Early Check-In

I just got the email from Northwest with the links to do an early check-in. Something like "up to 24 hours in advance." Here's what I dont' get about that: WHY? See, when I was in Virginia last week, I decided to try it for my trip home. I had one piece of luggage, and since you can't print out those sticky things at home, the website said I could just print one when I got to the airport or that some airports offer curbside baggage check for people already checked in.

Here's the deal ~ I got to the airport and had to stand in THE EXACT SAME LINE as people who had not checked in yet to use THE EXACT SAME COMPUTER TERMINAL as people who had not checked in yet to print the luggage tags!

So how much time did I save? NONE.

I noticed some airlines had signs at curbside, but no staff, saying you could check the baggage curbside FOR A $2 FEE, NOT INCLUDING GRATUITY.

OK, so if I understand this right: You pretty much check yourself in these days. Those people behind the counter just wrap the sticky thing around your luggage. They don't help you, don't get your tickets or anything, they just wrap the sticky thing around your luggage then tell you to haul it over to TSA for screening.

So you either check yourself in on the computer AND THEN HAVE TO STAND IN LINE ANYWAY TO CHECK YOUR LUGGAGE or you just stand in line at the airport. Or you can take them up on their nice offer of charging TWO BUCKS per piece to check your luggage outside, if they happen to have any employees out there doing it.

And really, for all the good that checking in advance offers. . . I mean, are there really that many people traveling the world who get all their needs down to a carry on bag and 3 ounces of liquid in a ziploc bag? I'm telling you two things: No. They're the ones and crowd you in the airplane, shoving all their stuff all on top of yours in their desire to just walk off the plane. I hate them with all their shoving and pulling. The second thing? No. I don't want to be sitting close to anybody ~ on a plane, in a meeting, in a restaurant ~ who was able to reduce his toiletry needs down to 3 fluid ounces. But that's just me.

Sigh. I remember my first airline trip. Roughly ten years ago. It was so much more fun than it is today. Today it's just a big ol' hassle.