Terminal excitement

My biggest concern while I was packing to catch an Air India flight to Chicago via London, was this: will I be allowed to carry my laptop as hand baggage? As a software professional on an official trip, my laptop was full of valuable data. With advice pouring in from members of my family, I was terribly confused. The Air India staff were, as usual, vague. It was a week of heightened security following the Heathrow crackdown but no one knew what I could take as cabin baggage. Reluctantly, I wrapped the laptop in three layers of bubble jet sheets, placed it in its padded bag and kept it in the suitcase to be checked in. I also stowed away a pen-drive with the back-up in another bag. On Air India8217;s 8216;assurance8217;, I carried a small leather purse to hold essentials like passport, currency, and so on.

At Heathrow it was a classic scene. Most Indian women were scrambling for their handbags after they were told to wear their jewellery instead of carrying it in their bags. Soon Indian women clad in tracksuits, metamorphosed into bahus straight out of a 8216;K8217; serial, glittering from head to toe with the best of mangalsutras, nose rings, pendants and what have you. After that I just knew that I would not be spared either. Sure enough, my new leather purse was a strict no-no for the second leg of my journey from London to Chicago. I carried its contents in a transparent polythene bag. They said I could get the purse back from the crew on landing. But that was the last I saw of it. I remembered it only on my way to the hotel at Chicago.

Finally it was time to return home. Once again I packed my laptop with great care. But at Chicago8217;s O8217;Hare airport I was told I could carry the laptop as a handbag. In fact, the Chicago airport officials were far more relaxed than any I had encountered elsewhere. With news of Asian passengers being profiled in the air coming in, we expected the works. But officials here were courteous and kept apologising for any 8216;inconvenience8217;. I was even allowed to carry my laptop after it was examined. Transiting Frankfurt turned out to be an even more relaxed experience than O8217;Hare.

When I finally landed in Delhi, clutching my laptop, my family was eagerly waiting to hear of my experiences. They expected juicy tales of tough security measures and looked distinctly disappointed with my account. You mean, no sniffer dogs?!