Technology. Security. Incompetance. Loyalty.

Happy Friday...I just got off the red-eye flight from Seattle to Newark. My plan was to take a shower in The President's Club before heading out to a couple of important meetings. Here's what happened blow-by-blow:

• My bag is gate-checked in Seattle as the flight is full
• When I arrive, I'm told the bag will be on the conveyor belt
• I head to Continental Information and ask them if they can bring my bag in...they say no.
• So I head back through Security and ask the TSA guard if I can come right back...she says sure; all I need is my stub
• I get my back and head back but a new guard tells me I need a day pass
• I head to Continental ticketing and talk to one person who tells me to talk to someone else...who eventually gives me a day pass
• I head through security, but leave my shoes on (feet are a little swollen given the flight)
• My shoes set off the machine for get this...explosives!
• The guards take my bags apart, pat me down and take down my details

At this point, 1 hour has gone by...and I still have not showered. I'm not thinking about making my meeting, fresh from a shower...but rather about the possibility of being deported, now that I am on some watch list.

Yup, another terrific lesson in customer service, chain of command, integration, proof that our security measures are less than perfect ('er if my shoes had explosives, don't ya think you should have nipped that one in the bud in Seattle???)...but ultimately this is a lesson in customer service (or the lack thereof) and the need for technology to right the wrongs.

There has been talk about the TSA (Travel & Safety Administration) launching a fast track pre-screening system for certain travelers and certain airports. Now that I have totally blown my chances of getting on THIS list, the point is that they should have known my travel history ahead of time...if they had been able to connect the dots, they would have seen that this is probably my 30th trip this year already. This is about integration - or the lack thereof.

So here I am...waiting for the past 10 minutes for a shower to become available (the saga is still not over), but fortunate to be drinking bad coffee in the President's Club. I may very well miss my meeting, but at least I still have my freedom.