Flight to Santiago, Chile
My trip to Chile started at LAX, where I would take a redeye flight to Lima, Peru, and then take a connecting flight to Santiago after a 4-hour layover. My flight went off without a hitch, which basically means no major delays, no lost or stolen luggage, and gaining possession of everything that you show up with at the TSA security checkpoint.
I did have one scare though, as TSA apparently has changed their security procedures at Tom Bradley International Terminal. Instead of feeding your items at the end of the conveyor belt one person at a time, they line five people along the length of the conveyor belt, so that the items on fed sideways not the conveyor belt. It is a bit annoying, and I am not so sure that is more efficient, but that was not the problem.
While gathering my personal items, and waiting for my laptop on the other side of the conveyor belt, I did not see my laptop, but rather an empty bucket in which I had thought I put my computer--and there were no buckets with my laptop to be seen. I immediately went into panic mode, very similar to when you lose your kid at an amusement park or grocery store. It was that bad, because my computer is like oxygen to me--without it, I cannot function, and I certainly would not be able to travel. This would have been a horrible start to my Chile tour.
So I immediately ran around the area at the end of TSA attempting to locate the culprit--doing so with my prescription sunglasses as I cannot see without them. Having not located said culprit, I became angry at myself. Why didn't I go for the laptop first instead of my shoes and belt? I briskly walked to one of the TSA agents, and excitedly told her that someone had stolen my laptop. In a very calm voice she said "Sir, nobody stole your laptop. It is on another conveyor belt on the other side." It was a bit condescending, since how I am supposed to know that laptops get transitioned to a totally different conveyor belt? But I was so relieved that it really didn't matter. So I calmly walked over to the end of the other conveyor belt, and worriedly scanned the conveyor belt for my "missing child." At last, I spotted it amongst all of the other laptops, keeping my eyes locked on it until the TSA agent picked it up and performed his swab test on it. He handed it back to me, and only then could I breath a sigh of relief.
After that, my flight went quite smoothly.
So the moral of the story is, do not fret when your laptop goes missing at the TSA checkpoint at Tom Bradley, since it most likely got diverted to a different conveyor belt.
Oh, one other piece of advice when traveling internationally. When the check-in agent tells you that your luggage is booked all the way to your final destination, do not take this as gospel. Several times I have been told this, and several times, I had my doubts and found my luggage at the baggage claim of the connecting airport. As a general rule, if you find yourself in the baggage claim area after exiting, your luggage will most likely be making its rounds on a conveyer belt, in which case, you will need to pick it up or else it will not be at your final destination.
#Tom Bradley #LAX international terminal #TSA
I did have one scare though, as TSA apparently has changed their security procedures at Tom Bradley International Terminal. Instead of feeding your items at the end of the conveyor belt one person at a time, they line five people along the length of the conveyor belt, so that the items on fed sideways not the conveyor belt. It is a bit annoying, and I am not so sure that is more efficient, but that was not the problem.
While gathering my personal items, and waiting for my laptop on the other side of the conveyor belt, I did not see my laptop, but rather an empty bucket in which I had thought I put my computer--and there were no buckets with my laptop to be seen. I immediately went into panic mode, very similar to when you lose your kid at an amusement park or grocery store. It was that bad, because my computer is like oxygen to me--without it, I cannot function, and I certainly would not be able to travel. This would have been a horrible start to my Chile tour.
So I immediately ran around the area at the end of TSA attempting to locate the culprit--doing so with my prescription sunglasses as I cannot see without them. Having not located said culprit, I became angry at myself. Why didn't I go for the laptop first instead of my shoes and belt? I briskly walked to one of the TSA agents, and excitedly told her that someone had stolen my laptop. In a very calm voice she said "Sir, nobody stole your laptop. It is on another conveyor belt on the other side." It was a bit condescending, since how I am supposed to know that laptops get transitioned to a totally different conveyor belt? But I was so relieved that it really didn't matter. So I calmly walked over to the end of the other conveyor belt, and worriedly scanned the conveyor belt for my "missing child." At last, I spotted it amongst all of the other laptops, keeping my eyes locked on it until the TSA agent picked it up and performed his swab test on it. He handed it back to me, and only then could I breath a sigh of relief.
After that, my flight went quite smoothly.
So the moral of the story is, do not fret when your laptop goes missing at the TSA checkpoint at Tom Bradley, since it most likely got diverted to a different conveyor belt.
Oh, one other piece of advice when traveling internationally. When the check-in agent tells you that your luggage is booked all the way to your final destination, do not take this as gospel. Several times I have been told this, and several times, I had my doubts and found my luggage at the baggage claim of the connecting airport. As a general rule, if you find yourself in the baggage claim area after exiting, your luggage will most likely be making its rounds on a conveyer belt, in which case, you will need to pick it up or else it will not be at your final destination.
#Tom Bradley #LAX international terminal #TSA
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