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11/08/2012

I haven't blogged in so long that there is just so much to tell. How was United? What happened with the interview for GOES? Patience grasshopper.

Speaking of grasshopper, did you know that there is a grasshopper on the weather vane at Faneuil Hall? During the Revolutionary War, if you were suspected of being a British spy, locals would ask you what was on top of the weather vane. If you got it wrong, you were labeled a British spy and arrested.

It' s a shame my timeline of events went United then interview as opposed to vice versa. I paid ungodly amounts to have a better seat on United since I don't have any status with them. It was a good opportunity for them to show me what they have in case American goes the way of the dodo. Lots of travelers are being skeptical of the airline, and United could be where they jump to. Unfortunately they did not impress.

To be fair, if I decided to fly them, I should be able to transfer my status on American to United. It would take a couple weeks/months, but it would work. Let's start with Logan and go from there.

I arrive in plenty of time, and Terminal C looks to be somewhat dead. This was just an assumption, and we all know what happens with assumptions. I must have stood in the security line for close to 45 minutes. It was a bottleneck. There were too many people and not enough security personnel. Technically I cannot blame this glitch on United, but since they are in this terminal, I chose to do so. When I finally got through, I was so out of sorts that I forgot my bag at security. I was halfway to the gate before I realized that I forgot my bag, so I ran back. Lucky for me, it was there. I didn't have any time to get breakfast. The location of the gate was in some ass end corner of the terminal, and there MORE bottlenecks. I understand that those with status get to board first, but it was ridiculous that I was group 5 and there wasn't any overhead space left. While the seats were very comfortable (I paid an extra $35 for them), it wasn't anything special.

Then there was the ride home. The security to get back was perfectly fine. Once again, I didn't have status, so I boarded later than I am used to. Once again I had to stuff my stuff in first class. At the very beginning of boarding, the guy asked if there were any Global people (along with servicemen/women in uniform, etc)....this is what got me. I had my interview the day after. Had I had the Global interview a week prior, I would be able to board first.

The worst part of flying United was being deposited in Terminal A instead of C. Yeah, Hi, I left from Terminal C so my car is in Terminal C. Do you think you can turn the plane around? No? Fine. I'm never flying you again. I think it had to do with Continental and how they are still working out the kinks, but it was pretty ridiculous.

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My interview with the U.S. Customs agent was great. The thing to really acknowledge is that the Global Entry program is run by U.S. Customs. If you have a beef with TSA, join the club. I haven't had that many bad experiences with them, although on one side, I feel for them with the monotonous job, and on the other side, I feel like they could do a much better job as well.  The thing about Global Entry is that it is technically for those traveling internationally more than anything. However, when you get your approval for Global Entry, you get a PASS ID#, which you then put in a specific place for the 4 major airlines (United, Delta, US Airways, American). This gives you the opportunity to do TSA Precheck. I could potentially get through security faster and easier than those in First Class now due to this program. I used it on Monday, and I didn't take off my shoes, watch, wedding band...it was fantastic. I took of my belt because it was bulky. The TSA agents are MUCH nicer in the precheck line as well. It took me all of 2 minutes to go through. This is what security should be.

If you have doubts about TSA Precheck, you should have faith in Global Entry. The program is run by a well known and respected agency of the government, and these guys know what they are doing. If you fly enough with a particular airline, you can get TSA Precheck without the Global Entry piece, but it is just for that airline. I can do TSA Precheck for any of the 4. It is a glorious thing.

Funny thing during my interview with Customs. They take your fingerprints, and they get rated on a scale from 1-20, with 1 being easily readable and 20 being sandpaper. After checking my FBI file (which is empty...I hope!), they take my fingerprints and the guy tells me never to commit a crime. I may be guilty of speeding my fair share of times, but I wouldn't commit a crime anyway. He says that I have all 1s and 2s, and would get identified really easily if I left my fingerprints anywhere. I found that entertaining. He was telling me how some people go in for their interviews and have outstanding warrants against them, so he ends up arresting them.