The timing is not quite ideal – leaving Melbourne on July 4th means that I’ll spend a very small amount of time on that celebratory day in the United States – but it will be in transit at Los Angeles International Airport. My estimated time of arrival at Chicago’s O’Hare airport is 05:50am on July 5th.
Missed by that much!
The bulk of today was spent in Melbourne, ticking items off the ‘to do’ list as they were completed. The day I arrive back in Melbourne is the day Chris and I will hitch up the new Tvan and head north, so my gear for that trip needed to be packed and ready to him to stow as he prepares the van for that adventure.
The check-in procedures at Melbourne Airport provided a surprise initially – an MSS security agent approached me whilst I was waiting in the queue, wanting to “interview” me (his words) regarding:
- where I was going,
- how long for,
- where I was staying,
- who with,
- how long my son had been in the U.S.,
- what he did workwise,
- what I had in my luggage etc.
He spent quite some time inspecting my passport; the fact it’s a New Zealand one then lead to further queries. It transpires that this is to do with new security measures that have come into effect for all flights travelling to the U.S. (and is to comply with new government requirements from America’s Transportation Security Administration). Apparently, it’s supposed to be a casual conversation – but I found it to be quite disconcerting. In case they missed anyone at check-in, the same security guys, plus a few more – I counted 14 in total – were checking all passports as passengers entered the gate lounge prior to boarding. The checks were so rigorous (some people having shoes removed, scanners checking for explosives etc) that I began to wonder whether there had been an alert…
With 20 minutes to go before the flight’s scheduled departure, security checks were still being undertaken and boarding had not commenced.
It’s now 8:30pm in Los Angeles, and having navigated the customs, immigration and further security checks after disembarking QF95, I’m now in Terminal 4 awaiting my onward American Airlines flight to Chicago. The long haul flight across the Pacific was bumpy at times, but otherwise uneventful. Thank goodness for increased security!
The flight information option on the entertainment menu is always interesting at the end of a flight:
LAX itself appears quiet, and I’m guessing that most Americans would rather be spending July 4th watching fireworks displays with friends and family than in an airport.
Security checks are starting to sound intrusive.