Given the age we live in, with consistent worldwide regulations surrounding what we can travel with, a two-week trip for our anonymous travel buyer around the Americas threw up surprisingly inconsistent procedures for security, customs and baggage...
One size/policy/standard definitely does not fit all. But in this age of globalisation, I find it surprising that the ‘global’ airlines and major transit airports have such different policies and procedures.
As a travel buyer, I realise it is really important to actually experience business travel in all its forms. When it comes to how different continents and countries treat ‘travellers’ with regards to airport security, Customs and Immigration, hand luggage and transiting through airports, we should advise our travellers to expect the complete spectrum of experiences, depending upon where you are in the world and what you are trying to do.
In western Europe, we have to go through security almost naked – jacket and shoes off, laptop and liquids out, pockets empty etc. In Latin America, you can remain fully clothed and can go through security with a bottle of water. I didn’t have to disrobe in Argentina, Chile, Panamá, Costa Rica and Mexico. But in Dallas, I had a full body scan.
I know someone travelling recently on a South African passport – immigration staff in Brazil, Colombia and Costa Rica thought they would be carrying Ebola. They had to explain that they lived in London.
I went through three airports in transit – Panama, Mexico City for an internal flight, and Dallas Fort Worth. In Panama, you come off the plane, stay airside and walk from one gate to the other – no one checks your luggage or anything else. In Mexico, I had to go through immigration.
I was dreading going through Dallas. Last time I transited through the US, I had hold luggage and after retrieving it from the carousel in Miami it took me 1.5 hours to get through immigration controls – and I missed my connecting flight.
This time I had hand-luggage only, and Dallas is well signposted with colour-coded channels for entering the US, hold luggage and transiting with hand-luggage only. It’s great: an e-reader scans your passport and fingerprints, and asks questions – which you’re then asked again by a human being. But it took only 10 minutes to get through immigration, which is really good.
Hand luggage is a nightmare: one size definitely doesn’t fit all. Because I was flying business class, I took a full-sized 14kg cabin bag as hand luggage. When flying from Argentina to Chile, I was told I had to check my bag in – it took 1.5 hours to drop my baggage off, and then they cancelled the flight. They put me on the next one (upgraded to business so I could’ve had my case with me in the cabin) and assured me my luggage was transferred to this flight. I arrived in Santiago de Chile at 10pm and my case didn’t turn up (mine wasn’t the only one). No time for shopping; for the next 36 hours, I had to go to meetings in the clothes I was standing up in. I got endless apologies from the airline, but by the time my case was found I had moved on to Costa Rica – by which time I’d bought another bag and some clothes. When I did get my suitcase back, it had obviously sat out in a thunderstorm in Buenos Aires – it was soaked through.
There are some airport apps that could help your travellers negotiate these obstacle courses, including iFly Airport Guide, Airport-maps and Gate Guru.
These inconsistencies around the world are a challenge for our travellers – as travel buyers we do need to be aware of the traveller experience, especially on long-haul trips, as companies tighten travel policies. And we need to ensure our travellers are well-prepared and informed when they’re embarking on new routes and destinations.