Not Pretty, But Practical
Monday, August 6th, 2007My staff at Global Traveler often talk about my habit of butting in front of lines. Horrifying as it is to some people, it can be an absolute necessity for international travelers. Often it is the only way to compete and make it through long lines when traveling. My instruction to Kim Krol, currently traveling to India, was as follows:
1) Push ahead of the crowds
2) Act like you are in charge
3) Don’t let people push you around.
One of my favorite tricks — this has never failed, and works particularly well at Logan and DIA – is to use the first class line when I am not traveling first class. This is done simply by including any airline club card or lounge pass with your ID. It confuses the TSA agent, who assumes that either you are traveling first class or that the card entitles you to that line. We can’t all be platinum members of every airline, so there are times when this trick comes in handy. Of course, another line-buster is an “Andy Jackson.” When I traveled to Jamaica with my family last summer, we were caught in the bureaucracy of long pointless lines and no air conditioning at our point of entry. I surmised that it would have taken us a good hour to get through the lines at immigration and customs, and decided to take action. I called over one of the luggage porters and asked him if there was a way around the line, at the same time introducing him to Mr. Jackson. We got through lickety-split.
- Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO
