Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Auspicious Beginnings

The start of my second trip to Japan is starting off much better than the first. For starters, on the way to the airport my flight wasn't cancelled which, for those who fly a lot, is a huge pain to deal with.  I got to the ticket counter for Japan Airlines the recommended 3 hours early. Well a tad more than that and the counters were devoid of helpful staff. Just a sign stating check-in would begin in ... well, 15 minutes. That wasn't too bad!  I spent my time watching the ants mill through the TSA lines. Poor people that don't get the PreCheck on their boarding passes that have to go through all the song and dance and long lines. Some are comically nervous when they get to the TSA agent and their wallets, boarding passes, purses, babies, etc. go flying and falling to the ground. I kid about the babies falling to the ground, but the amount to chaos caused at the agent is astonishing.  After a few minutes of entertainment a half dozen smartly dressed, young women come streaming around the corner as if summoned by some silent alarm the dozen travelers waiting in line are also not aware of.  They confer behind the counter in hushed tones momentarily and flow out in front of the counter, space themselves equally in front of us, bow and greet us in Japanese saying "Welcome and good morning!"  (Much better than the agent a the counter on my first trip basically telling me: "Too bad. Go over to this other airline and buy a ticket last minute and once your whole intineary closes, THEN we'll refund you for canceling your flight. Buh bye now.")  I'm politely handed back my passport, luggage claim tags, and boarding pass. Those that have been to Japan know how they hand items to you...  With more than a little trepidation, I noticed that there no bright, cheery TSA PreCheck staring back at me on my boarding pass. Anywhere. Well, my GlobalEntry will get me to the TSA agent without having to wait and he confirms my suspicions: if it's not printed on your boarding pass, you need to remove your shoes, laptop, etcetera like everyone else. Oh well, a relatively small hassle. Avoiding the long line was the key thing.

Now I'm in the JAL Airspace Lounge enjoying my "layover" until boarding time. This time is a non-stop to Narita on a 787 Dreamliner. I had this chance last year but opted for the upper deck of a 747. It was a good choice and I recommend it if any of you get the chance.

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