October 23, 2006 - Calgary Non-Trip

Heading to Calgary, I thought I got to the airport early enough... There was meyhem. This looks like a mess, but it is actually [almost] organized...

The security line started to the far left (well, actually behind me, but to the far left) in the gap between Domestic and International First check-in. It went to the construction wall before you get to International Economy and turns around.
It went back to International First and Domestic.
It went all the way back beyond the construction to the far wall at International Economy.
Then, it headed to baggage claim...
As you can see, I've already made the first three turns - and the time on the picture is 6:42am. I still have an hour and a half before my 8:15 flight. PLENTY of time...

But at the door before baggage claim, it went outside and back to the left (away from baggage claim)...
Down to the end of the side walk...
Back up to the next-to-last door of baggage claim...
See the guy in the white shirt and his wife in the blue? They were right in front of me as we made the confused turn outside. No idea where the 4 pictured people (and there were probably 2-3 more not pictured) came from.

Back in the door we went out...
and finally into the labyrinth of baggage claim carousels...

However, at this point, the line split and the First Class/Platinums/Golds got into a line that went down to the security exit of the T-Gates.
I don't know how much longer that was, but I made it through security just before 8:30am.


I never heard what the deal was. Someone at work mentioned an unofficial TSA strike, but I never found anything on CNN or AJC.com corroborating that.
The next day, when I asked an agent (by the way, 20 minutes after I parked, I was having a bloody mary in the Crown Room), he just looked away and say he didn't know.
The dude next to me talking to a Delta agent on a Rebooking Phone said that when he made a comment to a TSA agent, they replied "If you don't like it, write your senator." That seems like a strange thing to say...



The result: I missed my flight for the third in my life. Not a good track record. I don't particularly consider this one my fault, but I didn't consider the last one my fault, either. The first certainly was...
The first was 10+ years ago in college when Jill and I were going to Vegas. We got to the airport 'on time' but thought the flight was an :90 later than it actually was.
The second we got to the Fairbanks, AK airport in time on a -4F morning in February, but due to increased security years ago, they wouldn't check your bag less than :30 before your flight. If memory serves, we were in line at that time, but checked in something like :27 before the flight - with winter clothes in bags that wouldn't carry-on.