From my blog post (www.birdsasart-blog.com) this morning (Monday, 11 JAN 2010):
It is 4:48 am. I am sitting at Gate 13 in Orlando International Airport headed for San Diego via Dallas flying American Airlines. After 9/11, there was huge concern about flying with photography gear. Other than getting dump-searched at the Dallas Airport right after 9-11–I had been in the air during the attacks– flying with photo gear after 9-11 was exactly the same as it was flying before 9-11. One rolling bag, one computer case, and my vest. Sometimes they checked my rolling bag carefully, sometimes they did not. And once in a very great while I got hassled about my vest. But getting through security and on the plane was and has been relatively hassle free.
After the last recent security fiasco/terrorist attempt there has once again been huge concern about the “new security measures” that will make it impossible to travel with long lenses and mutliple camera bodies. Well, aside from the line at TSA being very slow this morning, I can assure you that at least in Orlando things are exactly the same. Once it was my turn I got through security in record time: one rolling bag, one computer case, and my vest. And they did not even swab my bag. No pat down and no body scan even though they have those machines at MCO.
On a personal note, I was up till after 1am talking to a friend on Sunday night, and then up this morning at 3am to make my 6am flight. Though I am wide-eyed and alert at the moment, I am sure that I will catch some z’s on my flights. I will be back soon to post some Mark IV and 7D images.
