We were right on schedule, and had figured that an hour and a half would be plenty of time to get checked in for our flights.  As we entered Terminal C, we cast our eyes on a HUGE stream of humanity.  This was the check in line.  I had to be over 100 yards long.  My heart sank.  In chatting with someone in line, they said that their airline had recommended 3 hours for check in!  Nothing like that had been said to us, and it looked like we might pay the price.

We noticed that there was a shorter line, parallel to ours, on our right, and after some checking (and a couple of confusing answers) we found out that we could be in that line, as well.  Things became clearer as we went along.  Delta had two lines going…one to JFK and one to Atlanta.  They had separate check-in lines, but the signs indicating this were small, and unreadable from the back of the line.  We finally got to the right place, and got checked in.  It was 9:15. 

There was a pretty good line for security, as well.  As we approached the metal detectors, Lana said, “I hope we can get the liquor through”.  My heart hit the floor.  We had bought 2 bottles of Amoro Nonio (the dessert wine we loved in Florence) and a bottle of Lemonchello.  I had purposely packed the bottles in my carry-on, so that I could control it and keep it from getting bashed around and broken by the baggage handlers.  I had been doing this for years, and had completely forgotten about the relatively new restrictions on liquids in the cabin!  I weighed the options.  I could run back and try to check this bag, or I could see if I could get through security.  I decided to risk it.

I lost.

The screener saw the booze, inspected the bag, and offered to let me go back to check-in to check the bag…she even helped me break line.  But by the time I got there, check-in was closed for our flight.  “I am sorry, there is nothing I can do for you”, the agent said.  I limped back to security and tried to look pitiful, but to no avail.  I had to give the booze up.

I was sick, and not really about the money.  I had a pretty good idea that we would never find these products in the States.  A nice souvenir of this trip had been lost.

All of this, of course, ate up precious minutes.  By the time we reached the gate, I was hearing our names being paged on the PA in thickly accented English.  We were the last people to board, and the man sitting across from us said “We were getting ready to sell those seats!”

The flights were uneventful.  We entertained ourselves with the GPS as we flew. 

NEXT