flying out of YYZ

Flying out of YYZ is just not a good idea anymore.

They are simply obsessed with "security" of carry-on items. Last time I was here it was the insane no carry-on allowed, only a small personal item with appropriate scrutiny of the size of my laptop back (because its form-factor is a backpack).

Now a single carry-on plus a personal item is allowed, yet the power-drunk barely 18-year-old in front of entrance to immigration/customs loudly tried arguing with everyone that their "personal item" was "too large" and constituted a second carry-on which was not allowed.

Even the other "guard" working there tried to tell her to leave me alone as my backpack contains basically only my laptop, but she was insisting and pointing at the following items to prove her point (the point being that only a bag with laptop and laptop accessories is considered a "laptop bag"):

- one 7 inch by 5 inch notebook with pen.
- two newspaper sections (4 pages in one, 8 in the other) folded to a crossword puzzle.
- one inflatable neck pillow which was deflated and it its smallest state, about the size of a laptop power brick
- one plastic eyeglass case
- a pocket filled with assorted USB flash drives, an iPod and some receipts

All I can say is that I knew that if these people had half a brain they'd have a better job than this, but this particular person topped my previous expectations which I thought were set as low as could be.

By the way, my flight to LGA along with half a dozen others was canceled so I'm in the Maple Leaf lounge seeing if things get better or worse...

I swear if I have to go through YYZ "security" again, I'll take the damn train instead.