Thanksgiving-weekend travel recap: How'd it go for you?
Now that Thanksgiving is over and we've made it through the first round of holiday travel, we can all take a moment to breathe and reflect on the nightmare that last weekend was supposed to be, but, according to most accounts so far, just wasn't.
We all know the TSA isn't exactly the most efficient organization, and with new security procedures, lines were supposed to be longer, move slower, and the whole airport experience was set up to be more miserable than ever. But despite the hype, most reports show that it really wasn't that bad: most people opted for the scanners, and those who opted out weren't left for hours to await a pat down.
That isn't to say there weren't a few hiccups.
While it seems that most opted in for a backscatter scan, Opt-Out Day declared success, due to heightened awareness of "issues of privacy and aviation safety at TSA checkpoints." President Obama acknowledged that the TSA procedures were "frustrating" and an "inconvenience," and asked TSA officials to review the procedures. TSA head John Pistole said he was asking security experts if there are less-invasive ways of performing the security checks, but that there were no changes planned yet.
For those who did opt out, there were mixed reviews of the weekend. One passenger reported a brusque, 20-minute experience at the Miami airport, while another said she received a civilized pat down that only delayed her by five minutes in Pittsburgh. Of course, there were some more interesting protests, notably passengers showing up only in underwear or stripping down at the checkpoint.
That being said, how did your Thanksgiving travel go? We want to know—if you flew last weekend, what was your experience at the airport, and what are you planning on doing the next time you fly?
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