One of the least appealing places in any airport, Terminal 5 has a new set of scanning and x-ray tools which allegedly remove the need for you to remove most items from your carry on or your person.
During a recent family trip, we found the equipment to be pain free but the process was probably confused among an army of pleasant, helpful and well meaning staff who were probably not yet entirely familiar with the tech and what it should be able to do.
It was like a scene from a comedy film, where a kind and helpful security officer tried to help speed our family along. Flashing us from the queue and inviting us to try the new stuff out. As above, proudly proclaiming we would “only need to take big laptops out” from our bags and “it’ll be faster”.
The reality, we must have had 15 trays among the four of us!
Every refillable water bottle got its own tray. My shoes got their own tray. The children’s 8” Amazon Fire tablets each got their own tray. The little baggie of liquids and gels got its own tray. Quarter inch buckle on my wife’s sandals trips the alarm? That’s right, go back and get them their own tray.
Hahaha with the stroller and baby separated, the stroller was simply given a thrust and launched through the scanner to roll out the other side while a team of three watched it but didn’t really stop it from rolling. The baby got a chemical wipe down test so thorough she must have been flagged as a rebel fighter;
My guess is, by the time the spring travel rush into Europe gets started up most of the links will be found and flattened.
If the tech lives up to the hype, it should be a breeze.
Meaning you can look forward to just checking in and zipping through a little bit quicker on your way home from a great trip!