Knitting in the air

Off on a long flight tonight, to Hanoi via Bangkok, so I telephoned British Airways to see if I would be allowed to knit. Whilst in the US recently, I spent most of my flying time working on a pair of socks which passed the time away nicely in a productive way and had no problems whatsoever. I hadn't been allowed to knit on the outbound flight from Heathrow though, not because Virgin Atlantic wouldn't let me, but because British Airports Authority (BAA) won't allow needles of any kind through security. However, I took my socks on board at LAX (different pair!) for the homeward flight and knitted across the Atlantic, no problem.

I think it's time all of this was sorted out. I've already had a niggle at United, who charged us excess baggage on an internal flight in the US because we'd followed the European convention of checking everything in and having just one small piece of handbaggage each. Having paid the $$$, we then stood back and watched people take enormous suitcases onboard, none of which were weighed and most of which would challenge the size of our check-in bag. (Ok, not mine perhaps!!) United have responded with a couple of money off vouchers for our next flight - actually more than the excess baggage charge, too.

But I'm fed up with long queues at security, being singled out because I'm carrying a foreign passport on an internal flight in the US, being shouted at by unpleasant and uncouth security people and having a completely different set of rules and regulations to follow at different points of the same journey. I know it's for my own security and that, as usual, the stupid and dangerous behaviour of one person makes life for everybody more challenging - but if would make life so much easier if the same rules applied everywhere.

Or if I stayed at home instead!!