Monday, August 11, 2008

Me and the TSA

Hi there! I'm back from Antigua, we had a fabulous time, and will definitely update you once I get all 339 pictures uploaded and sorted, and the laundry done, and catch up at my real job. Until then, here's a little anecdote from our trip to tide you over.

My carry on luggage got busted not once, but twice, for liquids. Craig got busted once.

The first incident was the last-minute addition of the aloe vera gel to my carry-on suitcase instead of my checked suitcase. I didn't realize I'd put it in the wrong bag but the TSA agent at Lambert sure found it. As soon as my bag set off the beeping I realized what I'd done. I apologized profusely, convinced him I wasn't a threat to national security, and he pitched it.

The second incident was in the St. Maarten airport. We had to take a puddle jumper plane from St. Maarten to Antigua. The screener made Craig pitch his brand-new unopened water bottle. That didn't make much sense to us, considering we'd never left the airport and he had bought it not five minutes before boarding the other plane. Consistency doesn't seem to be the motto sometimes.

The third incident was on our way back, in the Charlotte airport. I had bought an extra water bottle at the St. Maarten airport (because USeless Airways charges for everything). I put it in my carry-on, and forgot I'd have to recheck my bags for my connecting flight to St. Louis. So, my carry-on stops traffic on the x-ray belt. As soon as it started beeping I said damn it, I did it again. I told the TSA screener what I'd done and asked him to just pitch it. Well, of course he was in the middle of training new agents so they had to go through the whole shebang of removing my bag with a crane, donning the hazmat suits, and shutting down the airport. Not really, but that's what I felt like. Of course everyone behind us is backed up now because of my low tolerance for dehydration. I was not the most popular gal in the line, let me tell you.

Craig said "If we make it back to St. Louis without going to jail, I'll be surprised." Of course, I had an incident at the Customs Desk, but that's a story for tomorrow. Stay tuned....

9 comments:

Jeannette E. Spaghetti said...

While going through security for an inter-island flight from Maui to the Big Island of Hawaii last summer, James and I were busted with tanning oil.

Two months before that on a flight out of DC, a drunken me tried to go through security with a beer bottle opener in my cargo pants pocket. Oops.

Raquita said...

I'm glad you made it back in one peice - shoot me an email!

Anonymous said...

Welcome back!
Last year I had to throw out 2 unopened bottles of spirits in Bangkok airport for the same reason. I was not a happy person.

Jill of All Trades said...

In January on our trip to see A i Californina I had to throw out my nearly empty tube of toothpaste because it said on the packaging that is was over the regulation *** ounces. There was probably not an ounce left in the darn thing. Oh well...Glad you had a good trip and are back.

Jakki said...

Welcome back!!! Can't wait to see the photos.

Michelle Linneman said...

Welcome back! I've always wanted to go to Antigua.

Two years ago the hubby and I planned a trip to LA to see his BFF. A week before the trip I found out I was pregnant and was drinking water faster than it was melting from the polar ice caps. So we bought a 6 pack of bottled water and headed to LA.

The morning of our flight is when the stupid terrorists decided for the rest of the world that liquids were not ok on airplanes. Thank you Al-Quaeda (or however you spell it). I ventured over to a TV just before boarding to here CNN say that men were arrested in London for brining explosive liquids on a plane. Lots of Hail Marys were said between St. Louis and LA. We made it safely but dehydrated!

Marrdy said...

Oh, the joys of 9/11. How our lives have changed. We have all become terrorists carrying water bottles. Glad you had a good time. It sounds so nice! Can't wait to see the pictures.

She Who said...

OMG!!!! I knew you were a rabble-rouser the moment I met you.

TEE HEE! Glad you had fun and made it back safe and sound.

Now, let's see the pictures.

Anonymous said...

Flying puts such a debbie downer on getting somewhere...