Worst/Best 'terminal experience'

[ah_dut]

i've had my deodrant taken apart because it might be an explosive which kinda pissed me off.

[Somebody Else]

Thought I might post a good one...

Reasons to know people in the airport...

1. Ah, hello there, step this way - no need to queue there, come to the first class section.
2. You're 13 kilos overweight. Nevermind.
3. The flight appears to be fully booked, we'll have to move you up a class.

[The Tuffen]

One of my best experiances is when i went to barbados. Got to the check in desk and as the person saw on my booking that i was disabled (even though i don't look it), she put on a little tag that ment my suitcase would be the first out when we got got to barbados. Sure enough got into barbados and my suitcase was one of the first out. Also the flight from Gatwick wasn't delayed at all.

[English assassin]

Funny thing happened to a friend of mine arriving in Florida for a conference not too long after 9/11. (She's UK Asian which I suppose might look middle eastern to a Florida immigration official)

Friend: waiting in enormous long queue

Still waiting

Still waiting do these people want visitors or the states or not?

Finally arrives at front of queue. hands passport to mean looking male officer.

Officer looks at passport VERY carefully.

Looks up at friend

looks back at passport. leafs through it.

Looks up at friend. hard stare. Friend smiles nervously. officer stony faced

Looks down at passport. Taps something into computer.

Looks back up at friend.

Officer "(sigh) Anita, I see from your passport you are a gemini."

Friend "err, yes" (thinks WTF?)

Officer "So am I. Take my advice. Never date a capricorn. Next"

[BDC]

I think my best experience was coming back from Switzerland (with a pen knife and new watch and what-not in my bag) and walking through customs with all these people with shiney new watches looking awkward and going through the 'nothing to declare' route. Not that it mattered. The staff had all formed a human chain to prevent anyone trying to declare anything. Was pretty late...

[solypsist]

my flight time was changed while I was on vacation in Australia one Christmas. After a month sunning on the beaches and bumming around, I arrived at the airport and was told I had missed my plane by thirty minutes - that my travel agent should have notified me. I replied I'd been in country for 30 days, etc. (I had no cellphone at the time).

14 hours later (I had to wait until a seat became available so that meant hanging around) , I was finally on my way back. It was a 20 hour flight.

BUT

It was snowing badly in NY, and so we had to land in Newark. We had to sit on the runway in Newark for just over three hours, couldn't get out, and all the time I was only 10 miles from home - I would've just climbed out of the plane and hailed a taxi if it was possible. Finally the snow let up enough for us to get to LaGuardia (26 miles away) and I was on the street.

Oh, and then my taxi had an accident on the offramp to my place; I ended up walking about a mile with a heavy bag from the BQE, in hard snow.