This past weekend I flew Delta from Charlotte to Atlanta to NYC (Newark Airport) on Saturday and the reverse on Monday. I wanted to visit my Mom and sisters and see Ground Zero. To minimize potential luggage problems, I had carry-on only. This meant I had to leave my Gillette Sensor razor at home and buy throwaway razors in NYC.

The check-in at the ticket counter (I had an e-ticket) was fairly quick and required the usual picture ID check. The one thing that different was that only the boarding passes for the two flights that day were issued. In the past, all boarding passes would have been issued.

Going through security was not as smooth. First they checked the boarding pass. Then the luggage, coat, and metallic pocket contents X-ray. For some reason, I had forgotten about the wristwatch and set off doorway loop metal detector. They use the wand. Thinking it might be the belt buckle, or else something hidden in or behind the belt, they told me to loosen the belt and show them the back of the buckle. No problem. Then, the wand found the wristwatch that has the stainless steel back. Had I put the watch in the little basket, it would have been easy.

At the gate, before boarding, it was announce that, selected *at random*, some passenger's carry-on luggage will be hand searched. If your boarding ticket had some letter codes on the lower right, you were to go to a table were a Delta agent would look at and check the contents of your carry-on. I was not one of those selected. Whether having a Delta Frequent Flyer card since the 1980's or having an honest face had anything to do with it, I don't know. Four Mexicans (judging by the accent and appearance), travelling together had been selected for the random search. It's hard to chalk that up to the improbability machine being turned on at that time. This Delta flight was dual-logoed as an AeroMexico flight. While having the boarding pass scanned, you once again had to produce a picture ID.

In Atlanta the subsequent flight was in the same terminal building, so it was just question of showing your picture ID at the time the boarding pass was processed.

Both these flights were about 2/3 full.

The return trip was smooth given that I managed to switch to earlier flights at the terminals. As any of you that travel to NYC know, there is immense variability in how long it takes to get from Manhattan to Newark airport. I gave myself plenty of time and this time the bus I used got there fairly quickly. The Newark check-ins were smooth. The only strange thing was that for the first time, and on the other side of the doorway loop, I was asked to take off my (baseball style) cap. I suppose I could have had plastic knives there, but I could have had them in my socks too.

At the gate, I noticed that the adjoining gate was also going to Atlanta, but an hour earlier. I managed to get on accepting the last and one of the worst seats on the plane - a non-reclining middle seat in front of the seats by the wing emergency exit doors. Hey, it's only a two-hour flight and at worst I'll be waiting in Atlanta closer to home.

In Atlanta, I asked to be put on a flight that wad an hour and a half earlier than the original booking. Because I had not been called after all rows were boarded, I asked the boarding attendant if they had a seat for me. "Oh, sure!" she said and let me on. She did not ask to see my picture ID, which I believe, was a procedural error. Not that practically speaking picture ID of the sort we have, in my case a North Carolina driver's license, are not easily forged. This flight was only a quarter full. Not a good thing for Delta.

Anyway, I did my thing to keep the airlines going. And, I would do it again without hesitation.