Travel Blogger Daily Blog: Panic At Louis Armstrong International
I was in panic mode.
My laptop was missing.
I was going through security at the New Orleans Airport and my laptop computer was not with me. I had, per TSA instructions, removed it from my backpack and placed it separately by itself in a bin.
Yet it did not come out of the X-ray machine.
There were three TSA agents standing there and at first, I was calm. I asked them, “where’s my laptop?”
I looked at the screening agent, whose eyes were glued to the screen – okay, she’s doing her job – and the TSA supervisor calmly said “it’s coming out now.”
But it wasn’t “coming out now.” All of my other belongings were already out and other people’s items were piling up behind them.
My computer was gone.
Now, I was getting nervous. I said in a very excited voice, “my laptop is gone!” I even stood up on my toes and jumped up and down a couple of times for emphasis. “My laptop is gone!”
A few moments earlier, I had noticed out of the corner of my eye a lady in front of me had grabbed a silver laptop out of a bin. I now knew this was mine and that she had it. But where was she – the vastness of the airport lay just beyond the security area.
There was a woman a few feet away sitting on a bench who had stopped to put back on her shoes. I didn’t know if it was the same person but I instinctively bolted toward her. Only to be called back by the TSA supervisor.
In a manner as calm as a Hawaiian, he slowly walked over to her. I was as anxious as someone from New York City.
As he returned, very softly he said something to me. What??
“She has your laptop,” he repeated.
Whew! I raced over to her and she had it. Fortunately, she had opened it and realized it was not hers. “I looks just like mine,” she explained.
“Well, they all look the same,” I said, holding back my real thought, which was “what an idiot!”
Her laptop, which was in a bin with a red case, looked nothing like mine and was actually behind mine on the X-ray table metal rollers.
My mood started to flip from panic to angry, but it quickly transformed into relief. Can you imagine if that lady had just walked through the airport to her gate? I never would have found her.
Tips To Protect Your Belongings While Going Through Airport Security
Two good things came out of this tho, and every traveler should follow these precautions.
One, keep an eye on your belongs at all times as they come through the X-ray machine. I was detained for about 30 seconds because the zippers on my shorts pockets set off the human X-ray machine. Security stopped me for a quick wand swap and in that short time, my laptop was gone.
Secondly – and I used to do this – put identification on your laptop. My previous laptops all had address labels on them; I had actually anticipated the possibility of someone accidentally walking off with it. If you have your name, address and phone number, an honest person can contact you and return it to you. Perhaps even call/text you in the airport for a quick recovery.
So here I am now, typing on the very laptop that, for a few brief moments in the New Orleans airport, had me in panic mode to find it.
Cheers!
Leave a Reply