And I thought I had such an oridinary name…
July 20, 2009
I dread those little self-check-in kiosks at the airport. Never fails when it’s my turn—there will be a long line of rushed impatient passengers standing behind me. Trying to not look too suspicious, an overwhelming panicky feeling comes over me as I hurry to push the right keys to retrieve my coveted ticket. Just as it flashes on cue across the screen, “Go to the counter,” I am sure one of these days that this modern-technological contraption is going to be complete with very loud whistles and bells.
Hmm, “Why does the agent standing behind the counter never seem to make eye contact with me when asking to see my driver’s license?” Politely, I hand it to this person who quickly disappears into the back for what seems like more than just a few minutes. It gives me a lot of time for my mind to wander, “Am I on some list for being a terrorist? Or, maybe they know something about my “missing” birth certificate that I don’t.”
Have you ever noticed that it’s not “Fly the Friendly Skies With Us” anymore? Some employees even act as though the customer isn’t the one paying for the flight. But this extra hassle makes me wonder if they have caught me being too friendly to everyone on the plane in the past, except the Pilot. Usually, I only smile at him as I walk by the cabin hoping he can hear my whispered prayer, “My life is in your hands; please keep us safe.”
Over the years, I’ve met some nice people on my flights. One man’s story stands out in particular. We sat next to each other on our red-eye flight from Georgia to Oregon and immediately started conversing. As it turns out, he was meeting his wife and twin daughters for a softball tournament. My new friend was from the Louisiana area, close to New Orleans. Through the wee hours of the morning we talked about an array of different topics from how proud we were of our girls to, of all things, hurricanes. As a West Coast girl, it was foreign to me to hear him say back in high school that some of the teenagers would party while they waited out the wicked storms. What an eerie feeling—several weeks later Hurricane Katrina hit his home state with massive force. I was eventually able to get in touch with the American Softball Association to find out that my traveling buddy and his beautiful family were miraculously safe.
Just as I start to get lost in thought, the agent returns, “Mrs. Bennett here’s your driver’s license back.” Interestingly, this time the person is looking directly at me; I guess hoping I will answer to my name like a stray puppy. As he fiddles around with the computer for a few minutes longer, I am finally given my boarding pass. Curiously, I get brave before heading off in the direction as his hand points to the gate, “Could you please tell me the reason why I am repeatedly getting flagged each time I check in at the airport?” The agent described it as if it’s an everyday occurrence as an American citizen that my personal information could possibly be similar to another individual’s identity on the “No Fly List.”
Guys, I can’t win here, but maybe I can. Stay-tuned for my next post as I share how I am hopefully going to conquer, not my fear of flying, but a fear of the dreaded self-check-in kiosk at the airport. If anyone has had a similar experience or could pass on some helpful hints, I would love to hear them.
Posted in Uncategorized
July 20th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
JoAnne,
I fly a lot and what you describe happens from time to time. There are certain patterns I notice that kick this off:
1. Flying alone.
2. Booking flights in short time frames.
3. Making changes to an already booked flight.
In truth, it’s just the security world we live in. At least the airlines are trying to keep us safe. Roll with it. We’ll never know the stories of those they caught with the added inconvience.
July 20th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
My “Frequent Flyer” friend Fred,
Thanks for your input. Maybe I could learn to “roll with it” better if I flew more
. I don’t mind being caught with an added inconvenience for the airlines to keep us safe, but it would be nice to know what’s causing it to happen every time with a certain airlines. I had the funds to pay for my ticket.
July 20th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
Flying gives me anxiety – I NEVER use the kiosk or real people if at all possible. I am a HUGE fan of the online check in, online baggage check , basically all things online and in advance. It gives me the false sense of security that I require! LOL
July 20th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
Blogomomma, And you would think using less “real” people would help bring down the cost of our tickets, right? But then you have the price of fuel going up. They literally get us coming or going, even to give us that false sense of security that you require
.
July 20th, 2009 at 7:59 pm
Good blog. I get busted because I could go on lets make a deal with the “stuff” I carry in my purse.. Sewing kit anyone???
July 20th, 2009 at 8:07 pm
I hate checking in and dealing with all that mess every time I fly from Tennessee to Oregon to visit you. Thinking about i am due for another visit whenever i can get a little money saved up.
July 21st, 2009 at 7:52 am
Hi Joanne,
This is interesting, because at work we now need to provide full name, middle initial included exactly how it is on your ID for plane tickets. And in August, I hear the TSA will additionally require birthdates as well. Maybe with all these extra checks in place you will no longer be hassled at check-in! One can hope!
July 21st, 2009 at 10:22 am
Have you had them search you and wave the wand over you? It makes me feel like a criminal, although I know it’s a good thing to be so careful! Making any kind of change in your schedule, or just being the random one chosen can cause things like this to happen. It’s good to keep in mind that it’s all for everyone’s safety. We try to drive everyplace now instead of flying and have the freedom to do that since my husband retired.
July 21st, 2009 at 11:21 am
JoAnne, how frustrating! I’ve heard similar stories of people whose names match someone on the No Fly list.
I would take a road trip anyday next to flying, because of the long waits at the airport now. We’ve taken security to a whole new ridiculous level, and yet we still hear about journalists who experiment with the system and find it’s not much safer than it ever was.
July 21st, 2009 at 12:23 pm
I have never flown so I have never had to deal checking in. This is one of the reasons why we drove to Disneyland for our vacation a couple of weeks ago. I think when it all comes to down to it for you, you feel as if you do not have an identity. Don’t let anyone take the identity God has given you. It may be frustrating, but God is the God of impossible. The identity you have in Him surpasses what your personal documents could ever say.
July 21st, 2009 at 2:30 pm
Kali,
You and I would make a good team. I could help you sell your “stuff” with my over the top friendly sales skills. I didn’t sell over 300 boxes of campfire mints as a Bluebird to not be able to move onto bigger and better things. Do you remember Camp Maacama? My brother found a Santa Rosa newspaper article amongst by mother’s belongings that shows me practicing my swim strokes in my little one-piece swimsuit.
July 21st, 2009 at 2:37 pm
My daughter Kacey,
Thanks for reading my post and leaving a comment. We miss you! TN is sure not a hop, skip, or jump from your homegrown state girl. When you do come for a visit, please don’t forget Anthony. Something tells me we are going to really like him and give the two of you a stamp of approval. Take care!
Love, Mom
July 21st, 2009 at 2:40 pm
Hey Roz,
I am glad to hear from the corporate world that my letter to our State Senator might have helped. It will be interesting to see if the birth date helps my situation. The agent goes to the back for quite awhile just to be checking my birth date
.
July 21st, 2009 at 4:33 pm
Hi Connie,
I miss talking with you on a more regular basis. Only once I’ve had the “wand” search. On one flight, I sound like I am such a seasoned flyer , I overhead a conversation between a man and a couple where he stated that most definitely he would be selected to have one of those “random” searches, that it never fails. I believe the gentleman said he was a professor and he was of a Middle-East heritage. We can thank our terrorists for inconveniencing our lives!
July 22nd, 2009 at 6:08 pm
Hi Bonnie,
I would feel more comfortable if they would just tell me what it is exactly that is sending up a red flag. When my husband and I went to purchase our first home, several women came up with my name that weren’t going to be getting a loan anytime soon. For me, it wasn’t that big of a surprise, my first and last name are not that uncommon. But if you spell my name right “JoAnne” all one word with a capital A with an e on the end and no middle name is a little different and makes me wonder what could it possibly be that is triggering the response. I just don’t think the women who have a debt problem, or the 21-year-old who got caught with my license driving a stolen vehicle, would be the same ones on a “No Fly List.”
July 22nd, 2009 at 6:21 pm
My Twitter friend Michelle,
You know me well and have so hit the nail on the head. This is an identity thing because of not having a proper birth certificate in the first place. For me, it’s like one more hassle to add insult to all the other unanswered questions. I like that “God of the Impossible.” Thanks for always giving me that nudge of encouraging words.
July 23rd, 2009 at 12:12 am
Another great story. I can imagine you “telling” me this story, as if I am sitting right across from you! I *told* you that you’re special, already! Remember???
July 23rd, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Thank you Julianne. If only we had met each other sooner…there were have been more fun times eating out together in the great Pacific Northwest. Well, one of these days, I will be down to Cali and we will have to make plans.
July 25th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
I’ve never had that kind problem at the counter, most likely due to my flight status, but I HAVE been pulled out randomly for the “personal” attention the TSA sometimes gives. It’s just the world we live in these days, unfortunately.
Great post!
August 8th, 2009 at 8:56 pm
Jeff,
Thank you for stopping by and reading my newest post. The next time I am up at the counter, I am going to ask if I can have a different flight status from now on. You think ‘most-friendly; might work!