Ah the insane procedures involved in returning home...

[Scuba-Jay]

On my way back from Afghanistan last year i traveled on a quazi commercial jet (chartered for military use). I was allowed to board with my M16 rifle, 9mm pistol, Three knives (one on my hip, one on the butt of my rifle and one zip tied to my boot), but they took my lighter......

 

[O2BBubbleFree]

On my way back from Afghanistan last year i traveled on a quazi commercial jet (chartered for military use). I was allowed to board with my M16 rifle, 9mm pistol, Three knives (one on my hip, one on the butt of my rifle and one zip tied to my boot), but they took my lighter......

Now THAT's funny!

 

[jjwdiver]

Here's your Dandy Don picture fix Cheddar

Scary...because it was not a cold day!

 

[DandyDon]

You were on the way to the airport, weren't you? Have any problem wearing that mask thru security...?

 

[JessH]

(1) From Airport: $10 each to Caribe Blu, waiting for the van to get full, too full, multiple stops.

In the future just take a cab. They can't pick you up from the airport itself but as long as you don't have too much stuff it is an easy walk across the field in front of the airport to where they can pick you up. I don't know exactly how much it would be to Caribe Blu but it should be considerably less than the $20 you paid, and much quicker.

The empty van on the way back doesn't seem that strange to me if they didn't have anyone else at your hotel to pick up. Maybe I just don't get your point....

(2) They've changed the inspections done in front of the ticket counter. Where they used to hand search your luggage that was going to be checked, now they hand search your carry-on luggage instead, and there was no one with proficient English there to explain this. Had me confused. Once they check your carry-on, they apply a sticker, then give it back to you to carry around the non-secure area, so this clearly accomplishes nothing other than again making work for locals - which is good politics for being reelected to the airport authority I suppose. Those pay checks don't cost them anything; the passengers pay for all expenses. :silly:

I saw them searching bags when I was there recently but I was under the impression that they were actually searching both checked and carry on bags. I am not certain of this though since it was going slowly and the guy in charge wanted to speed it up so he told us to skip the searches. We then went through security and our carryons were searched at the gate before boarding the plane. I have heard that the reason that they search checked bags is because they don't have x-ray machines to put them through. It is a rather small airport after all. I have also heard that the searching of carryons is because the USA told them they had to.

The part about the whole process that I found ridiculous was what we experienced back in the USA at the Houston airport. Immigration and Customs actually went extremely quickly and smoothly, but then we had to go through TSA security despite having never left a secure area. Apparently they are now doing this with all connecting international flights. This process was so slow that we missed our connecting flight. 15 people on our flight missed it for the exact same reason. This seems to be because they don't trust international airports to keep you from carrying liquids on board. It would seem that airlines need to start adding an hour to international layovers to deal with this which they havn't started doing yet.

~Jess

 

[Fish_Whisperer]

Dandy "high beams," Don.

 

[DandyDon]

In the future just take a cab. They can't pick you up from the airport itself but as long as you don't have too much stuff it is an easy walk across the field in front of the airport to where they can pick you up. I don't know exactly how much it would be to Caribe Blu but it should be considerably less than the $20 you paid, and much quicker.

Nah, I check over 100# plus another 50# carryon. Not humping all that 100 yrds.

The cabs could pick up at the airport drive, but union rules won't allow.

 

[ggunn]

The part about the whole process that I found ridiculous was what we experienced back in the USA at the Houston airport. Immigration and Customs actually went extremely quickly and smoothly, but then we had to go through TSA security despite having never left a secure area.

When you go out those doors from where you recheck your bags, there are doors to the outside there where folks coming out of Customs but not continuing on can exit to be picked up, so I am pretty sure you are no longer in a secure area. I don't think the regs allow a secure area to be separated from the street by just a glass wall with doors in it.

I understand your frustration, though; many times have I had to sprint to the gate from the checkpoint of which you speak. It tends to really jam up because people coming through Customs to continuing flights get dumped onto that checkpoint in bunches from the arriving international flights, and you can't jump the line just because you have a tight connection.

 

[CheddarChick]

Don & JJ wow baby....That is a face only a mother could love...

 

[CheddarChick]

How were the reefs? Damaged from the Hurricane????