As I am writing this, I am waiting at Charles de Gaulle for a flight to the South of France where 3 days of sun, rosé, and laziness await. The flight is all of 70 minutes long, but it's delayed over 2 hours. At CDG. Joy. French airports are like going to a drunk dentist (whose nurse is on strike, natch).
When I got to the "secure" area (I use the term loosely, as the guy didn't ask for my ID and barely glanced at my poorly printed boarding pass), I saw a bunch of signs saying anything I bought from that point on could be taken on the plane. So I went and got a bottle of water and some snacks and proceeded to the gate itself. Now, in this terminal, each gate has its own security check, with scanner and all (efficiency gives the French cancer), so I threw my stuff on the belt. Here's how the conversation went:
Me: Do I need to pull out my toiletry bag?
Agent: No, no need
Me: Cool
[i proceed forward, she pulls the 1L water bottle out of my shopping bag]
Agent: You can't bring liquids on the plane
Me: But I just bought it, right there (pointing at the Relay store, not 7 feet away)
Agent: You can't bring liquids on the plane, it needs to be in a sealed bag
Me: So what do I do?
Agent: Just go ask the guy at the Relay to put it in a sealed plastic bag
Me: This very bottle? You want me to take this bottle of water, go out of the security area, have it put into a plastic bag, and then come back?
Agent: Yes
[I go to the Relay, get the water bottle in the plastic bag and come back to the security check; I was gone for about 37 seconds]
Agent: Good evening (clearly not remembering me), please put your stuff on the belt
[water bottle goes through - hey, it was in a sealed bag, so it can't be a liter of liquid explosives!]
The gate area itself is of course derelict. No wifi. No bathrooms. No stores. Not enough seating. Bitchy agents.
This country is like Chinese water torture. I need to go back home soon!!
When I got to the "secure" area (I use the term loosely, as the guy didn't ask for my ID and barely glanced at my poorly printed boarding pass), I saw a bunch of signs saying anything I bought from that point on could be taken on the plane. So I went and got a bottle of water and some snacks and proceeded to the gate itself. Now, in this terminal, each gate has its own security check, with scanner and all (efficiency gives the French cancer), so I threw my stuff on the belt. Here's how the conversation went:
Me: Do I need to pull out my toiletry bag?
Agent: No, no need
Me: Cool
[i proceed forward, she pulls the 1L water bottle out of my shopping bag]
Agent: You can't bring liquids on the plane
Me: But I just bought it, right there (pointing at the Relay store, not 7 feet away)
Agent: You can't bring liquids on the plane, it needs to be in a sealed bag
Me: So what do I do?
Agent: Just go ask the guy at the Relay to put it in a sealed plastic bag
Me: This very bottle? You want me to take this bottle of water, go out of the security area, have it put into a plastic bag, and then come back?
Agent: Yes
[I go to the Relay, get the water bottle in the plastic bag and come back to the security check; I was gone for about 37 seconds]
Agent: Good evening (clearly not remembering me), please put your stuff on the belt
[water bottle goes through - hey, it was in a sealed bag, so it can't be a liter of liquid explosives!]
The gate area itself is of course derelict. No wifi. No bathrooms. No stores. Not enough seating. Bitchy agents.
This country is like Chinese water torture. I need to go back home soon!!
Labels: travel
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