Orlando and Tampa are both the same distance from me, and I normally fly out of Orlando. I flew out of Tampa last week because I was curious about the airport and I also saved about $30.
That may be my last time flying out of there.
It's a nice airport, but:
(1) My TSA screener was perhaps the rudest and most incomprehensible I've ever dealt with. When it came time for me to go through the security gate, he told me to "go through the gate." I put my laptop aside and I did. He then yelled at me and told me to "go through the gate."
Totally confused, I did. He then had a nasty expression on his face and said "Sir, you are testing my patience. Go through the gate."
I'm sure I had a puzzled look on my face. Ordinarily I'd ask the guy if he could be any more confusing than he already was. But since this was an airport, I dared not lose my temper.
FINALLY, the guy in line next to me pointed to some plexiglass chamber off in the corner and barely visible. "I think he means go in there," the guy in line told me.
I stood in line behind 50 other people that morning and not one of them had to step in there, so how was I to know what and where it was. Plus, I'd NEVER seen one of these at any other airport. I guess it scanned me for chemicals and weapons, of which I had none of course.
(2) My Delta flight was scheduled to take off at 8 a.m. I hadn't been at the gate area long before the Delta employee just casually announced the flight to Atlanta was delayed almost six hours before going back to her work, with not so much as an apology. I and the others approached the desk to ask some questions and find out if other flights were available---she would only say that we had to call Delta----again, before nodding her head back to her work and paying us no mind. She wouldn't even give us the 800 number to call, much less work with us to get alternative flights.
A lot of people were really mad at the way Delta treated them that day.
I wound up waiting six hours and missed a very important event because of the delay.
My Delta flight on my return trip from Shreveport Louisiana was also delayed. However, unlike the Tampa employees, the Shreveport people transferred me to a Northwest flight and I got to Tampa only 10 minutes later than I was supposed to.
I'll continue flying out of Orlando, where I have a much more courteous, experience!
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