Posted on: Sunday, September 10, 2006
Post-9/11 tips to cope with air travel
Washington Post
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The Sept. 11 attacks brought on security crackdowns at the world's airports — and a new level of aggravation for travelers.
BENJAMIN SKLAR | Associated Press
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Pat Shea, of Rapiscan Systems Neutronics and Advanced Technologies in California, demonstrates a liquid-threat detection system.
PAUL SAKUMA | Associated Press
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Pat Shea uses a bottle of wine to explain his company’s liquid- threat detection system. The Sept. 11 attacks set off a research and development race for better screening technology at U.S. airports.
PAUL SAKUMA | The Honolulu Advertiser
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By now, most travelers are wise to the realities of post-9/11 travel. We go barefoot through security checkpoints, are learning to live without such frivolities as toothpaste and shampoo, and arrive at the airport before the Starbucks opens. We've got the drill down pat.
Or do we? Did you know that packing books or chocolate in your checked luggage increases its chances of being singled out and opened by screeners? Or that it's a good idea to e-mail a copy of your itinerary to yourself before you set out?
In these days of canceled and delayed flights, stricter security restrictions and heightened awareness, it's more important than ever to be your own best advocate and increase the odds of making your trip go as smoothly as possible. Here are post-Sept. 11 coping tips learned over the past five years.
PRE-TRIP PREP
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 or PDA. But ...
Don't 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 it is hours long or the plane is stuck in another city, try to change the flight to the next morning (this happens a lot with thunderstorms).
Make sure someone you know has a copy or knowledge of your travel plans, especially 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. Check your airline's Web site for its "contract of carriage," or find links to them at sites like Consumer Travel Rights Center (www.my travelrights.com) or OneTravel (www.onetravel.com). 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.
FOREIGN DESTINATIONS
Register with the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in the country you're visiting (on the U.S. State Department site, travel.state.gov, click on International Travel, then Registration with Embassies). This is especially important if you're going to be there for more than two weeks or if the country is experiencing civil unrest.
Keep informed about developing situations by checking the public announcements and travel warnings at travel.state.gov.
Set up at least two free e-mail accounts (Gmail, Hotmail, etc.), because 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, and e-mail them to yourself and a friend. Keep a copy of your itinerary in your e-mail account. Pack a photocopy of your passport's main page in a separate bag.
PACKING
Pack light and leave behind every possible electronic product whose wires could alarm a security employee.
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, see www.tsa.gov.
Invest in a TSA-approved lock (you'll find them labeled as such at travel stores) for your checked bag. 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 (an increased possibility now that more people are checking bags), you'll have at least half your stuff at your destination.
As a favor to TSA officials who may 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.
To get around the liquids-and-gels restrictions in carry-ons, buy solid versions of products usually sold in liquid form, such as shaving soap and crystal deodorants; buy pre-moistened towelettes containing sunscreen and insect repellent.
To prevent leaks in checked luggage, pack liquid and gel products in resealable freezer bags. Use leakproof 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 sail right from your taxi to the security line clutching your preprinted boarding pass, with no stop — and wait — to hand over your luggage. Carrying on also gives you the chance to fly standby on earlier flights.
If you have to check bags, check them at the curb. The lines can be shorter out there. 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 rubber slippers at the airport in the old days, but their convenience in the security line outweighs the horror we know they cause our mothers.
If a flight is delayed or canceled, 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. You can pack a lot of distractions in it.
IN THE AIR
Pay attention during the security briefing.
Don't be afraid to ask for more water if you need it, since you had to toss what you had at the gate.
To combat dry airplane air in the absence of hand lotion, use premoistened towelettes or bar forms of lotion.
AT YOUR DESTINATION
Once on the ground, keep alternate plans on hand for getting around.
Find a pharmacy so you can buy any toiletries you left home because of the liquid ban.
Tune in to the television, radio station or newspaper at your destination. They can alert you to any local security concerns.
And Finally ...
Be more observant, but never scared — and never stay home for too long.
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