This is me, looking fairly annoyed as DH argues with the lady at the Delta counter over CHARGING US when we missed our flight because we were selected by them for a "random" security check.
I have no problem with security checks. And if you want to just say that you are going to check every passenger you suspect might be Muslim/Arab... Do it. But just ADMIT that is what you are doing. We flew Delta (something I will never do again) and were "randomly" selected for extra security on every flight we took. Now, I wouldn't even mind... But my last name is different and I NEVER got selected... Sure, random. Now, on our return we checked in at 6, with baggage out of the way and everything and proceeded to our 7:30 flight. That is when my 6 year old's shoes set off the mass spectrometer (those sniffer machines) and we were detained for the next hour+. We told them throw the shoes away. We told them we are late to our flight... DH ranted about the research project he was involved in building such machines and how they were not that great yet anyway. We waited for an endless parade of supervisors who were unsure what to do in this situation and finally our son's name was logged in some security violation book and we were on our way.
Now, Delta seems to take their time of departure seriously because we missed our flight by a few minutes. The same thing happened to us when making a connection on the way to FL... Silly really that they don't wait if a passenger is making a connection or already checked into a flight. Really silly.
Now, there we are at the Delta counter... We are looking at the next day we discover and I start calling hotels. I regret returning the rental car. I wonder what my DH will do about his work. Then the Delta lady hits us with $75 a ticket to get the new flight. WHAT? Oh no, it gets worse. DH gets the supervisor and she tells us that she is "doing us a favor" since they weren't "real tickets". Oh great. Well, we paid real money for them! So, apparently the Delta policy is that if you buy your tickets through Priceline or a discount ticketing company you are SOL if you miss your flight. The tickets are only good for that flight and that flight only.
Well, I can't say I'm surprised. I can't say I didn't expect to have every crevice of my baggage inspected. But I didn't think I'd be paying over $500 for it!!! UGH. I hate Delta. I hate "random" security checks.
The funny thing is I was gonna go postal on the first flight when we got delayed and I started to go on about these checks not being random and just as the poor security lady is telling me that the airlines select people DH says "cool down, stop!" Then the next day as we got "randomly" selected again DH starts going postal!LOL So I told him, "Gee honey, cool down!" After that there was something about shoes and something else about random and a final thought about how these checks were stupid because the machine that said the night before my son's shoes contained traces of explosives registered nothing the next morning. Ohhhh my. I guess we will be leaving for the airport a whole day early if we go to Egypt this year!LOL
8 comments:
as sabrudh-dhiyaa'!
Asalaam alaikum Sister,
Sadly I have heard this story too many times from other sisters. Insha'Allah you time in Fl was fun, and warm.
May Allah bless you and your family,
Aeryn
I'm sad to hear this is still the case for travelling while muslim...but I'm not shocked. Ohhhhhh the horrors MY family & I experienced last year while traveling home from Egypt. We were stopped at every. single. checkpoint. And every.single.gate.
My husband and I were at BOILING POINT. It was an ugly, ugly picture. Not to MENTION the infuriatingly RUDE-A$$ civilian people we encountered along the way. We missed flights due to baggage checks & searches. We did not sleep. We got stuck here & there. We stayed overnight in NYC (alhamdulileh they paid for the nice hotel!) Husband got searched, questioned, detained...all absolutely pointless, harassing & insulting. My two-year-old got body-searched. It took us 42 hours to get home, whereas it normally takes about 15-20.
the end. :)
LOL, Alhamdulileh we made it!
Needless to say, traveling now gives my husband anxiety attacks (he's prone to them anyway) and puts me (a normally laid-back person) on guard. I have to put on thick skin and not feel hurt by ordeals like these. Alhamdulileh it is do-able! And of course, many mulims have to deal with much worse than this, so alhamdulileh this is the least of what can happen. I pray it doesn't escalate to anything more, inshaAllah. Ameen ya Rabb!
p.s.
I was pregnant at the time!
LOLOLOL
salam alaikoum
Flying to New Orleans, 80% of flights are Delta. I go out of my way NOT to fly delta. My husband, whose name sounds Mexican or Italian, gets "randomly" selected EVERY TIME. Buttmunches. I feel you.
What could be a 15 hour trip home from Switzerland is usually closer to 30.
And I get the whole flying while Muslim thing, but you can't tell me my husband hasn't flown in and out of the US enough times to where they wouldn't have a file on him as an ok dude. It's pure and simple harassment at this point.
And don't get me started on the "interrogation room"
Ugh, that sounds like a real pain. I guess there is an upside to to never going anywhere. IF you do get to Egypt this year, try to plan a trip to Hurghada mmkay?
Well, UmmYehiya and DP... GLad to hear Im not alone in all of this nonesense!LOL
Mona, You know I will girl... Actually DH's friend came to pick us up from the airport in a Hurghada T-shirt. Apparently his timeshare thing (which is what we used in CA a couple years ago and in FL this year) has condos in Hurghada... So he went with his family a few months ago. Coincidence? I think not!LOL Anywhooo, You know I'll be pushing to come and pay ya'll a visit if you'll have us! Your troop meets mine!LOL Table for 12 please!
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