V-Flyer

A 'positioning' flight to get from my NJ friends down to work at my MD client. Dropped the car back at Dollar and got on the Sky Train back to Terminal A. Mrs D waited whilst I self checked in using one of those terminals with dire warnings about overweight baggage - max allowed without penalty 2 x 50lbs. Dive gear 49.5 lbs. Main bag 50 lbs. YES!

Collected boarding pass and rejoined Mrs D and wandered over to Terminal B to check her in on her return to LHR with BA. This will be the first flight with QC3s for her and she's happy that unlike her QC1s they fit in her handbag! Her checkin complete we wander off to eat and all too soon I'm headed back for my flight and she's off to the BA lounge.

Back at Terminal A I join the queue for security and as I get to the front a member of TSA personnel looks at me, looks into the middle distance and announces 'We strongly recommend that all passengers remove their shoes before going through the detector'. I continued to load the belt with my gear. She repeated the announcement - this time looking at me. I continued loading the belt. She finally addressed me directly 'Sir? Didn't you hear me? We strongly.... etc'. 'Yes Miss I heard your recommendation'. 'Well if you don't we'll have to secondarily screen you and that'll take some time'. 'That's fine Miss, I'm early'. 'I'll need a secondary check here - and check his baggage too'.

So naturally my shoes didn't trigger and a friendly TSA type took me to one side for a screening. I assumed the appropriate positions automatically and he apologised but explained I'd have to remain seated whilst he explained what he was about to do - procedure and all that! Seeing my trainers he joked that he understood completely why I didn't want to remove them - laces, high top, velcro straps and the rest of the examination passed jovially with discussions of tourism opportunities in Washington (he'd never been). All in all a pleasant way to spend 5 minutes.

Down to the gate and a search for the Continental lounge. No such luck - pre security. Even I'm not that much of a masochist so I hung around in the small terminal. 30 minutes before we were due to leave an announcement was made that our flight was being changed to a larger plane and could we all revalidate our boarding passes. This we did and eventually - 15 minutes late - we boarded. Assigned seat taken - 2F. Comfortable enough, good leg room but the plane was boiling and humid. The plane filled and then one of the FAs announced that there would be a delay as a lock was missing from the medical kit stowage and it would need to be replaced. Eventually we were airborne and a 39 minute flight was announced. Just enough time for a drinks round, reaching our cruising height of 21,000 ft then a descent announcement! We flew in rapidly with great views of the Pentagon and taxied to stand. Priority luggage worked and I was in a cab within 20 minutes of landing.

No IFE, no food nothing really to comment on other than the fact that faster plane notwithstanding we were exactly an hour late on a 75 minute flight!