2023 Italy Day 20

By travelerdon on October 1, 2023

The trip home, Easter Sunday, Apr 9

We manage to get 6 hours of sleep in our cubicle Citizen M Hotel and we check out and walk our bags to the terminal. We were here 9 years ago on our return from South Africa, but somehow we don’t remember the vastness of Schiopol Airport! At least there were flower displays on the short walk to the terminal!

But we manage to get through security and find our Gate and Plane and all is good. Well so we thought. As we go through the line to board the plane, Elee goes through and I am right behind her. But they pull me aside due to a designation on my Boarding Pass. It seems the Italian Agent yesterday that failed to bully us into checking our carry on bags found her revenge and flagged my Pass with “SSSS” or “Selective Security Screening System”. We are convinced she did it out of spite.

But hey, when detained by Security in the Airport, the best you can do is go through with it calmly. Even the Officer inspecting my luggage and making me take off my shoes chuckles a little because we can only guess he knows the situation. So he swipes my hand, socks, belt and other parts of me with his explosives wipes and finds nothing. He wishes me well on my way and I wish him a Happy Easter!

So the Agent Lady in Italy probably assumed that we would get delayed enough that we would have to check at least one carry on bag. But the joke’s on her as we boarded the line early. We were in line with Zone 4 tickets and were right behind Zone 2 passengers! Had we waited for Zone 4 to be called, it is likely she would have won! This is also a flight tip for passengers. Always get on line at lease one Zone early as the check in personnel rarely care. Don’t jump the line too far as when they catch you very early, they’ll make you stand there and wait forever.

So we’re on the plane and the flight is uneventful and we land in LAX 30 minutes early! Our son has a day off and comes into the airport to pick us up. Another car ride of just over an hour and we are home sweet home!