Leaving For Las Vegas in Red Alert!

August 18, 2007

My wife and I met on the Internet, dated by cross-country flights (Tampa, Florida – Vancouver, BC), and chose to meet halfway to get married in Las Vegas, Nevada, by Elvis Presley. You know, the same old story.

But wait! On the morning of our Elvis-bound flights, we woke up in our respective countries to the news that another barrel full of US-bound nut jobs were just arrested in England and that a Red Alert had been established at the airlines. Orange Alert prevailed in the US, which is disruptive enough. But my Canadian cutie was suddenly facing possible body cavity searches – and not by her fiancé!

Now, we all know that you should check with the airport prior to any trip to confirm your flight and how long the anticipated lines will be. But on this day, it was anybody’s guess. We each managed to arrive well before our respective flight, but it didn’t seem to matter in either case.

Tampa International proved to be its usual laid-back self. My E-ticket check-in was a snap, and I nursed a triple grandé white chocolate mocha while I waited to be allowed onto the shuttle to the security area, and then on to my flight’s waiting area. Tampa breaks up the waiting into multiple stages, giving the illusion of quicker service. There were fresh hand-scrawled notices of new items forbidden on flights, but the usual lackadaisical searches kept things moving exceedingly well.

My fiancé and I were in a communications blackout, due to cell phone plans that did not provide service farther than a stone’s throw from their local billing offices. So until I arrived (right on time) at our hotel, I wasn’t sure whether or not I’d have to show up stag at my own wedding. But the desk clerk gave me the good news: my betrothed had already checked in.

Her story wasn’t as rosy as mine, but not too thorny, either. Because her flight was on one of those wannabe outfits that rents counter space from major airlines, she had to wait for them to open a check-in line. Only then could she get on the interminable terminal-length line waiting to go through Red Alert security.

Vancouver International tries hard, though, and had agents walking the lines pre-checking travelers, collecting various liquids and gels, and explaining procedures regarding laptop computers and shoes. It was tedious and annoying, but except for one woman livid about having to relinquish her lip-gloss, things plodded along smoothly.

Ultimately, we got off easy. The news reported hundreds of missed flights in each of several large airports. But we kept our date with Elvis, saw the new Cirque du Soleil show “Love,” and explored Red Rock Canyon. Viva Las Vegas!

About the Author: Married in Vegas by Elvis, I have expatriated to Vancouver, BC with my Canadian bride to avoid those long lines at Customs. Besides studying the metric system and Canadian English as a second language, I create websites, write songs and stories, and produce videos.