I'm sure you know that the next few days will be hellish on planes. What you may not know is how to expedite your trip and minimize the hassle caused by the sheer numbers of people (especially inexperienced travelers) moving through airports . . .

1. Check in online.
This means printing your boarding pass at home. It will allow you to skip the check-in line if you're not checking luggage.

2. Don't wrap gifts.
Wait till you're at your destination to wrap them. Otherwise they could get opened by security screeners.

3. Checking luggage? Do it curbside.
The lines are usually shorter.

4. Lessen the chance your checked luggage could get lost.
The number of bags misplaced by U.S. airlines has increased drastically since August (when the new carry-on restrictions began, forcing more people to check luggage). So . . .

. . . make sure a card with your home address and phone number, as well as the address and phone number at your destination, is securely attached to the outside of your bag and also taped on the inside (in case the outside tag gets ripped off).

Look at the destination tag that the airline agent attaches to your luggage -- the tag with the 3-digit airport code -- to make sure it's correct. Could your bag easily be confused with other people's on the baggage carousel (say it's a common-looking black suitcase)? If so, tie a colored ribbon around the handle or otherwise mark it so that nobody at the carousel could confuse it for theirs.

5. Follow the exact rules for carrying onboard liquids, creams, gels, pastes, aerosols.
Carry them in containers no larger than 3 ounces, with all containers fitting inside 1 quart-size plastic zip-top bag. Click here for the T.S.A.'s rules.

6. Wear shoes that slip on and off easily.
This speeds your passage through security.

Good luck, and Happy Holidays!

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Comments

Hi Wendy...two things tonight. One upcoming traveler heading to Africa on safari received his passport back from the Embassy of the country he is heading to...and the back cover and last page of the passport were shredded by UPS (you could see it in the photo he sent to me along with the UPS packaging. Now, he asked me, since they are about to depart to Africa in about 2 weeks- if they can travel with the passport in this condition. The photo page is fine, the Visa pages for the upcoming country visits are fine, but boy oh boy, is that passport cover looking shabby. Hard for me to answer. Who knows what the immigration and customs will do when they arrive or depart the USA with that passport as their USA ID. I told him that last month a client's son in London washed his pants and his passport the night before he flew off to Africa- everything, every page looked washed and bleached, but no time to obtain a new USA passport as the flt. was off the following morning. So, he showed up and would you believe, every official he needed to show his passport to commented "What happened, you washed your passport?" So, I assume that my upcoming client CAN travel with his shredded back cover and page. Hard to duplicate the visa's he has stamped in a new passport with many consulates closed over the holidays...so he has no choice but to use the old one in my mind. What do you think? thanks, Nina Wennersten Hippo Creek Safaris

Posted by: safarinina | December 21, 2006 at 05:58 PM

I too, flew to Denver during the Christmas Blizzards, and feel a need to sing the praises of Delta Airlines.

We all saw and heard of the horror stories of stranded passengers with lines that circulated Denver International Airport but thanks to courteous and helpful service Delta made what could have been a nightmare of a week into a happy memory..

Our flight departing for Denver was cancelled due to Denver Airport closure, Delta?s regular reservation phone line connected me to their re-issue desk where we were rebooked on the next available flight, albeit on Christmas day four days later, from Asheville to Atlanta to Salt Lake City to Denver. Connecting time was 35 and 40 minutes; we made all the tight connections, as did our luggage.

Two days later the next blizzard arrived and it seemed appropriate to leave before more snow delayed our return. I made the same phone call, was re-booked and re-ticketed again also at no extra charge. Curbside Check In with Delta was a pleasure; we were the only ones there. Walked through the doors of the main terminal to be confronted with long lines snaking around the terminal waiting to be re-ticketed. We walked passed them all, got to our seats and once again flew with no delays
.
While indeed I?m a travel agent, I also flew as a normal member of the paying public, at all times Delta was courteous and helpful - no off-shore call centers manned by people whose English and accents made them incomprehensible. Flight attendants polite, humorous, friendly, and understand the need to make tight connections by asking final destination passengers to remain seated while others hot-footed it through the terminals.

Thank you Delta - it was a pleasure to experience first class service.

Tamsin Allpress

Tamsin & Cooke, llc
The destination specialist for discriminating travelers.

P.O. Box 397
Naples, N.C. 28760 U.S.A.
Direct Line (828) 697-0588
Fax (828) 697-1389

...Boundaries divide, travel unites.

Posted by: tallpress | December 30, 2006 at 04:18 PM