This just isn't so anymore though. I remember right after the Twin Towers fell that it would take at least 2 hours to get through security. I figured that on this trip to DC that I would be getting a double-witching whammy - US is at Code Orange and I'm flying directly into the heart of DC - Reagan National.
I'm sitting in departure lounge U writing this less than 20 minutes after getting to the airport - and that included a five minute stand in line for a bottle of water just past the first set of scanners. That doesn't sound too impressive unless you've been to Terminal 2 before and have figured out that there are no letters past U in the Air Canada alphabet. It is the end of the line for departure lounges and you just don't get any further away from the firt check-in unless you are flying regional and are forced to jump on one of those shuttle buses to one of the mini-terminals that spot the tarmac.
20 minutes from start to finish in medium traffic. Not bad.
I also found it interesting that no one asked me to turn on my laptop, digital camera, pocket pc, cell phone, battery charger or MP3 player at any of the 4 different security checks that I had to go through. They checked my bags but once and left everything else to my word. I can't say that it bothered me as it really sped up the walkthrough, but it doesn't seem to say a lot about the diligence that Terminal 2 security is demonstrating. Maybe they have some sort of super-secret scanners that I don't know about.
BTW - I noticed a couple of days ago that the eph key on the laptop is working just fine. Strange. The best idea that I can come up with is that either a) the thought of being shipped back to the manufacturer just scared the bejesus out the poor little unit and it shaped or, b) that one of the springs that made the eph key work simply popped back into where it should be. A little of both I suspect. Anyways, I've vetoed the RMA, the unit is here to stay. I'll try and put together a mini-review if I have a few minutes over the next few days. I have been very impressed with the unit despite the eph key dysfunction during the early days of our relationship.