Adelaide Airport: Pumping at 7 am. Body scanners back!

I’ve spent the last day or so in Adelaide, catching up with family and attending a funeral for one of my Uncles. All good, 97 and a very rich life, and he went quickly.

Having seen the reports of chaos at Sydney Airport, I had arrived 2 hours early for my departure that was then delayed for more than 70 minutes due to late crew arrival. Looks like Qantas was swapping things around for staffing reasons – according to my source. Anyway all went well on the flight over, including a delicious beef lasagna in Business Class. My points upgrade came through, and it was the last flight of the day to Adelaide.

I’m at the airport writing this after having been directed by a security concierge (I’ve upgraded him due to his skill), who directed me to one of the 5 lanes operating – fortunately, the Body Scan Lane. This has not been operational throughout the pandemic period, but seems to have come back into service in the last few weeks.

Don’t unpack your computer or iPad!

The main advantage of this lane is that it is much better organised, with multiple individual stations for you to sort yourself out pre-scan, equipped with large trays that emerge from under the conveyer belt. You don’t have to unpack your computer or ipad or anything else. Just put you case, suite bag, personal item, and goody bag of Haigh’s (Easter Eggs anyone?) still packed in the tray, even on top of something else. This is perfect for non-match fit passengers Alan Joyce!

You then have to do that body scan thing, but the security staff only see a ’pass’ or ’fail’. If a fail, then they see a stick figure with red dots and X’s indicating where something has been detected. No actually embarassing ghostly actual body X-Rays.

Overhead Luggage etuquette

Here is a rule for airline passengers. If an overhead locker is closed when you board an aircraft, while others are all open, this is prima facie evidence that the overhead locker is full. If you choose to ignore this rule, and try and shove your bag into a small space, DO NOT ASSUME THAT EVERYTHING YOU CRUSH IS UNBREAKABLE. Because, you may well shatter some kiddie’s Easter by CRUSHING THEIR EASTER EGGS!

But my trip was not without incident. I put my stuff in the overhead locker, which did include the paper bag of Haigh’s chocolates pictured above. I left the bit open, as there was still room for a small bag, like a handbag next to my Easter Eggs. One of the cabin crew, came through and closed it, even advising a boarding passenger that it was already full. Later some young boofhead, sitting in the ‘F’ window seat of my row, opened it and shoved, and I mean shoved his back pack with force into the small space. I knew at that point, he must have also shoved my bag of Haigh’s to the back of the bin, and almost certainly broken the Easter eggs. Well he had, dickhead!

2PAXfly Takeout

This is another timely reminder to wear your seatbelt when seated. Holding you close to your seat will protect you from the sort of injuries sustained on this flight, when unsecured passengers flew to the ceiling of the aircraft, and then came crashing down once the ‘drop’ ceased.

The hope will be that this is an anomaly – a ‘freak accident’ in casual parlance. If it is a systemic error either mechanical or electronic, then this is a larger concern for the airlines that fly Boeing Dreamliner 787 aircraft. Let’s hope it isn’t. If it is, it will pile on the woes to Boeing’s existing stack.

I love these new scanners, because there is no unpacking required, and no resulting anxiety that you havn’t packed everything back into your bags, leaving something back at security.

Actually, Adelaide Airport was functioning very efficiently, despite it being extremely busy early in the morning for this Easter vacation period.

Oh, and Qantas had Bircher Muesli and scrambled eggs, and a barista on duty, so all is well with the world. I’m back in Economy this morning, so wish me luck with on time departure, and no circling above Sydney.

PS – there was no circling in Sydney and we got in a few minutes early.