BWI airport drive and check-in

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I left my home on a Saturday afternoon at 4:15 PM for a-hundred-miles one-way trip to the BWI airport. The temperature here now is 75 degrees. I park my car at the off-airport long-term parking facility and within minutes, a shuttle pulls in right at the spot where I park and takes me to the airport. I arrive at the BWI airport few minutes before 6 PM and check-in at the Icelandair counter. The check-in procedure is quick and courteous. However, there is no ticket holder envelop provided to keep your boarding pass. Maybe this is a way of cutting cost. I ask for a copy of the itinerary but was refered to another employee who goes through the door behind the counter and print the itinerary and hands over to me moment later. I double check to make sure all flights for this trip have been confirmed.

Boarding is 2 hours away and I have a little time to talk to a security personel who is nice to chat with. I notice on the emblem sewn to her uniform "in Gods we trust" or something like that which is very interesting.

There are only a few flights flying out this evening from this international concourse. It is not crowded at all and it is nice. I walk downstair where arriving passengers come to collect their luggages. There is an automatic coin exchange machine nearby to exchange foreign currencies into US coins (for use to make a phone call,...). The mark-up rate is extremely high and very unfavorable for foreign travellers. Let's see: You'll receive $1.20 for 2 euros or $1.85 for 2 British sterling pounds., or you'll get 75 US cents for 2 canadian dollars (ouch !).


The boarding gate is E 8 and the security screening is nearby. 7:20 PM I present myself at security to be screened and allowed to go inside boarding my flight to Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. The process is very quick and effortless and I have ample time to take a leisure walk to the boarding gate and even have time to browse the duty free shops.

I am glad I checked in my carry-on size bag so I don't have to carry around in the last 2 hours I spent here waiting. And I don't have to use all my strength to push up and stow it in the upper compartment of the aircraft. At the aircraft door, there is a querre for another 15 minutes before I can settle down at my seat. My request at check-in has been honored: the middle seat is empty. Hahaha ! It is going to be a good flight.

In a few hours, I'll be in Reykjavik ! see you.

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