Jan 12 2009
Today’s Forecast, “Abundant Sunshine”
It started out so positive. The hope of a new beginning, a fresh start. When the Weather Channel says your first day on the road of this young year would be punctuated with “abundant sunshine” how could the world not be a happy place?
Then you get to the airport…
The brain-trust that is Philly International has, in their infinite wisdom, reconfigured the security check at the B-terminal. Gone is the well defined “first class and dividend preferred” entrance, replaced instead by the TSA’s new, wonderfully ambiguous, “Expert Traveler” label. Here’s a few words of advice to the TSA, every jackass with rolling luggage thinks they’re an expert traveler. Anyway, to add to the uncertainty, PHL has moved said entrance about 10 feet over…to the precise location the general entrance formerly was. So now every aforementioned jackass, AND everyone else who doesn’t know any better, heads right into that line.
Fear not, however, for manning the line is a crack shot airport employee, dutifully assigned to inform everyone that the line is specifically for first class and preferred travelers. That is, when he hasn’t wandered off for a few minutes, or isn’t distracted by his riveting conversations with his fellow employees.
So take note that the fast lane at terminal-B is, for the time being, a little less “fast”!
And while I’m lathered up, a polite request to airline employees who’s position afords them the right to cut into the security line ahead of others. A quick acknowledgement or remotely curteous request to do so would go oh so far in endearing you to the travelers in whos service you’re supposed to be employed. And when you do so it would be nice if you didn’t take twice as long as everyone else to get your belongings out and onto the belt. One USAir attendant this morning was wonderfully kind in doing just that this morning. Her co-worker a few minutes later unfortunately was not so inclined.
Dear God it’s going to be a long year…