Flying Domestic

[Anonymous]

Hi Felicity
previous to being full time i had travelled interstate several times as raelene and never had a problem….nor since my id was changed to suit.

[Melissa_Mills]

Felicity, I work at Brisbane Airport and for flying domestically, you can check in at a kiosk and dont have to worry about staff. As for security (I’m a passenger screener), for domestic flights we dont care how someone is dressed, so long as they arent breaking any rules and carrying anything that they shouldnt like a knife etc (and we see plenty of those). If you limit your metal (like jewellery) if travelling in girl mode on domestic flights, you’ll lessen the possibility of getting any hassles but even if you are stopped, nothing that bad will happen

Melissa

[Anonymous]

Wow! Thanks for the really useful replies ladies. Now all I need is that little bit of extra courage. It’s funny, the less I want to have my balls the more I need them!

[Adrian]

I’m sure this has been discussed somewhere before – but maybe it was in the transient environment of the chat room.
I’ve flown interstate 3 times – always on one of the budget airlines (Jetstar or Virgin). As long as you dress appropriately it isn’t a big deal (so many of the T-girl challenges turn out this way!).
The worst that happens is that at baggage check or when boarding someone calls me by my male name – cos that is what my drivers licence says and is what name the flight is booked under. So you can hardly blame them for using it! But if you smile and acknowledge your name no one cares.

Just one point – when you get off the flight don’t jump in the first ladies you come to – the queues can be long and you probably aren’t looking your best after the flight!

[Anonymous]

hi felicity

melissa’s right – there are no rules about how you dress. if there were, many passengers would not be allowed on board. i’ve seen singlets and thongs, lime green lycra cycle shorts, polyester safari suits, shoes and handbags that don’t match, pantihose with open toe sandals, you name it. terrible.

seriously, the only possible awkward moments are when you have to show photo id, and the id doesn’t really match. i’ve had, *why are you using this person’s license?*, through to the usual, *is this really you (very flattering)?*.

i usually put on my barry white voice, roll my eyes and say yes – that was a long time ago, i ‘m transgender (pretty obvious by the time i say it, but i say it just to make sure people get used to the word/concept/harmless experrience). yeah, i know that’s a pain, but it’s not going to change too soon, so you have to get used to it.

as melissa says, on domestic flights, you can check in by kiosk, so there is no problem there. internationally, there is nothing more difficult than having to produce photo id or passport. on all domestic flights in the usa, photo id is required before boarding (along with all the other security checks, like taking your shoes off (forget about wearing those thigh boots, i’m telling you)).

i’m sure you’ll be fine.

happy flying and try and catch pam ann show on the comedy channel …

http://www.tv.com/the-pam-ann-show/show/76894/summary.html

by the way, on one flight with virgin, the check in counter person was very interested and asked in a friendly, caring way, when was i going to change my name and then wished us a pleasant journey

[Anonymous]

Hi Felicity.

I have flown interstate to Victoria, South Aust, and Queensland – utilising both direct & connecting flights with Qantas and Virgin Blue.

As Amanda stated, check-in can be an awkward moment as my travel documents tend to be in my male name, but the airline staff have always displayed some discretion when processing my ticket and baggage!

Going through secuirty is suprisingly easy! The only hassle I encounter is about my shoes! I always have to take them off – on one occassion, a pair of knee boots (not as bad as thigh boots Virginia!).

For me the biggest concern has always been to act natural – if you have a nervous disposition, you will attract the attention of security! It is also better if you dress appropriately and have an appearence that “blends in” with the crowd!

I have always been treated with respect by airport staff and been referred to as “Miss” and so forth when it was necessary to chat with them. Yes, some passengers have given me strange looks at times, but nobody has ever said anything objectionable to me!

Oh, and one more thing – I have always travelled alone on domestic flights. Depending on your confidence, it can either be a good or bad thing!

CLARE.

[Anonymous]

Hi Felicity,

I agree with the comments from the other girls. I have flown from Brisbane to Sydney 3 times and never had a problem. When showing id the staff normally act with no surprise at all and the one who was surprised regathered her composure almost immediately. I thought wow – she didn’t pick me. Either they have seen it all before or they are very well trained.

Security aren’t a problem as long as you aren’t doing anything illegal. With domestic they are just worried if you have brought anything that will trigger the scanners and Black boots with zippers will set the machines off.

And it comes down to confidence – if you believe in yourself and just enjoy the trip then you won’t bring attention to yourself. Even at airports people are too busy worrying about themselves to care what you are up to.