Are You Prepared for
Takeoff?
Airport Security Information and Packing Hints from
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) -
Check List Before Leaving For The Airport...
Pre-trip preparation
Sign up with your airline to be automatically notified of
flight time changes, cancellations and gate changes. Most airlines will send
text or voice messages to your cell phone.
But don't just depend on the airline to keep you informed.
Before going to the airport, check the airline's Web site for changes in the
flight's departure time, or call and talk to an agent about probable flight
delays. If there's an hours-long delay or the plane is stuck in another city,
try to change the flight to the next morning.
Make sure someone you know has a copy of your flight and
hotel information.
Ask your doctors for spare prescriptions for regular
medications, and take them along; you never know when you'll get stranded.
Preprint your boarding pass 24 hours before your flight if
your airline allows it. It will get you through the check-in line quicker and,
if you're not checking luggage, will allow you to go directly to the gate.
Crowded flights mean it's more important than ever to know
your rights, since planes can be overbooked. Check your airline's Web site for
its "contract of carriage," or find links to them at sites such as OneTravel (www.onetravel.com;click
on "Rules of the air"). Familiarize yourself with the rules and print a copy
to take to the airport, since ticket agents don't always know their airline's
policies. In brief, federal law requires all airlines to pay you from $200 to
$400 if you are involuntarily bumped, depending on circumstances outlined in
each contract. Airlines have varied policies for other circumstances, like
canceled flights, that cause delays.
Know what you can and can't pack in your carry-on and
checked luggage. Go to the Web site of the U.S. Transportation Security
Administration, www.tsa.gov,
or phone 866-289-9673.
The carry-on rules for flights from U.S. airports were
relaxed last week, with the total ban on liquids, gels and aerosols lifted;
travel-size toiletries now are permitted (see Page L3
for details).
To determine when to leave for the airport, check with
your airline for the recommended time generally two hours before a domestic
flight and three hours for an international flight, but certain airlines and
airports have significant exceptions. Then check the U.S. Transportation
Security Administration Web site at
http://waittime.tsa.dhs.gov to determine average waits at security lines,
and add that to the airline's estimate.
Foreign destinations
Register with the U.S. embassy or consulate in the country
you're visiting (go to the U.S. State Department site,
www.travel.state.gov;click
on International Travel, then Registration With Embassies). This is especially
important if the country is experiencing civil unrest. The State Department
will be able to contact you or assist in an evacuation if there's an
emergency.
Keep informed about developing situations by checking the
public announcements and travel warnings at the State Department site,
www.travel.state.gov.
As a reality check, compare the U.S. warnings with those on other countries'
sites, such as the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs,
www.voyage.gc.ca, or
the United Kingdom's Foreign & Commonwealth Office,
www.fco.gov.uk. For U.K.
transportation issues especially relevant given the carry-on restrictions
after the August terror plot to bomb transatlantic planes go to Department
for Transport, www.dft.gov.uk.
Set up at least two free e-mail accounts (Gmail, Hotmail,
etc.), since an account that works in one country may not work in another. You
can keep the same account for every trip as long as you access it once every
30 days.
Scan your main passport page, visa and any paper tickets
or other documents and e-mail them to yourself and a friend. It will make
things easier if you lose any documents. Also take a photocopy of your
passport's main page and your itinerary in a separate bag. For extra security,
leave photocopies at home, too.
Packing
Pack light, pack light, pack light. It makes life easier.
Leave behind possible electronic products whose wires could alarm a security
officer.
Spread throughout your checked baggage any thick or heavy
objects, such as books, chocolate or peanut butter, that might be difficult
for X-ray machines to penetrate. This may keep your luggage from being opened.
For a list of permitted and prohibited items (in checked and carry-on
luggage), go to www.tsa.gov.
Invest in a TSA-approved lock (you'll find them labeled as
such at travel stores) for your checked bag; the locks are designed so
screeners can open them. Screeners who want to inspect checked luggage will
cut open non-TSA locks. Of course, they may cut TSA-approved locks, too (not
all screeners have gotten the word), but the approved locks reduce the odds of
this happening.
If you're traveling with a friend, split your toiletries
and clothes into two groups, then combine one another's stuff in two pieces of
checked luggage. This way, if either bag is lost, you'll have at least half
your stuff at your destination.
As a favor to airport security officials who might have to
paw through your luggage, carry clear plastic bags for storing dirty clothes
at the end of a trip.
Bring medication in its original packaging, including the
label with your name on it. Make sure the name on the label matches the one on
your ticket. Consider carrying a copy of the prescription in case you need
more while traveling.
To prevent leaks in checked luggage, pack liquid and gel
products in resealable freezer bags (carry-on toiletries must be packed in a
resealable plastic bag so they can be easily examined at security
checkpoints). Use leak-proof bottles for shampoo and lotion (leave room at the
top of bottles for expansion). Pack bubble wrap to cushion wine or other
liquid souvenirs, such as olive oil.
At the airport
More than ever, don't check bags if you can avoid it. This
lets you go straight to the security line clutching your preprinted boarding
pass, with no stop and wait to check luggage. Traveling with carry-ons
only also gives you the chance to fly standby on earlier flights. Just be sure
to check the airline rules on the size/weight of carry-on luggage; they can be
stricter on European airlines.
If you have to check bags, do so at the curb, where lines
can be shorter. Doesn't work for international flights, though.
Women traveling through airports that use the new "puffer"
bomb-detection devices should consider wearing pants and a close-fitting top.
Skirts and loose-fitting shirts tend to fly up in the breeze.
Dress down. We would never have stooped to flip-flops at
the airport in the old days, but their convenience in the security line
since shoes may need to be taken off and X-rayed outweighs the horror we
know they cause our mothers.
Since you never know when you might get stranded, travel
with a supply of food, such as power bars, nuts, trail mix and fruit.
If a flight is delayed or canceled or the airport lines
are so long you will miss your flight immediately call the airline from your
cell phone for alternative options. This will spare you from having to fight
the crowds for the attention of the desk person.
Invest in an iPod or other audio player. You can pack a
lot of distractions in it.
Be genuinely polite to everyone, from security personnel
to flight attendants. The lines are not their fault.
In the air
Drink lots of water or other nonalcoholic beverages to
combat dehydration from the dry airplane air. At U.S. airports, drinks
purchased in airport stores in the secure area beyond checkpoints now can be
carried aboard planes.
Really pay attention to the flight attendant when he or
she gives the security briefing.
Warm up to your seatmate, since you never know when you'll
need a friend.
Trains and subways
On subways in cities such as New York and London, stand
near the door for a quick getaway.
Check Amtrak's Web site,
www.amtrak.com, for
information on possible last-minute security-related delays.
Never ignore a bag left in the aisle or at a seat. Get out
and inform a security official immediately.
Pick cars at the far ends of the subway or train, since
they will be less crowded (everyone heads for the center cars).
Road trips
Embrace the humble highway. Flying hassles and prices
may lead you to load up the car, even for long-haul trips. You can have more
fun than you think with books on tape, motel pools and roadside diners.
Estimate your fuel costs with the AAA Fuel Cost
Calculator:
www.fuelcostcalculator.com.
At your destination
Tune in to the television, radio station or newspaper at
your destination; they can alert you to any local security concerns. When
traveling overseas, check the Web site of the U.S. Embassy in the country
you're in for updates on any unrest:
http://usembassy.state.gov/.
At museums, arenas or ballparks with metal detectors, find
the entrance the farthest from the subway or parking garage. People tend to
head for the first entrance they find, and it's always the most crowded.
When touring museums and churches, carry only the
essentials, and bring only a small bag so you won't have to check your
valuables.
And finally ...
Be observant, not scared, and keep on traveling.
