CNN article on Family Lanes/Special Medical needs
This article makes it seem optional for families/new travellers but not so optional for people with special medical needs.
" At San Francisco International, families with small children, travelers with special needs and passengers with medically necessary liquids were actively directed to the new lines by airport personnel."...
"The TSA imposed the restrictions on liquids in August 2006 after a plot was uncovered to use liquid explosives to destroy planes headed from London, England, to the United States. The TSA says liquid explosives remain a security concern, but the new procedures will allow screeners to check what kind of liquids are being carried aboard.
Passengers traveling with liquids, gels and aerosols like baby formula, insulin, cough syrup, contact lens solution and prescription medications will undergo additional screening that will usually take less than two minutes, the agency said."
I'm going to be seriously annoyed if, after 2+years of mostly ignoring the "must have prescription with you" rules they start enforcing it through this extra screening.
We fly next week, out of BWI. It will be interesting to see how they 'direct' people carrying liquid meds to the Family Lane. I'm playing dumb for as long as I can!
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TRAVEL/11/20/airport.family.lines/index.html
posted by Kassie @ 10:51 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
I just don't get this at all.
Surely the vast majority of travellers carry some sort of liquid, be it a small tube of toothpaste or a tube of lipstick. Even lip balm counts! So why are "medically necessary" liquids being singled out?
And if medically necessary liquids aren't being singled out from others, then in my experience what's needed isn't a special lane for those with liquids, but a single fast-track lane for those without. Which in turn brings up the problem of how they know for sure who does and doesn't have liquids (whether medically necessary or not) without just treating everyone exactly the same.
Full circle!
Initially, they were exempted from the 3-1-1 rule, not singled out.
I, too, am wondering why they are now singling them out.
I'm also wondering if I squeeze my insulin into my 3-1-1 bag (along with my toothpaste and such), if there will be need for extra screening. Since we're checking bags on our next trip, we can get away with little or no carryon liquids.
I will be testing this out next week! :)
My insulin will be in my 3-1-1 bag and I will not be in the special line. I am an experienced traveler and I don't want to be in line behind first time flyers who don't know the routine.
That sounds really cocky, but really I'm just impatient! :)
I just flew through Providence RI to Charlotte NC and back and honestly forgot to take my insulin out of my case to put in the 3-1-1. It went through the typical x-ray scanner without a peep from the personnel. I did go through the family/medical line though as I was traveling with my 20-month old and it was super quick. Nobody was in the line at either airport compared to the normal line which was busy. ;-) So it wasn't too hard for me.
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