A trip to the airport on terrorist day

Thursday my wife and I had to drive to the airport to pick up my wife's godmother. That morning we heard the news that some type of terrorist plot had been uncovered in London and security was being tightened. We became very worried that Ana, who is elderly and can get a bit confused, might have trouble getting on her plane and arriving on time. The news reports were making it sound like total chaos. So here is my report from the front lines of air travel of the trouble we encountered.

Absolutely none.

We used the computer to check her flight. On time. We drove to the airport here in this unnamed port city and I let my wife off to get a security pass to meet Ana at the gate. No problem. I found a convenient place to park on a shaded deck, right next to the elevator (as much as I may complain about this port city, the airport is a marvel of efficiency). Wandered into the terminal, found a place to eat and had conch chowder and a beer. Then I sauntered down to the baggage claim area, read Shadow of the Torturer for a few minutes, and there they were, my wife and her godmother.

Ana's plane had arrived a few minutes early, had the normal problem of waiting for a spot to park, unloaded right on time, her one piece of luggage was the third piece unloaded, we walked about 100 yards to the elevator, and within 10 minutes we were in the car and leaving the parking lot.

On the way to my wife's parents we talked about the flight and how easy it was for Ana. So what you see on the news may be true of one part of the country, at one point in time, but conditions where you are may be totallly different.

We also chatted a bit about Fidel Castro and the reaction of the Miami Cubans to news of his illness. Ana and my wife laughed about how "those people in Miami" have been predicting this weekly for the last 45 years.

My wife can still remember the reactions in Cuba when Fidel's second in command Camilo Cienfuegos' plane went down and how everyone went wild at news he had been found. Even at the age of 8 she understood that Cienfuegos was not going to be found alive. And Ana, who had once worked to support Fidel and his rebellion before turning against him, was a bit sardonic.

But all that is for another post.