Hesitant to RIDE again!

[Guest_Ciship_*]

I used to take my kids from KC to California two times a year on the Southwest Chief. We loved the train and they have been begging to go again. I am considering going to NYC from Kansas City this time instead and we must change trains a couple of times (Chicago and Pittsburg) where we never had to with the SW Chief. I came to these boards to get caught up on all the "news" and I'm a bit hesitant (horrified in some cases) with what I'm reading. Attacks on conductors! Rude attendants trying to throw people off the trains!! Dining problems! Police arrests on board! YIKES!!!!!!!

I just want my children to be safe. Should we drive instead? Is Amtrak not appropriate for families with children anymore? Would it be safer to get sleeper accomodations where we are not in coach? It seems everything bad happens in coach.

Has anyone taken this route from KC to NYC?

 

[AmtrakWPK]

First, whether in the news media or here on the board, the "normal" or "average" trip doesn't get much in the way of comments, nor does it generate discussions... It's only when something went really wrong that it gets put on the table for dissection. Which probably makes sense. So when one of us sees a news story, or has personal knowledge, of something that "went wrong" on an Amtrak train, we discuss it here. Our collective objectives include trying to improve the service to Amtrak passengers, improving the quality of the overall experience on Amtrak trains, and providing up-to-date information, and travel tips, to fellow passengers. We don't whitewash anything, but hopefully all of that also means that prospective passengers can feel like they can trust what they read here. We don't pull any punches.

Second, I personally feel much safer on the train than I do driving, and I think statistics on travel accidents bear that out. If you can afford a sleeper, it is certainly a much more comfortable, and private, way to travel. If not, I don't have safety concerns about coach, and certainly there are families with children traveling in coach every time I have traveled on Amtrak. Of course since I live in the Orlando Florida area, the trains I am on always stop in Orlando, and there are ALWAYS families headed to or from Disney, so I don't suppose that should be a surprise

In addition to all of this, of course, we also have a separate section of the board devoted to travelogues and trip reports, which sometimes are entirely positive, no gripes at all. But a careful reading of most of them does find at least something (frequently delays courtesy of the freight railroads that own most of the track Amtrak travels on) that the traveler didn't like. Sometimes Amtrak is at fault and sometimes not. But hopefully what you read on the Board you can trust as being reality, not promotional material.

My wife and I love traveling Amtrak. It is SO much more relaxed than driving, and so much less like being in a sardine can than flying. And so much less regimented than flying. The most dangerous part of a trip by train OR by airlines is driving from home to the rail station or airport.

 

[MrFSS]

I am considering going to NYC from Kansas City this time instead and we must change trains a couple of times (Chicago and Pittsburgh) where we never had to with the SW Chief.

You can go to NYC from KC by only changing once, in Chicago. SWC to Chicago and Lake Shore Limited to NYC. That would give you plenty of time in Chicago between trains in case the SWC is late arriving in the Windy City!

 

[Guest]

Thank you for your replies! I will do some Travelog reading today.

I wasnt aware that I could just do ONE stop instead of the two. Thank you for that advice. When I put in my desire to go from KC to NYC on the Amtrak website, I got the option to switch trains twice.

I'm excited.......and my kids love going by train........future supporters of Amtrak for sure!!

 

[Allan]

We took our first Amtrak trip last month by taking The City of New Orleans to Chicago and then the California Zephyr to Denver. Our experience was absolutely positive!!! We encountered great service and friendly attendants the entire way. As a matter of fact, when we arrived in Denver they were having a 10K run in the downtown area and the streets were closed to traffic. We needed a cab to get to a car rental agency at the airport (it was Sunday and the dowtown agencies were closed) so the Amtrak station agent loaded our luggage onto a motorized cart and took us to an area about six blocks away where cabs had access and directed a cab to our location by phone and then loaded our luggage into the cab-customer service above and beyond the call of duty!!!

We were so impressed with our experience and also with Chicago that we talked some friends into taking the City of New Orleans to Chicago for Labor Day weekend.

 

[Guest]

Great to hear Alan........thank you for the information!

 

[jg greenwood]

We took our first Amtrak trip last month by taking The City of New Orleans to Chicago and then the California Zephyr to Denver. Our experience was absolutely positive!!! We encountered great service and friendly attendants the entire way. As a matter of fact, when we arrived in Denver they were having a 10K run in the downtown area and the streets were closed to traffic. We needed a cab to get to a car rental agency at the airport (it was Sunday and the dowtown agencies were closed) so the Amtrak station agent loaded our luggage onto a motorized cart and took us to an area about six blocks away where cabs had access and directed a cab to our location by phone and then loaded our luggage into the cab-customer service above and beyond the call of duty!!!
We were so impressed with our experience and also with Chicago that we talked some friends into taking the City of New Orleans to Chicago for Labor Day weekend.

Very glad to hear that "my" (CNIC) railroad accommodated you so well!!

 

[haolerider]

We took our first Amtrak trip last month by taking The City of New Orleans to Chicago and then the California Zephyr to Denver. Our experience was absolutely positive!!! We encountered great service and friendly attendants the entire way. As a matter of fact, when we arrived in Denver they were having a 10K run in the downtown area and the streets were closed to traffic. We needed a cab to get to a car rental agency at the airport (it was Sunday and the dowtown agencies were closed) so the Amtrak station agent loaded our luggage onto a motorized cart and took us to an area about six blocks away where cabs had access and directed a cab to our location by phone and then loaded our luggage into the cab-customer service above and beyond the call of duty!!!

We were so impressed with our experience and also with Chicago that we talked some friends into taking the City of New Orleans to Chicago for Labor Day weekend.

Very glad to hear that "my" (CNIC) railroad accommodated you so well!!

If anyone is hesitant to ride Amtrak, they can go to the Amtrak website and click on the Whistle Stop logo for trip reports and other stories of passenger and professional writers experiences. I have to agree with one of our members that many times, the issues and topics that get attention on this site are those that are negative and need correction, so these posts are not truly indicative of the general Amtrak experience.

Have a good trip and enjoy your family.

 

[AmtrakCrescent20]

I used to take my kids from KC to California two times a year on the Southwest Chief. We loved the train and they have been begging to go again. I am considering going to NYC from Kansas City this time instead and we must change trains a couple of times (Chicago and Pittsburg) where we never had to with the SW Chief. I came to these boards to get caught up on all the "news" and I'm a bit hesitant (horrified in some cases) with what I'm reading. Attacks on conductors! Rude attendants trying to throw people off the trains!! Dining problems! Police arrests on board! YIKES!!!!!!!
I just want my children to be safe. Should we drive instead? Is Amtrak not appropriate for families with children anymore? Would it be safer to get sleeper accomodations where we are not in coach? It seems everything bad happens in coach.

Has anyone taken this route from KC to NYC?

The recent incident discussed on this site is the first time I've ever heard of someone inncocent being thrown off the train. Usually, eg when there is a violent drunk in coach, you would want to have the police arrest them. Most "horror" stories complain someone not being arrested/thrown off the train. I don't know if there has ever been any violent crime aboard Amtrak, but you are probably more liekly to be jumped in your car than to be hurt on the train. I would like to know where you read about an attack on a conductor.

 

[Guest]

I used to take my kids from KC to California two times a year on the Southwest Chief. We loved the train and they have been begging to go again. I am considering going to NYC from Kansas City this time instead and we must change trains a couple of times (Chicago and Pittsburg) where we never had to with the SW Chief. I came to these boards to get caught up on all the "news" and I'm a bit hesitant (horrified in some cases) with what I'm reading. Attacks on conductors! Rude attendants trying to throw people off the trains!! Dining problems! Police arrests on board! YIKES!!!!!!!

I just want my children to be safe. Should we drive instead? Is Amtrak not appropriate for families with children anymore? Would it be safer to get sleeper accomodations where we are not in coach? It seems everything bad happens in coach.

Has anyone taken this route from KC to NYC?

The recent incident discussed on this site is the first time I've ever heard of someone inncocent being thrown off the train. Usually, eg when there is a violent drunk in coach, you would want to have the police arrest them. Most "horror" stories complain someone not being arrested/thrown off the train. I don't know if there has ever been any violent crime aboard Amtrak, but you are probably more liekly to be jumped in your car than to be hurt on the train. I would like to know where you read about an attack on a conductor.

On page 2 of this forum, the thread titled 'Amtrak Engineer Beaten and Hospitalized '

 

[The Metropolitan]

I've ridden overnight in coach several times, and each time it was quiet and peaceful, even on a fully booked train.

Just to add some balance, not every bad thing happens in coach. I've read reports where people complain of pot smoking in a sleeper or over jumpy kids that are up all night long.

That's not to say either is common, but disturbances in coach are not all that common either.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[gyuri_ft]

I used to take my kids from KC to California two times a year on the Southwest Chief.

I am not saying I am the most frequent rider here but if I can, I always travel on Amtrak even if it is a business trip. And if we are back to Europe/Asia, we travel even more with train. It is to a degree, kids refuse to go with my dad's car if we are back to Europe, they want choo-choo. If I say we go by car, there is a small revolution.

We loved the train and they have been begging to go again.

Same here, we have a grown-up, a teenager and a future teenager :lol:

All like to ravel by train and hate airplanes and cramped cars. Looks like common issue for most kids

I am considering going to NYC from Kansas City this time instead and we must change trains a couple of times (Chicago and Pittsburg) where we never had to with the SW Chief.

You will handle it. Last year we went from Thessaloniki to Budapest. The train arrived Belgrade too late, we changed trains 5(!!!) times within 15 hours. If you use sleeper, you will be able to use First Class Lounge in Chicago (we had no lounge for these train changes and kids did handle them very well). It was of course a challenge to occupy them during the change but maybe my wife is ingenious...

I came to these boards to get caught up on all the "news" and I'm a bit hesitant (horrified in some cases) with what I'm reading. Attacks on conductors! Rude attendants trying to throw people off the trains!! Dining problems! Police arrests on board! YIKES!!!!!!!

Probably because we ride rails so much, everyone has a nasty story. As myself, for instance I did not contribute here with a story what happened last year. I was in the long queue before "scurity check" in LAS McCarran International Airport with a very beautiful friend of mine (she is originally fom a country located in Far East/Southest Asia). In nu minutes the hands of security guy were all over her underbody and he did really like what he did see - before the full audience. No gloves, nothng, he used his hand covered with his own skin. I made some comments like "wow, what a view" - but she was horrified and told me to shut up because it's security and we can land up in a nasty place if they want and dont' like how we talk. After the public gyn exam, sorry, I mean security check we proceed to eat somewhat - and discovered that at diner time there is actually not much to eat at LAS at all. (I had happy memories of Amtrak food!).

Cool, eh? But it's not on train, it was just the usual "gyn exam" at the airport and overpriced, horrible airport food. Or I lost $1000 due stupid TED and they (unlike Amtrak) do not even bother to compensate me to any degree. It's just not an airline forum.

I just want my children to be safe. Should we drive instead?

You know what is the most dangerous transportation in the country don't you? Statistically the most dangerous part of your round-the-world travel is always the drive to the station or to the airport.

Is Amtrak not appropriate for families with children anymore?

It is aproppriate. It is said, pigs never fly - but there is always a risk a pig will drop on somebody's head and kill the person instantly...

Would it be safer to get sleeper accomodations where we are not in coach? It seems everything bad happens in coach.

The "flying pig" can hit of course a couch or a sleeper or both. I just say, there is a much higher probability of a bad car accident than of an incident on the train. And regarding airplanes: we do not like to be treated like a herd of animals and public gyno exam is not fun either. Besides, if somewhat bad happens, one has much higher chance surviving a train accident than an airplne incident.

As it was said, traveling in sleeper is extremely nice, but it's not a must even with a family. But if you travel with family and expect kids eating in the dinig car - sometimes you may even spend more in couch than in sleeper.

 

[gyuri_ft]

[On page 2 of this forum, the thread titled 'Amtrak Engineer Beaten and Hospitalized '

I can start a thread "my close buddy who is just short from being a 'stunner' was thoroughfully gropped by security guard not wearing even gloves before my eyes and other few hundred by-wathcers at McCarran International Airport"

OK, it was still better because we were just upset but not hospitalized. For some reason I was not considered a security risk, he did not "check" me, only her.

 

[Guest]

[On page 2 of this forum, the thread titled 'Amtrak Engineer Beaten and Hospitalized '

I can start a thread "my close buddy who is just short from being a 'stunner' was thoroughfully gropped by security guard not wearing even gloves before my eyes and other few hundred by-wathcers at McCarran International Airport"

OK, it was still better because we were just upset but not hospitalized. For some reason I was not considered a security risk, he did not "check" me, only her.

gyuri ft.........How refreshing you are! I totally enjoyed reading your comments and experiences!!

 

[RailFanLNK]

I have ridden Amtrak four times in one year and will be onboard this weekend on the CZ from LNK to CHI. The first time I travelled Amtrak, the crew was just plain buisnesslike. They weren't fabulous, but they were not rude or indifferent. The next 3 trips either the crew kicked butt (a good thing) or was hilarious or really "hustling" to make things better. The last trip, the coach car was kinda dirty but the train was 9 hours late and it was a "fare special" so the CZ was packed to the hilt. But the crew was still trying there best. As usual, alot of comments are made when things don't go right, and very little is said when "things go good".

 

[George Harris]

I came to these boards to get caught up on all the "news" and I'm a bit hesitant (horrified in some cases) with what I'm reading. Attacks on conductors! Rude attendants trying to throw people off the trains!! . . . Should we drive instead? Is Amtrak not appropriate for families with children anymore?

1. For the attack on the engineer and conductor that occurred just west of Sacramento: The passengers on the train may not have know anything happened other than that the train was delayed. The attackers never got inside the train.

2. For the "innocent" passenger that was thrown of the train by the "rude attendant" we have never heard the other side of that incident. It might be totally different than reported by the person claiming himself the victim.

3. Driving is certainly not safer. Even in derailments fatalities and serious injuries are rare. You are inside a big strong steel box with bulletproof windows that is designed to withstand 800,000 pounds of impact. Your car would be an unidentifiable blob of scrap metal at a fraction of that.

4. Random incidents can happen anywhere. You are probably safer with children on a train than you would be in your random stops along the road when driving.

 

[Everydaymatters]

If you can afford the sleeper, I would highly recommend that rather than coach. All of the incidents I have seen were in coach.

Sleepers are more comfortable and you always know who's sitting next to you. The attendants are less likely to be crabby. Generally, I have found that they are there if you have a question, they get the beds set up, they get the beds made, and that's about it.

The bathrooms are cleaner because there are fewer people using them.

I'd take a sleeper anytime if I could afford it. Generally, I'm a coach passenger. Especially now that I'm retired and living on a limited income.

 

[DaveKCMO]

I used to take my kids from KC to California two times a year on the Southwest Chief. We loved the train and they have been begging to go again. I am considering going to NYC from Kansas City this time instead and we must change trains a couple of times (Chicago and Pittsburg) where we never had to with the SW Chief. I came to these boards to get caught up on all the "news" and I'm a bit hesitant (horrified in some cases) with what I'm reading. Attacks on conductors! Rude attendants trying to throw people off the trains!! Dining problems! Police arrests on board! YIKES!!!!!!!
I just want my children to be safe. Should we drive instead? Is Amtrak not appropriate for families with children anymore? Would it be safer to get sleeper accomodations where we are not in coach? It seems everything bad happens in coach.

Has anyone taken this route from KC to NYC?

i just logged about 7,000 amtrak miles on my current cross-country excursion and i saw no horrifying incidents the entire time. other than a few late trains and only a *single* grumpy conductor, i've had really great experiences.

for all that traveling, i offer one tidbit of advice: take your own food and drink. i've grown quite tired of the gardenburger, cheese tray, and meridian chardonnay.

i'll come back with more specific comments after i experience your upcoming route in reverse. i leave boston on saturday on the lake shore and connect in chicago to the chief (my home is also in KC).

 

[PRR 60]

[On page 2 of this forum, the thread titled 'Amtrak Engineer Beaten and Hospitalized '

I can start a thread "my close buddy who is just short from being a 'stunner' was thoroughfully gropped by security guard not wearing even gloves before my eyes and other few hundred by-wathcers at McCarran International Airport"

OK, it was still better because we were just upset but not hospitalized. For some reason I was not considered a security risk, he did not "check" me, only her.

I am not saying it did not happen, but what you describe is against TSA rules and any inspector who conducted himself is such a way would be fired by TSA on the spot. Hand searches of female passengers can only be conducted by female inspectors unless the passenger specifically agrees otherwise. I have been at security many times when calls for secondary screening are made, and the first thing that is identified is the required gender of the inspector. The searches are not to be physically invasive in any way, shape, or form. If what you say you saw actually happened, you should contact the TSA with the facts of the incident.
I have been an SSSS selectee and have been through the secondary screening process. It took ten minutes and was professional and dignified. Even if what you say you experienced actually happened, any suggestion that it is the normal expectation for air travel and airport security is pure BS. It is no different than someone who has one bad Amtrak experience and projecting that to all Amtrak: every train, all the time.

 

[ciship]

My first experience with Amtrak (as an adult) about 3 years ago was not the greatest. I was taking my elderly mom and two kids to California on the SWC. The minute we got on the train (we were SO excited) the cabin attendant BARKED orders at us (we had the Family sleeper) and was gruff and rude the remainder of the trip. My kids called him "Mr. Grumpy" in reference to that vacation. He never had a nice word to say (to anyone!) (but he got his job done). I still tipped him $25 for the trip because he did his job (he just didnt have any customer service skills!)

Thinking the return trip would be better, we arrived at the station in Fullerton, CA only to be told that the train had been delayed a day....maybe two!! I stood there with my two little kids and my elderly mom and asked them what we should do? They just shrugged me off and moved on to the next person in line. I called my husband who was back in KC and he called Amtrak customer service and told them the situation. It took about three hours, but the person at the station FINALLY called a local hotel to put us up for the night. Did they offer to pay for that hotel? NO. Did they offer a food allowance or cab fare? NO. They didnt give a hoot what happened to us.

I asked them about our Family sleeper and whether we would have it for our return trip the next day. They didnt know and didnt care. Again, my husband had to call and call to try and straighten everything out. We got lucky the next night and our sleeper was still available (they were just going to throw us in coach) and "Mr. Grumpy" wasnt on board either!

Our return trip was somewhat uneventful with a cabin attendant who was a pretty decent guy (but the dining staff was ticked off the whole trip about something).

When I got back to KC, I wrote Amtrak a long letter. They called me about a week after receiving it laughing the whole time saying that this kind of thing happened all the time. I didnt think it was so funny. They ended up paying for our expenses and giving us a credit for our NEXT trip. At that point, I never wanted to take Amtrak again........but, we did.......and it was great!

 

[gyuri_ft]

I am not saying it did not happen

It did

but what you describe is against TSA rules and any inspector who conducted himself is such a way would be fired by TSA on the spot.

I know but you are dealing with two passengers who were grown up in a Socialist country. Some people still have fear from authority.

Hand searches of female passengers can only be conducted by female inspectors unless the passenger specifically agrees otherwise.

Yes - but if there are hundreds of people in LAS, sometimes it becomes more LAX (sorry for the pun). Everyone wants to get over it.

The searches are not to be physically invasive in any way, shape, or form. If what you say you saw actually happened, you should contact the TSA with the facts of the incident.

Proving it is very difficult. And if you are hurry for the plane and it happens to be the last plane - you have no mood to complain. Many things can be interpreted many ways. It took few seconds. Sorry, complaining is a pure theory.

Even if what you say you experienced actually happened,

It did.

any suggestion that it is the normal expectation for air travel and airport security is pure BS.

Did I say? It was a reply to a person who is afraid of riding trains for security reasons. As much often as a booze brawl happens in Dining car or engineer gets beaten, that often happens the gropping at TSA. That's the point.

It is no different than someone who has one bad Amtrak experience and projecting that to all Amtrak: every train, all the time.

Did I say every time? It did happen once. Also once an engineer was beaten. You can go on the street and once a flying pig can drop on you and cause a serious injury. No one made a conclusion no to fly. It was a sample that absurd things can happen at the airport not just on the train.

 

[PRR 60]

I am not saying it did not happen

It did

...Did I say every time? It did happen once. Also once an engineer was beaten. You can go on the street and once a flying pig can drop on you and cause a serious injury. No one made a conclusion no to fly. It was a sample that absurd things can happen at the airport not just on the train.

I usually let stuff like this slide by, but this one got to me.

First, saying that TSA agents are threats is a whole lot different than being worried about criminal assaults against Amtrak workers. No one accused Amtrak conductors or attendants of committing assaults against passengers, but you are accusing the TSA agents of themselves being threats. Big difference.

The main problem is that your story makes no sense. A TSA agent violates every rule in the book and does so before what you describe as a "few hundred by-watchers at McCarran International Airport" (plus other agents and the TSA station supervision). Now at least some of those by-standers would be frequent fliers who would know the rules and would not be afraid to speak up. All of them would be people who know right from wrong. No one calls them on it? Not one person? What you described is not a simple rules violation, but is a criminal assault. You are saying that no one, not you, not your friend, not any of the other passengers at the checkpoint, not the other agents: no one did a thing. Sorry. That does not cut it.

If what you described happened and you did nothing, then shame on you. And if it did not happen, or if the facts were spiced up just a little for effect, then shame on you also. The TSA agents at LAS and the other stations have a tough job. I know some of them personally and the ones I know are honest, hard working people who take far more grief from the travelling public than the public ever gets from them.

And just to clarify that you slandered airport security as a group, I refer you to this quote:

...it was just the usual "gyn exam" at the airport.

Sorry, I am not a believer.

 

[Guest]

And if you are hurry for the plane and it happens to be the last plane - you have no mood to complain.

I am a female, and if that happened to me, I'd be outraged. If I were a male, and that happened to someone, ANYONE, male or female, I was traveling with, I'd also be outraged. If I were traveling with a male, I would be horrified if they were not outraged, and I'd be extremely upset if they did not say a word to someone in charge. If the screening makes you, or your traveling companion, uncomfortable in any way, it is the responsibility of the wronged party to take a stand against it. And, I don't care if I was running late or not, or if it was the last flight, etc; I would TAKE the time to complain. There are PLENTY of other flights out of Las Vegas to get you home. Granted, you'd be a day late, but, given the circumstances, I think a delay would be justified. I travel a great deal for my job, and frequently travel to Las Vegas to work, and I have found the passenger screeners there to be nothing but professionals.

 

[AmtrakWPK]

It's real easy to tell somebody else to stick their head into the lion's mouth and at the same time give a good solid yank on it's tail. Given the current secrecy-infested, terror-fixated, totalitarian-God-mindset of the TSA and the bureaucrats behind it, I would fully expect that having the temerity ( foolhardy contempt of danger or opposition ) to lodge a complaint would put me on one of their *lists*, resulting in my either being refused boarding on any further aircraft in the U.S. until Hell freezes over, or perhaps simply being subjected to a strip-and-cavity search plus interrogation for all further air travel. The only thing I could see that might have a positive effect would be to enlist a local TV station, if there is one that would have the cojones to take on the TSA, to identify the TSA screener involved and then try to bait him in a *sting* operation, with cameras rolling. If you could do that, and publicly air the tape, you could fix the problem without having put your own head on the chopping block.

 

[PRR 60]

It's real easy to tell somebody else to stick their head into the lion's mouth and at the same time give a good solid yank on it's tail. Given the current secrecy-infested, terror-fixated, totalitarian-God-mindset of the TSA and the bureaucrats behind it, I would fully expect that having the temerity ( foolhardy contempt of danger or opposition ) to lodge a complaint would put me on one of their *lists*, resulting in my either being refused boarding on any further aircraft in the U.S. until Hell freezes over, or perhaps simply being subjected to a strip-and-cavity search plus interrogation for all further air travel. The only thing I could see that might have a positive effect would be to enlist a local TV station, if there is one that would have the cojones to take on the TSA, to identify the TSA screener involved and then try to bait him in a *sting* operation, with cameras rolling. If you could do that, and publicly air the tape, you could fix the problem without having put your own head on the chopping block.

While I understand your position, my experience and contact with the TSA does not bear out your suspicions. I have found them to be open and honest, with complaints handled quickly and fairly. The thought that voicing a complaint will get you tagged SSSS for life is not reality. Every checkpoint has security cameras and the recordings can be viewed as needed. All the poster had to do was contact TSA in Washington and the allegation would have been investigated. That would especially be true with this specific allegation. There are way too many people working for TSA to permit some large scale cover-up of this kind of behavior. All you need is one whistle blower, and the jobs are not that great that someone would not blow the whistle.

I think the problem here has nothing to do with the poster's fear of making waves with the TSA. My opinion: the poster wanted to make a point in this topic and went way over the top in trying to do it. That is not a good thing to do when you end up making unsubstantiated criminal allegations against a large group of employees. No one likes the present TSA security process, but it is a non-event in actual practice. Just prep-up for the checkpoint: shoes off, belt off, coat off, lap top out, liquids out; and walk through. No big deal.