Barcelona (BCN): The check-in process at the airport was quick. I arrived quite early..nearly 3 hours before my flight.

Note that at BCN you will need a boarding pass, electronic or paper, before being allowed into the airport. So make sure you have taken a covid test within 3 days of flying, tested negative, and that the airline has reviewed and approved the test, and issued a boarding pass BEFORE you go to the airport! I suggest purchasing a few quick test kits before leaving the USA.

Security was quick and for the first time on this trip my bags weren’t flagged by security. 👍

When flying out of the EU you will also need to clear passport control. So allow time for that. Once past passport control (which was quick today, under 5 minutes), there aren’t many services and shops, though there were a couple of places to eat and buy water.

Arrival in USA at Newark (EWR): Arrival at EWR was the usual “hurry up and wait“ scenario..quick passage through passport control because I have global entry (highly recommended, includes tsa precheck), then a long wait for bags, another for rechecking bags, another for the train to a different terminal…then going through US domestic security (TSA PreCheck helped but there was only one security check line open). I still had a couple hours to kill..and an extra one since the plane boarded an hour late. Nothing too out of the ordinary.

Masks are mandatory at all airports and on planes..for the most part people comply but in the airport many do not. Or they wear their mask below their nose.

Arrival in California: Bags arrived quickly. It was very crowded. Uber and Lyft prices were double or more what they used to be..at least for this trip. Plan accordingly.

And that’s a wrap on this trip. More to come in the fall. Have a great summer everyone.