Despite airport hassles, everyone’s still flying!

Atlanta, Georgia — We got into LAX last Saturday. Let me report to you that US Immigration has a new system of greeting those visiting the United States and that’s fingerprinting your left and right index fingers and photographing you, though only your frontal view, not sideways like they do with suspected criminals. I say that this is new to me because it wasn’t like this when I went to Houston, Texas last December. Of course, you really have no choice because if you refuse, you can’t enter the US.

Anyway, as we exited into the waiting area in LAX last Saturday, we thought we just landed back in the Philippines because almost 90 percent of those greeting the passengers in the Los Angeles International Airport were Filipinos. My favorite uncle, Jessie, a.k.a. Yong Yong Rosello, and his wife Tina were there to meet me and whisk me off to Spires Restaurant for a steak dinner… call this a traditional American greeting!

Early Sunday morning, we had a special breakfast at my uncle’s residence in Altadena, just a par four distance from the Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) of the fellas who sent robotic missions to Mars. What was great about our breakfast was that we picked our breakfast items — ripe oranges in his orchard, sweet seedless grapes and yes, a humongous tomato the size of a dinner plate! After breakfast, we hopped over to the Church of Saint Philip the Apostle for Sunday Mass.

Another old friend of mine, Edwin Aroma, the poor boy from Catmon who made it big in the US, dropped by the house in his 7-Series BMW to pick us up for sushi lunch. Dr. Edwin Aroma used to be one of the janitors in our Oriente Theater and he married our ticket seller Imelda Ochea and they lived happily ever after because he made it big in the United States. This man is virtually a "rags-to-riches" story! Dr. Aroma was once the president of the National Association of Cebuanos-USA, an umbrella organization of some 15 groups of Cebuanos in the US. He is also the lieutenant governor of the Kiwanis in Los Angeles and a year ago, his life story was featured in Forum Asia, a California-based magazine.

While he has succeeded in the US, he couldn’t help but set up something back home and he did just that, setting up the Royal Vista Resort at the Imelda Aroma Mountain Paradise in Catmon, Cebu. It’s one of the few such resort facilities north of Cebu and he is providing local and foreign tourists with a choice destination, especially his Lazy River cruise. We practically spent an entire day together in L.A. and I got a lot of views from him about what Filipinos in the US think of us back home. For sure, many Pinoys are happy that actor Fernando Poe Jr. didn’t become President as it was an embarrassing thought for many Cebuanos living in the States, and they were proud that Cebu made the day for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA).

I looked at some of the Filipino newspapers based in L.A. like the Weekend Balita, Ang Peryodiko and the Los Angeles Asian Journal, the first Filipino newspaper that comes out twice a week. Basically, their page one stories are similar to ours… like last Sunday’s headlines "Arroyo, Nation Rejoices Over Angelo’s Release" and "RP Team Leader Flies Home."

These are just some of the numerous Filipino periodicals. Fil-Am journalists here seem to have mirrored the newspaper industry back home where there are so many newspapers and very few readers. Indeed, if only there were a few more Filipino newspapers in L.A., then perhaps the Pinoys could show their political clout. After all, there are more than a million of them in California alone and in this election season in the United States, the Pinoy voter could be a factor. If you recall, in the last US presidential elections, the margins were so narrow, and an ethnic group could make a US President win, just like the way the Cebuano vote won the day for GMA!

After a day in L.A., we took a domestic flight on board Delta Airlines to Atlanta and this time, it gave me an insight on the paranoia of the Homeland Security. Well, I don’t blame them, after what happened here in 9/11. All passengers are treated by the Homeland Security as potential threats and therefore, a thorough search is required… no different from one taking an international flight. To say the least, it was truly a taxing experience.

For instance, the queues were so long, but before you joined a line, you should check where it would lead. What happened to me was that I thought I was lining up for baggage check, only to find out that I needed to check in first and then they would tell me to line up for baggage check. It sure fooled me and many others to the point that many of us missed our flights.

After a long queue, you have to line up for baggage check, then when that’s finished, you need to go to your assigned gate and there, you have to line up again to have your hand-carried baggage checked. Yes, all metals in your person are removed, from your belt, your cellphone and yes, even your watch, which is better placed in your carrybag. Then the final search, where you need to pass through what I think is another camera for another photo op and as you board your flight, you’re in for your final queue. Whew!

Despite all the stringent security checks, all the hassle and bustle of domestic travel, Americans are still flying these days. The planes are full, the airports crowded, but let me tell you that if you can’t stand long queues or don’t have the patience to wait in long lines, then don’t fly domestic in the US. Go to Beijing, China or Hong Kong where the airport checks are not as thorough but satisfactory and the shopping is deliriously cheap.

Incidentally, in Delta Airlines, they don’t serve you food if you take coach… but they’ll sell you sandwiches if you’re hungry enough. For sure, the US airline industry may still be in the doldrums due to 9/11, but they’re not yet finished… although they are now experiencing competition from low-budget airlines, which could lead to drastic changes in the airline industry.

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For e-mail responses to this article, write to [email protected]. Bobit Avila’s columns can also be accessed through www.thefreeman.com. He also hosts a weekly talk show, "Straight from the Sky," shown every Monday, at 8 p.m., only in Metro Cebu on Channel 15 of SkyCable.