Flying from DCA to MIA on friday may seem to be a long tedious process, but I have to say, this time around it was fast, efficient and ON TIME!
As always, I checked in online at aa.com and received my boarding pass electronically to my Iphone. I have found this to be the easiest way to do it. Upon arrival at the airport, all you have to do is walk up to the gate entrance and show your electronic boarding pass and ID.
Security screening at TSA checkpoint, is always a hassle, and as always, after placing my bags on the conveyor belt, I opted out of the Full Body Scan and chose my routine pat down. The TSA agent was friendly and courteous, and performed his screening in a respectable and non invasive manner, and after verifying everything was in order, he gave me the signal to continue to my gate. At the gate, boarding process was expedited, and upon accessing the plane, I reached my spacious window seat 11F. Gotta love Group 1 seating!!
Flight attendants were all very friendly and after the emergency procedure briefings, we took off on time. I peacefully fell into a nice nap which lasted the whole flight. A few hours later, I was awakened by the voice of the Captain to prepare for landing, and a few minutes later, we were on the ground at MIA.
I groggily left the plane and walked to take the SkyTrain, which links gates D1-D60 at MIA, and upon arriving to the Terminal Exit station, exited the secure area to the Ground Transportation area to catch my ride home.
Now the exciting part......as my son asked me if he could play on my Ipad, I instantly remembered having stored it in the seat pocket on the plane. And so, the marathon began.
I raced to the Check In desk and explained my dilemma to the agent. She picked up the phone and diligently tried to contact the gate agents for that plane. after a few tries with no luck, she issued a gate pass so that I could access the secure area, and after a long line at TSA (25mins), I finally got through. I sprinted to the SkyTrain station, hoping that I would get to the gate before the plane left, and after waiting for the 5 minute interval between trains and praying that no one took possession of my main work tool, the train arrived. As I approached the now empty desk, I felt a sense of despair, with no one there to help me. I quickly looked around and found an agent at another gate, which after hearing my story, personally went into the plane and retrieved my Ipad.
I was so relieved, I thanked him profusely and even offered a coffee for the trouble I had put him through.
Thanks AA for having a great team and for helping me get my property back! This is just another example why this airline maintains its clientele.
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