About a month ago I had an opportunity to go to a work-related training class in San Diego. My flight left on Sunday afternoon, and before driving to the airport I checked and re-checked my luggage to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything. I was going to be on the same flight as another co-worker (James), and since he only lives a few miles away we decided to carpool. We were going to be meeting another co-worker (Trina) in San Diego. She had family in the area and had caught an earlier flight so she could spend time with them.
As we were driving to the airport James told me about an iPhone app that would allow me to check-in early and get an electronic boarding pass. I tried entering my flight confirmation number, but the app kept saying it couldn't find my information. I found another way to select my flight and was able to check-in.
When we got to the airport I was pleased to see that the security line was short. I had my electronic boarding pass, but when I reached for my wallet I realized that I had left it at home. I typically don't spend money on Sundays and am not in the habit of taking my wallet to church with me, and when I left for the airport a few minutes after church and I hadn't thought to grab it. I told James to go through security without me and I would try to catch up when I could, then I panicked for a moment while I weighed my options. First I called my wife and asked her to bring my wallet to me, but she looked at the time and realized she wouldn't make it (if I hadn't been panicking I would have realized that myself). The TSA said there was a process they could use to verify my identity, but I would need a paper boarding pass rather than an electronic one. So I went to one of the check-in kiosks and entered my flight confirmation number. But just like when I had tried to enter my confirmation number on the iPhone app, the kiosk couldn't find my flight. I tried 7 or 8 times, but with no luck.
By this time I was in full-scale panic mode. I went downstairs to the Delta ticket counter and showed them my electronic boarding pass. I explained that the kiosk couldn't find my flight information and that I needed a printed copy of the boarding pass. They asked me for my driver's license (of course). I explained that I didn't have my wallet with me, and that was why I needed a boarding pass. They said they couldn't give me a boarding pass without identification. I told her I already had a boarding pass, it was just electronic and I needed a printed copy (it seemed like a logical argument to me). But my pleas fell on deaf ears. I then asked if there was another flight I could get on that same day. They said there was a 10:00 p.m. flight, but it was full (my training class started at 9:00 a.m. the next day). Then I looked at my itinerary and realized I had been entering the wrong confirmation number the whole time. I had been entering a W, but the last letter was a Y. Embarrassed, I slunk over to one of the nearby kiosks and printed my boarding pass.
I went back to security and they called headquarters to begin the question and answer process that would allow them to confirm my identity. Apparently the TSA has quite an extensive database with a surprising amount of information about ... well, everyone and everything. I was asked to provide my name and birth date. Then I was asked if I had ever owned any companies. (I had registered two LLC's that never got off the ground, so I said yes.) Then I was asked to name those companies. Then I was asked for the name of a close relative. I named my mother and was asked how old she was. I answered this question correctly and was allowed to proceed, happy that I was able to get through security but a little scared that the government had so much information about me in a single place. I suspect they've already harvested this blog entry and added it to my file ...
I arrived at the gate just as the plane was starting to board, and the flight was uneventful (always a good thing). When we landed I realized that the next challenge I would face would be picking up the rental car, which was reserved in my name. I wasn't sure if the company would allow James to pick it up instead, but fortunately it wasn't a problem. The man at the counter pointed to what appeared to be a row of several cars and said, "You can pick any car from that row." We were excited to be able to choose from a variety of vehicles, but when we walked over to the row we saw that there were only two cars, and someone was sitting in one of them. So much for freedom of choice! (We were pretty sure the guy at the counter was watching us on the security camera and laughing.)
We drove to our hotel and I asked James if he would be willing to hold my room with his credit card until I could get mine (I had asked my wife to overnight my wallet to me). He said he only had a debit card, but that it should be fine. When we got to the counter we discovered that the hotel had a very aggressive debit card policy: they charged the full price of the entire stay, plus an extra $100 per night to cover any incidentals. After paying for the rental car James didn't even have enough to cover his own stay, much less mine. Fortunately Trina had arrived at the hotel and was able to reserve both our rooms. For the next two days I "mooched" off my co-workers until my wallet finally arrived and I got my identity back.
The trip was quite enjoyable, and the training was very helpful. When I returned to work the following week my boss and the rest of my team had quite a laugh at my expense (and it was totally deserved!) The next time I travel on a Sunday, I'm going to make sure I have my wallet AND the ability to distinguish a Y from a W. Experience is the price of yisdom ... er, wisdom.
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