I know, it seems like I abandoned this report. But, I've been thinking about it. The catch is that this next installment is still making me cranky and so I haven't wanted to write it.
We arrived at the airport pretty much exactly on the schedule we were hoping for. There was a longish line for check-in, but, due to my DW's Star Alliance Gold membership we got into the First Class (and other special people) line. We had tried to check in at home, but, it hadn't worked. Of course once we got to the counter we were told that we had already checked in. (The distinction between home check in and airport check in for direct to the US flights seems to be the shape of your boarding pass since you have to wait in the exact same lines to get clearance to go through to the customs and immigration area with your bags. But, apparently, there is some other computer difference because it took her awhile to "fix" things.)
She also seemed perturbed that we hadn't indicated "Special Instructions" for the wheelchair when we booked our flight. But, there isn't anywhere on the form that you can say, "we will be gate-checking our own w/c", only a check-box that says "W/C assistance needed", which is not the case. They never seem perturbed when other people ask for gate-check tags for their strollers. (Oh well!) We asked for gate check tags and she gave us two, plus another baggage tag linking the chair to us that also indicated gate check. (This chair was now well labeled.)
As I filled out the customs form it clearly said one form per family living at the same address. So, I filled out one form. We stood in line to hand off our checked luggage, waited in the designated spot while it was scanned and then were given the go ahead to move to the personal screening area. We took off our shoes, told the 3rd person that yes this well labeled chair was ours, not the airport's and finally got someone to ask about how they wanted to scan it, took it through the scanner and then shut down security. Yes, our shoes and wheelchair were on the other side of security from us and our bags and it was completely shut down. The customs agents seemed to be in some sort of funk (or looking for something very carefully) and the line had backed up too far, so, nobody else was allowed to enter.
We finally got through security (without losing our shoes or wheelchair) and waited a long time in the line for the customs agents, watching while they photographed and fingerprinted roughly half of the people in front of us. And now for the really cranky making part...
We've turned in a single customs form numerous times despite the stupidity of US local laws, they have generally been willing to acknowledge that other countries have the right to set their own laws. But, apparently they were on a homophobic rampage and we were told that we are not family members because "the US doesn't recognize same sex marriage". I couldn't help myself and asked, "what about the NY State case that upheld the federal law saying you need to honour foreign marriages if they met the laws of the country where they were performed?" His response? "That's a state decision, we're federal." Ummn...yeah, BUT, it's a FEDERAL statute! And, it's been used to enforce marriages of twelve year olds who were married at their parents' behest against their own will. Surely, if you accept that because it was legally performed where it was performed, you ought to accept it when an adult gets married of their own free will in another legally performed ceremony! Urgh! I'm still really
about this issue.
