Sequestration and the airports.... experiences?
 

I understand the cutbacks due to sequestration. What, if anything, are you seeing and/or experiencing in your travels?

I was shocked to find NO baggage carts available at OHare terminal 5 (international arrivals) yesterday afternoon, May 1, when coming through immigration on my return from Bangkok. I very often have 3 heavy bags after a trip to this city. Thank goodness I only had two bags this time, and they were easy to wheel out to the curb. There are always hundreds of carts ready and waiting in baggage claim, but all of the carts were outside, along the curb, with no one to move them back inside the terminal baggage area! I guess if you arrive OHare terminal 5 in the early morning, you might be lucky enough to find a cart. But the "mad rush" of flights that arrive in the mid-day have to deal with pulling/pushing bags to the curb without a cart. Is this sequestration? . Many people come from Asia with lots of big heavy bags. I feel sorry for them trying to haul everything to the curb without a cart!

I was not surprised that there were fewer TSA agents, so it took more time to get through security at OHare when I was flying OUT to Bangkok, mid-April. This was to be expected. The carts issue just caught me off guard.

The FAA cuts due to sequestration have already been cancelled, but those cancellations have not extended to the TSA or Immigration, so I don't expect those long lines to disappear.

However, sequestration has no relation whatsoever to airport employees who replace baggage carts since baggage carts are not overseen by the government. That just seems like bad management at O'Hare.

Doug, it has never ever been an issue in the past. When arriving at terminal 5, whether from Asia or Europe, there were always hundreds of carts available. This time there were NONE. They were ALL sitting outside on the curb. A huge irritation IMO. I assumed it was sequestration. Thanks for your input.

Had six flight segments to, from and across the US in mid to late April. MUC-PHL-LAS-SFO-ATL-PHL-MUC. With three different carriers: US, Virgin America, Delta.
Did not experience anything negative worth mentioning.
On the contrary: all flights had been on time, lines at immigration in PHL were non existing, TSA at all US airports was a 5-10 minute procedure (except Atlanta which was a zoo) and baggage always arrived within short or reasonable time (and even more important, did not get lost).
Maybe I just had good luck, but I had just uneventful to pleasant experiences at the airports and on board of all flights.

I traveled from LAX to SFO late last week. I had only carry-on since it just a 3 day trip. LAX (Wednesday mid-morning), TSA not a huge long line to enter. Only hang up (major) in TSA was a mom alone with 3 little ones that looked to be under 4, taking her sweet time oblivious people were stopped behind her and could not access their belongings from the exit belt. She even sat the kids up on the exit belt, oh so oblivious! Now for the flight. We actually pushed back from the gate 5 minutes early and as we were on the taxi way the captain announced that an expected 15 minute delay/hold had been lifted and we were next for take-off. We arrived in SFO just a wee bit early. Return from SFO (Saturday late afternoon) No one else in TSA line!, they seemed bored. The totally full flight took too long to board really because of the method used. First they walked around looking at luggage and urged you to "gate check" it. They ignored the group#s and boarded by if you had to stow a roll-a-board in the over head. They let all no overhead folks board first, then it was a mad dash for the rest of us. This method of boarding cost extra time and we were about 10 minutes delayed pushing back from the gate. We were not held for take-off. We arrived at LAX pretty much on-time. Note: this was on the last day before the congress passed the emergency funding for the air traffic controllers

It is apparent that many of us do not know which employees are affected by sequestration. It would apply only to federal employees. The people who decide how to board the flight are not federal employees; I doubt that the people who handle luggage carts are federal employees. The people who handle ticketing are not federal employees. To judge the effects of sequestration (now eliminated by a congress that apparently feels air traffic is more important than many other programs) you would have to know what jobs are performed by federal employees. I'm a little disappointed, because when sequestration was enacted, it was with the precise idea that to avoid important cuts, the congress would have to decide which programs would be cut and which wouldn't, but our congress is apparently not up to that task.

<i> but those cancellations have not extended to the TSA or Immigration, so I don't expect those long lines to disappear</i>

I don't know if it was related to this or just a bad day at O'Hare, but we just flew in from Frankfurt this afternoon, and the "visitors" immigration line was the longest I've ever seen it by a wide, wide margin. When I walked by the end of the line, they were telling people it may take three hours to get through. Ouch! And meanwhile, all their luggage was coming out, and workers were lining up hundreds of bags in between the carousels.

I didn't get a good look at the US citizens' line, as they sent everyone down to the far end of the arrivals area for that--but I have a feeling it wasn't great because there were only a few people from our flight at the carousel when the bags started coming out 20 or so minutes after we arrived. This was one day where I was very happy to have Global Entry and to get out of there as soon as possible.

ms_go, were you lucky enough to find a baggage cart today? Yesterday was the first time EVER that every single baggage cart was standing outside by the curb rather than being pushed back into the baggage area! Sorry I missed seeing you at terminal 5 by 24 hours... :)

Immigration lines for visitors and US Citizens were both long yesterday (but I HAVE seen them much longer) but things moved along pretty quickly. I waited maybe 15 minutes. Many flights arrive in the middle of the afternoon from various countries, and it can get very busy!

Hi simpsonc510! Yes, sorry we missed you by a day :)

I did not notice anything re: baggage carts. I only had a small rolling bag, although I didn't carry it on this time so I did have to wait at baggage claim. It was kind of a mess in the baggage claim area because of all the bags waiting for people who were still in the immigration line. I passed some very unhappy looking people in that line--and that was well before I got to the area where the immigration stations are. Welcome to Chicago!!

If airlines with hubs or connections via Ireland or Canada were smart they could advertise the pre clearance in those non US airports more aggressively.