MYSTERY BUYER
SECURITY PROCEDURES CAN BE FRUSTRATINGLY INCONSISTENT ACROSS THE GLOBE, AND TRAVELLERS NEED TO BE WELL PREPARED FOR THIS
CUSTOMARY GRIEVANCES
GIVEN THE INCREASINGLY HOMOGENISED AGE WE LIVE IN, a two-week trip around the Americas threw up surprisingly incon- sistent procedures for security, customs and baggage. One size, as it were, definitely didn’t fit
all here. In this age of globalisation, I find it surprising that the ‘global’ airlines and major transit airports have such different policies. As a travel buyer, I realise it is really impor- tant 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 road warriors to expect the complete spectrum of experiences, depending on 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 and so on. In Latin America, you can remain fully clothed and go through security with a bottle of water. I didn’t have to disrobe in Argentina, Chile, Panama, Costa Rica and Mexico. But in Dallas, I had a full body scan. I went through three airports in transit
– Panama City, Mexico City 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. In Mexico, I had to go through immigration. I was dreading going through Dallas. Last
time I transited through the US, I had checked- in luggage and after retrieving it from the carousel in Miami, it took me one-and-a-half 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 ten minutes to get through immigration, which is really good. Hand luggage is a nightmare. Because I was flying business class, I took a full-sized 14kg
BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM
You should expect the complete spectrum of experiences, depending on where you are in the world
cabin bag. When flying from Argentina to Chile, I was told I had to check my bag in – it took almost two 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 have had my case with me in the cabin) and assured me my luggage was transferred to this flight. I arrived in Chile’s Santiago airport at 10pm and, inevitably, my case didn’t turn up (and mine wasn’t the only one). No time for shopping, either: 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 – and 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 valuable employees are well-prepared and informed when they’re embarking on new routes and destinations.
ONLINE COMMENTS
You’re right, but the world is inconsistent. Every airport and every country has a different policy – and one airport might have a different interpretation depending on the day of the week. As for lost luggage, for more complicated trips through hubs, it’s a lottery, with the odds firmly stacked against you...
BBT MARCH/APRIL 2015 53
Illustration: Ben Southan
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