry-ons and car seats get the personal meeting treatment....)

Round and round and round the parking garage looking for a space. Oh, I see one! Nope, it's a motorcycle. Oh, there's one. Nope, it's a Smart Car. Rats. It's the terminal rooftop for me.

What feels like (and probably is not far from) a 2-mile hike through the garage and the terminal.

It's worth it (I keep telling myself) to see my loved ones but oh, wouldn't it be great if they came by train????

I hope I live long enough to see teleportation.
 

Horrid that you had to go through that. Can't they take one of those express buses from the airport? The ones here are great and very handy and go right into town. There are also limos from airport but cost mucho moola.
 
Most airports now have cell phone lots. You can park there in the comfort of your car and when your pick-ups arrive and collect their luggage, they can call you to come and get them.
 
I'd rather have a root canal done than go through an airport this time of the year. I don't like dealing with airports anytime of the year.
 
Bullie76 said:
I'd rather have a root canal done than go through an airport this time of the year. I don't like dealing with airports anytime of the year.
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You can cut down with some of the anxiety by using a few ideas that are also found in Conde Nast Traveler magazine. Travelers may purchase a Known Traveler Number (KTN), which allows the traveler to skip the long lines going through security and instead go through the lines marked "Pre Check.". I believe the cost is around $85.00 for five years. It is actually a background check that is performed by the FBI and takes about 2 weeks to receive. You can also get your favorite airlines credit card, which when the traveler purchases their airline ticket with that airline's credit card, they normally also receive priority boarding, which keeps the traveler from having to stand in a line and will put the passenger in his/her seat much quicker. Traveling by air is not the nightmare it used to be. I have always thought that the drive to and from the airport, along with the parking and then hopping on a shuttle to the terminal was the worse part of flying.

I will admit to one thing that most everyone would probably agree with and that is; if you are looking for the rudest people alive, look no further than the airport. I am convinced that when most (not all) people travel that they leave their common sense and being considerate at home. People with backpacks do not realize that when they are in line that they can not quickly turn or spin around to speak with someone without having their bag clobber the poor Joe in front or in back of him/her. Same goes for grabbing a quick sandwich at one of the walk-up stands. I know that for many, they like the convenience of carrying a backpack, but those things can be a nuisance, depending on who is carrying it.

Airlines have talked about doing away with carry-on baggage for years. They think it will cut down on turn around time by getting people off of the plane quicker. I watched a dry run by United maybe five years ago of allowing passengers only one personal bag, but no carry-on bags to store in the overhead bin. It took just over 3 minutes to clear the plane off of a B-737, which was 120 passengers in this case that I had watched. I have also witnessed clearing a mock emergency of a B-747, which took just over one minute. Their goal was to make it in 45 seconds or less.
 

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