I'm writing from terminal A11 at the Indianapolis International Airport. I arrived at about 1630, and all told the process from the curb through baggage check-in, security, and walking to the chair I'm sitting in now took all of maybe 25 minutes for an international flight. That's pretty good, I'd say. I'm actually sitting with people who plan on boarding a 5:30 flight for Washington National. As passengers should be at the terminal for my flight at 1906, I'm 2 hours early. Cool.
In other news, this airport has a really detestable policy of "pay for our wireless access, or take a survey/watch an ad". Wireless is free, darn it. I don't charge my friends to use my internet when they come over - I don't even make them pitch in for the cable bill. It's not what friends do.
I've got about 3.5 hours of battery on this lappy, so I'll check a few things online and save some for later - I've got a 3-hour layover in Amsterdam, and the charger's in my baggage. Comment contest - what's the most extreme thing I can do and still be allowed on the plane?
Wed - June 15, 2011 1850 EST
Flight delayed 17 minutes. I should be able to make my Detroit connection, assuming I don't have to go through security again for the transfer (I don't believe I do). B-O-R-E-D.
Thu - June 16, 2011 1313 CEST
Hello again. I write from Amsterdam, and most everyone who will read this is probably asleep at the moment. As my connection incoming through Detroit was delayed slightly, I didn't really have time to post an update - not that it would have mattered, because Detroit doesn't even have a free wifi option. What the heck, Detroit? Amsterdam is giving me 60 free minutes! What's wrong with you?
We'll see if I can't shuffle my MAC address and get another free 60 minutes.
Anyway - let's discuss the flight over! Indianapolis to Detroit was short and sweet - they didn't even have time to serve drinks. Fine by me. I sat next to a flight attendant on her way to Detroit to work on a flight to Japan the next day. We made pleasant conversation, and parted ways as I headed off to my Detroit-Amsterdam connection.
The flight was long, but quite wonderful. What really made the flight was a Louis C.K. bit I was listening to on the way over (Thanks, Aaron!). The routine was all about flying and how ridiculous it is to complain about flying when it enables you to get across an ocean in a half-dozen hours. He's got a point. Sure, I wasn't the most comfortable I've ever been in my life, but then I've only been that comfortable once by definition (excluding ties, of course).
Then there was the airline food.
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It was good stuff. I really don't know who complains about airline food, but I'd like to talk to them. Seriously - it was fairly tasty, and the portions were adequate. I took the pasta option, mostly because I was somewhat leery of reheated chicken. I got a pasta dish, a small salad, a roll, butter, cheese, and chocolate chip cookie. Sure, the pasta wasn't as hot as it could have been, but who cares? It was good food, and filling. You're in a metal craft a few dozen thousand feet up in the air, rocketing toward another country - you can deal with what essentially amounts to those lean cuisine lunch packages I always see in the fridge at wherever I happen to be working at any particular point in my life.
Oh - and I got a free drink too. And breakfast. Awesome!
After napping for a while, I woke up and made the acquaintance of my right-hand man. He was coming back to Amsterdam after visiting Florida on business. He apparently runs a flight school in the Netherlands and was looking to partner up with an American school that teaches for certifications that his school doesn't. We chatted about our trips over breakfast, and had an enjoyable time.
Landing in Amsterdam, I was a bit slow. Sure, I got about 4 hours of sleep, but I'm not exactly chipper - I'm sure I'll sleep like a rock tonight (between 4 PM and 12 AM for you folks back home keeping score). As I'm just now entering the EU, I went through security here (and it is my understanding that I won't have to on my way into Denmark).
The officer asked me where I was going - I told him "Denmark". That was a softball question - and I nailed it. Then he asked me what I was going to do in Denmark. I told him I didn't know yet. Yes, I could have blathered on about "immersing myself in the culture", but honestly I was tired, and I don't think it would have made much difference. He asked when I was planning on leaving, and I said July 15th - to which he asked to see my tickets. I had none.
At this point, he asked if I had money and reservations for hotels. I mentioned my money supply (which is superficially limited for security reasons), and that I have reservations for tonight, but nothing past that. This didn't seem to please him too much. The jerk - not wanting random vagrants wandering around the E.U.! He called over another officer, who escorted me to the immigration office. I was fine with all this. I mean - if I was a security officer, I would probably think that my "itinerary" (or lack thereof) is a bit of an eyebrow-raiser. I had the time to kill, anyway.
Over in Immigration, a kindly young officer with a taser on his hip asked me for proof of reservations. I replied that I don't have physical copies, but I have online digital receipts (note to self - bring physical receipts next time to satisfy kindly immigration officials). He asked me to get online and show him the receipts. I did so readily, and that satisfied him.
A quick note to my mother: Cute, humorous emails regarding "Suspicious Things Not to Do at an Airport" could look a lot like last-minute terrorist instructions to a paranoid security officer. Thankfully, either he didn't notice or didn't think so, because after being shown my receipts he led me back to the main desk and I got my passport stamped. A quick jaunt through security, and I was on my way to the terminal after about a half-hour to forty minutes of downtime. Not bad, not bad.
Now I just have a few hours to kill before my flight to Copenhagen, and it's on to the main event! As always, feel free to ask any questions you wish, and I'll answer them to the best of my ability.
Maybe it was your shifty mustache that made security nervous.
ReplyDeleteHave enjoyed reading your posts.
Hope you are having a good time.
Note from Mom: "what's the most extreme thing I can do and still be allowed on the plane?" You opened up that topic, and I happened to run across the link while cleaning out email last night. It seemed timely, and I thought it might provide some amusement. I did NOT expect you to be pulled over by immigration and have to rummage through your email . . . .
ReplyDeleteFor what it's worth, I was going to tell you to do bogus fortune-telling to the people waiting for planes near you. You could cook up quite a spiel if you put some effort in!
ReplyDelete