And there is major sniffles a few rows back. Sigh.
Hope no one here had to fly out of SeaTac yesterday!
I am still waiting for my Covid to arrive after my 9 hour flight back from Paris on Sat. Yes I got boosted 10 days earlier, but still, I heard sniffles, coughs, etc.
BTW our flight was suppose to be full , but there was about 20 empty seats. I heard that was likely due to missed connections and 2 hour security. This sucks because earlier I ran into people who had missed their flight due to late connection, and was told all the flights were full and that in Europe they dont allow standby.
My original Airport, Geneva, BTW was a breeze to get through. Smaller airports might be the way to go if in Europe. My boss went through Madrid and said it was not a good experience. and forget about Amersterdam!
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Two of the airport’s security lanes were closed, and 27 were open. In addition, two checkpoints that are normally used for prescreened travelers opened lanes to accommodate the rush of travelers.
Those poor people! 27 were open? Philly has nowhere near that many!
It’s a very large airport! But all the more reason for son to fly Alaska first class (if he ever decides to fly again) because they have a priority screening line at SEATAC. I took advantage of it myself in May. Express security lines - Alaska Airlines
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Philly screens 1/2 of the SeaTac pax numbers according to the official statistics, so not exactly a fair comparison. Plus, you probably don’t get as many cruise pax trying to fly out at the same time. But agree, the TSA at SeaTac should seriously look into their inefficiencies.
One annoying thing at SeaTac is their implementation of newer screening machines that seem to slow down the process by making folks confused. Laptop out? Laptop stays in? Bins stacked? Not stacked? That sort of thing.
PAE now has flights to SAN. 
It is a much nicer airport although a bit further out. I guess to get there from the city, Uber rides would be about the same price as rides to SeaTac.
You’re right about the cruise ships…we have nary a one. I think Philly is the only city that didn’t manage to make their waterfront/riverfront a centerpiece of the city. 
A tiny section is nice and the rest is industrial.
Hope they get it moving a bit more smoothly!
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Apparently, the TSA lines S-show continues today. 
I’m glad my husband does not have to travel on business so often anymore!
Seems like you want to get the cruise ship schedule and avoid scheduling your flight when a lot of cruise ships finish their cruises. That might be especially important if you want to avoid COVID-19, since cruise ships seem to be good spreaders of the virus, so all of those people who just got off of cruise ships may be higher risk of being spreaders as they crowd into the security lines and airplanes.
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Son takes monorail and light rail to the airport. I did that myself once. Fortunately he uses his car now when I visit.
Good news possibly coming soon for those who would like to visit our friendly neighbors:
I guess Canada does not want to miss out on the ski tourism. We will definitely travel if the inconvenience of dealing with the app etc. is gone.
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Our plans for next February tentatively include skiing in Canada. It’s not that we haven’t been vaccinated, but we were worried about paperwork needed and being able to get it done. Definitely good news.
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We’ve been enjoying staring at Canada for almost a week now. We thought about crossing the border to revisit old haunts there this year, but decided to put it off one more year due to not wanting to fill out the app and get permission, etc, esp for a day trip.
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I’m going on a river cruise mid November. The Rhine river, it’s going to be chilly.
All of my suitcases were thrown out during my pandemic purge. They were not in good shape and needed to be replaced. I bought 2 carry on suitcases.
But I realized during a recent trip that I will not be able to pack all the layers for a 2 week winter trip with lots of time outside. I ordered a larger suitcase. Got a great deal on Amazon about 1/2 price.
Suitcase is great but I thought I was buying a 21” bag but I bought a 26” instead! 
It’s so big!
My question, should I just keep the bigger bag or return and buy the 21”? I don’t think I need this big bag but I also know that I will not be able to do carry on for this trip. I’m not an over packer but just can’t get all the stuff on in carry on bags. I really hate to return to amazon especially when I got a great deal and now I would have to find another bag. The smaller bag is no longer on sale. Luggage is expensive!
Thanks!
I traveled to London during winter from So Cal - with a 21” carry on exclusively- I bought these to compress all my sweaters (I wore layers on layers) - no need for a vacuum- just rolled ‘em to get the air out. Worked brilliantly. The Chestnut 8 Space Saver Bags - No Vacuum or Pump Needed - Roll-Up Compression Bags for Travel - Packing Bags - Travel Must Haves - Compression Bag - Packing for Suitcases https://a.co/d/59yRHCs
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Honestly, I’d get rid of the 26" bag. We just travelled and took 21" bags. We were traveling together and separately. The 21" is not only easier to maneuver but also can be checked on or brought on. Saw a couple in a hotel at breakfast one day, they had two larger suitcases, it just looked like they overpacked.
Europe is crowded right now and everything ( airports, restaurants etc are busy). Not to even mention if you are traveling with others and need to get a taxi to the airport. We had to bump up our rental car. It wouldn’t fit 4 21" suitcases. European mid-size. Cost us a lot more $$.
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IF anyone has read about missing luggage and was deciding between Tiles and Airtags, I’d advise them to buy the airbags. The tiles are essentially the same thing except for one HUGE thing. They are not GPS so you can’t locate your bag unless someone else is near it ( with the Tile app). You can check to see that it got on and ring it to find it if it’s nearby. But if it goes to Miami and you are in Florence then you will only get the signal of where it was last and it will “notify” you when someone pings off it in Miami.
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Thanks for the advice. I’ll send it back and look for a 21” bag.
Is there a TJ Maxx store nearby? They used to carry a lot of luggage. Also, check Rack online. Stuff bought there online be returned to a physical Rack.
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