abq travels...

for some reason albuquerque takes me the longest time to travel.  i still don't think the tsa has it down in airports for consistency.  don't take this wrong, but i've never seen abq as a hotbed for travel, but i suppose with tourism, interest in the southwest culture, area 51 ;-), etc. it might be...but my point being it isn't a “busy” airport most of the time.

this morning i'm leaving from abq after a great meeting with the NMUG.  as i approach the airport, i go through the standard security line, first stopped by the tsa rep to check your id/boarding pass.  as i pass and put it in my pocket, not two steps later, i'm told to keep it out because “they'll need to see it again” -- and sure enough...five more steps -- that's right in eye and earshot of the original tsa verifier -- i'm asked to show my boarding pass again.  what's the point?  i saw the second screener watch the first screener show it!  and what could you have possibly gleened in the nanosecond you glanced at my boarding pass.  sometimes i think things are just there for process -- this is validated every trip i take to vegas (in vegas there are flights from phx-las about every 40 minutes and sure enough people get on the wrong plane -- wasn't somebody supposed to check?).

at any rate, abq sunport is very thorough, and i guess there's something to be said about that -- it's all good i suppose...but i just get a little sick of the over-engineering of some situations. -- it's like implementing an object-oriented, polymorphic, factory pattern component to add two numbers together.

but sunport does have free wireless in their airport -- sweet.

sigh -- at least the people are pleasant.

note: sky harbor doesn't have wireless, and has those new puffer security machines (which apparently aren't trustworthy yet because after going through those you still have to disrobe and go through the normal security screen) that take extra time.  my last trip to vegas from phx would have been faster if i drove...