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9:30 AM June 24, 2003
I arrive at the Cebu International Airport for my flight. Niña’s aunt and uncle came to Plantation Bay to pick us up and take us to the airport. Their driver dropped us off, and I rolled my 70lb suitcase into the airport. Everyone waited for me in the general airport lobby as I crossed through the glass doors for my international flight back home. The plan was to check in for the flight, then come back out of the international flight area into the general airport lobby and wait with Niña until it was time for my flight.
I enter the international flight area, and have to pass through a security screening. The usual – X-ray your stuff. But it was strange, this was before I even went up and got my boarding pass. Fortunately, the X-ray machine could accommodate larger bags – not just carry on bags.
I get up to the Cathay Pacific flight counter, and only have to wait for one person checking in. The woman at the Cathay Pacific flight counter took my passport and tickets, issued me a boarding pass, gave me instructions to go through the doors by the counter, pay my exit fee ($1500 pesos) and then to go through immigration. I must note, the woman checking me in was most likely the nicest airline employee I have ever had check me into a flight. I have been, in general, very impressed by Cathay Pacific as an airline.
I walk away from the counter and begin to head out of the secured area when I am stopped by a guard. I explain to him that I have just checked in and want to go back out to the non-secured area. After a moment of two of us trying to understand each other, he figured out what I wanted to do so he swapped my boarding pass with a plastic card, and said that once I came back through security come to him and he would give me my actual boarding pass. This all seemed reasonable so I swapped him my boarding pass for this plastic card and exited out to the general airport waiting area.
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