I said I have for a change something positive to say about Belgium so let’s go back to airport security arrangements. Please note that this is not the only positive thing in Belgium, but it’s just soooo easy to pick the negatives in stead of positives like the hundreds of different Belgium beers...
Before you walk through the airport metal detector, you are expected to release all your belongings, leave them in open boxes or on the conveyor belt to be taken through the machine (which is now lacking the English name – suomeksi se on läpivalaisu). You need to take off your jacket, belt (which I try to avoid as said earlier), watch, glasses, empty your pockets, unpack your laptop from briefcase and so on, but how is this all facilitated?
At Brussels International Airport at Zaventem I think it’s organized relevantly smoothly; you’ve got almost 10 meters belt and piles of boxes to do this while waiting for your turn. Boxes roll forward smoothly and you just need to watch that nobody snatches your stuff from the boxes.
After the machines – while in my case I am being checked – the line continues and it is again long enough to enable picking your belongings at your own pace.
What about other airports then?
In Madrid someone had a great idea. Let’s have separate packing tables where you can put your stuff to these boxes at your own pace and then walk 5 meters to the beginning of a 1 meter long belt to the metal detector. Good idea if you have only shorts & t-shirts and a back-bag but what about the rest of people who have got e.g. the box for jacket (incl. perhaps your coins, glasses, wallet, mobile, belt etc), one box for the laptop (since they demand it to be separately), briefcase and in ladies’ case a handbag and my case the suitcase – how am I supposed to manage these boxes and bags nicely to the belt?
Swedes have taken this one step further; In Arlanda at least Terminal 5 (e.g. SAS) you have the 1 meter belt like in Madrid, but since they don’t have any of these “unpacking” tables people wait in the queue while one person at the time takes off the jacket, belt, watch, empties pockets, takes the laptop… you get the picture. I have not traveled with ships for a while now but if the security system is onboard there too, I know who I should talk to when it comes to the Port of Helsinki. Or if you are out there and need some consultancy, I am happy to share one of my many opinions by a glass of wine ;o)
PS The low carbon diet is on with some exceptions (like pizza with normal dough once a week) and on last week’s flight I ate from the pasta meal the bacon pieces and the (yes, only 1) champion and a piece of cheese. Luckily I’ve discovered that tomato juice tastes quite good even without Tabasco. And please don’t introduce it with vodka – I’ll try to stay out of it.
Before you walk through the airport metal detector, you are expected to release all your belongings, leave them in open boxes or on the conveyor belt to be taken through the machine (which is now lacking the English name – suomeksi se on läpivalaisu). You need to take off your jacket, belt (which I try to avoid as said earlier), watch, glasses, empty your pockets, unpack your laptop from briefcase and so on, but how is this all facilitated?
At Brussels International Airport at Zaventem I think it’s organized relevantly smoothly; you’ve got almost 10 meters belt and piles of boxes to do this while waiting for your turn. Boxes roll forward smoothly and you just need to watch that nobody snatches your stuff from the boxes.After the machines – while in my case I am being checked – the line continues and it is again long enough to enable picking your belongings at your own pace.
What about other airports then?
In Madrid someone had a great idea. Let’s have separate packing tables where you can put your stuff to these boxes at your own pace and then walk 5 meters to the beginning of a 1 meter long belt to the metal detector. Good idea if you have only shorts & t-shirts and a back-bag but what about the rest of people who have got e.g. the box for jacket (incl. perhaps your coins, glasses, wallet, mobile, belt etc), one box for the laptop (since they demand it to be separately), briefcase and in ladies’ case a handbag and my case the suitcase – how am I supposed to manage these boxes and bags nicely to the belt?
Swedes have taken this one step further; In Arlanda at least Terminal 5 (e.g. SAS) you have the 1 meter belt like in Madrid, but since they don’t have any of these “unpacking” tables people wait in the queue while one person at the time takes off the jacket, belt, watch, empties pockets, takes the laptop… you get the picture. I have not traveled with ships for a while now but if the security system is onboard there too, I know who I should talk to when it comes to the Port of Helsinki. Or if you are out there and need some consultancy, I am happy to share one of my many opinions by a glass of wine ;o)
PS The low carbon diet is on with some exceptions (like pizza with normal dough once a week) and on last week’s flight I ate from the pasta meal the bacon pieces and the (yes, only 1) champion and a piece of cheese. Luckily I’ve discovered that tomato juice tastes quite good even without Tabasco. And please don’t introduce it with vodka – I’ll try to stay out of it.
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