Happy Thanksgiving weekend, everyone. As you prepare to travel (or receive guests), I hope you have safe journeys and an enjoyable holiday.
IMPORTANT TRAVEL INFORMATION- Due to changes in regulations,
the name on your ticket should match the government-issued ID that you use to travel with, be it your passport or driver's license. So where it used to say middle initial or name wasn't mandatory, that is now changing. The more closely your ticket matches your ID, the less likelihood you will have of delays.
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Many airlines have changed their checked-baggage rules: ranging from charging for
every bag you check, to charging for two or more bags. Southwest is one of the few airlines that allows your first two bags to be checked free, so long as they are not over weight restrictions. Check your airline restrictions on the airline's home page; if you are traveling on more than one airline, make sure you check all of them. Keep in mind that international flights, and flights that use "regional jet" or smaller aircraft may have different regulations.
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Airlines are getting a lot more clever about tacking other fees on, too: ranging from small fees to reserve seats ahead of time on discount airlines, to "early bird" fees that allow you to get a seat or boarding pass assignment early. Several airlines have chosen to nail holiday passengers this year with a "
holiday surcharge", which may add $10-30
each way onto your holiday tickets! These fees may be hidden in your flight costs as a "miscellaneous surcharge" - so in short, you may think you're getting an amazing ticket deal with a $59 each way base price, but once all the surcharges, fees and taxes are tacked on, you may find that "bargain" $118 round trip ticket suddenly costs $260!
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Know your airline's restrictions. Every airline has pages on their website dedicated to those! Standing at the ticket counter and trying to plead your way into the ticket agent's good graces by saying "I didn't know" isn't the way to go.
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Do NOT gift-wrap gifts you may be carrying on your flight. TSA has the right to unwrap to examine them!
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Any sort of canned, bagged or jar food that is liquid or is semi-liquid (including soft cheese and other foods!) are considered liquids under TSA guidelines. If they're not under 3 oz. and fit into your 1-quart bag, put them in your checked baggage or ship them ahead.
GENERAL HOLIDAY TRAVEL TIPS-
Print your boarding passes in advance. Almost every airline allows you to check in online and print out your boarding pass 24 hours in advance. (If you have top-end frequent flyer status, you may be able to check in 36 hours in advance.) You should still check in (using kiosks) upon arrival to the airport, so the airline knows you are a confirmed passenger.
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Just because you checked in online in advance, doesn't guarantee you a seat on the plane if you show up late. Every airline has a deadline, usually 30 minutes ahead of flight time (up to 3 hours for international flights), where you must have checked in at the airport. If you have not checked in by then, your seat is subject to being given away.
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Airlines have really been striving to improve their departure and arrival times, which means they're looking to have everybody on the plane and the doors closed by 10 minutes before flight time, so that they can have an on-time departure. If you aren't on the plane when they're ready to close the doors - tough luck. Personal experience - when departing Baltimore airport last year after the Innauguration, there were only three people working security, and although the two security lines were marked "slow" and "express", several women with young children, who were taking their sweet time in the x-ray lines as travelers seethed behind them. Although I was at the airport with plenty of time to spare - 45 minutes - I got so hung up going through security behind these women, that by the time I got through, and sprinted through the terminal to my gate, the airline was in the process of closing the doors, and myself and another passenger - who'd also been held up in security for the same reason - had to stand there and be told we couldn't get on the flight, even though it was still 10 minutes before departure and the plane was still at the gate and the gangway was still in place.
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Use self-serve kiosks whenever possible; it will help speed up your check-in versus standing in line. Plus, you may be able to purchase upgrades or better seating. Some kiosks even allow rebooking.
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Airlines have cut capacity, so anticipate planes to be packed and there to be waits, delays, or flat-out cancellations. Be prepared for these kinds of problems: make sure you're carrying your cell phone charger
with you (not buried in your checked baggage); make sure you have anything you might need if you get delayed.
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Most if not all airlines have a flight notification service, which can update you by phone call or text message about flight delays. You will need to go to your specific airline's website and register for information for a given flight.
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Sites like Flightstats.com also can help you plan your trips by showing you on-time performance ratings, airport tips, airfares, frequent flyer promotions, flight information (flight status, gate information), and more.
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Remember the 3-1-1 rule for the security checkpoint:3 oz/100 ml. bottles (by volume) of liquids;
1 quart-sized, clear plastic zip-top bag;
1 of these bags per person.
If there's anything else you might ask to have hand-inspected, put that in a similar bag within easy access; don't go digging around for it last-minute in line. Certain items like medications, baby formula/food, and breast milk are allowed in
reasonable quantities, but you must
declare them when going through security.
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If you are carrying powder that looks suspicious, you might get inspected.
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Prepare yourself while standing in line for security/x-rays. Not only 3-1-1, but there are signs all over the TSA/security checkpoints stating you must put your coats/jackets and shoes through the x-ray machine, for example.
You will not be an exception! Take your coat off while you're still in line; unlace your shoes; make sure you're not carrying any soda/water/etc.
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If you're really a "green" passenger (traveling with kids, needs assistance in what's going on, are a little disorganized) do NOT be discourteous and get in the "black" (expert traveler) line because it is shorter or moving faster! You're being really rude to your fellow passengers.
(See my example listed above about missing a flight due to people like this.)-
Arrive early and be patient. You're not the only one traveling; delays and other issues are not a personal affront to you, lots of other people are inconvenienced. Again - see the "be prepared" item.
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Assume on heavy travel days that there WILL be long lines to get through security. This means the two days before Thanksgiving, the Saturday and Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend, and a week before and after Christmas, especially on the weekends. Assume that you will spend somewhere between 15-45 minutes in the security lines, depending on what day and what time of day you're traveling.
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Be prepared: assume the possibility of delays, lost baggage, or other issues. Somewhere in your carry-on bags, carry the items you would need most in your first 24 hours - i.e., a change of underwear, toothbrush/toothpaste, medications, etc.
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Keep in mind that if you are checking baggage, most airlines require you've checked your bags a minimum of 30 minutes ahead of your flight - and many now say 45+ minutes depending on how busy they are; some require 45+ minutes on all flights; international flights require even more time. Check your airline's website to make sure you know your airline's rules. Also - it doesn't matter if you got in line an hour before your flight.
The timer on your bag is based on when you actually get to the counter and get your bag checked. Allow extra time if you need to get your bags checked!
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Not sure how heavy your bag is? Get on your home scale, weigh yourself, then pick up your bag and check your weight again. Keep in mind that your home scale and the airline scale may differ slightly, so to be on the safe side, subtract 5 pounds off the airline's guidelines. (Most airlines have 40 or 50 lb. weight limits
per bag; a few may be less. Again, check the airline's website...)
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Make sure you have phone numbers for your airline, your hotel, your car rental agency, and any other place you have reservations with. In case you are delayed, you will able to avoid cancellations and/or possible cancellation surcharges - and you'll be able to ensure that your room/car is not gone when you are a no-show. The smart thing to do is to program them into your contacts list on your phone - that way, should you need them for ANY reason on your trip, you have them readily and immediately available.
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If it's valuable, critical, irreplaceable, or fragile - put it in your carry-on baggage, NOT your checked baggage. If you absolutely have no other alternative and must place it in your checked baggage - especially if it's fragile - make sure it is securely packed, and where appropriate, insured.
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Carry a copy of your presciptions with you (both medicinal, and eyeglasses, if you need them to drive, etc.), but make sure it is kept separate from the actual medications. That way, if you lose one, you have the other. Or, if you're traveling within the U.S., check to see if your pharmacy has branches in the state you're traveling to, where you could pick up a refill if necessary. (Walgreens, CVS and Rite-Aid have locations in most if not all states.)
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS- There is a complete listing of
aviation consumer protection rules online; but you can also buy a pocket-sized version of this booklet for $4 through the
Federal Citizen Information Center. (If you print this webpage out, it's 22 pages.) From that website:
The DOT requires each airline to give all passengers who are bumped involuntarily a written statement describing their rights and explaining how the carrier decides who gets on an oversold flight and who doesn't. Those travelers who don't get to fly are frequently entitled to an on-the-spot payment of denied boarding compensation.
The amount depends on the price of their ticket and the length of the delay:
— If you are bumped involuntarily and the airline arranges substitute transportation that is scheduled to get you to your final destination (including later connections) within one hour of your original scheduled arrival time, there is no compensation.
— If the airline arranges substitute transportation that is scheduled to arrive at your destination between one and two hours after your original arrival time (between one and four hours on international flights), the airline must pay you an amount equal to your one-way fare to your final destination, with a $400 maximum.
— If the substitute transportation is scheduled to get you to your destination more than two hours later (four hours internationally), or if the airline does not make any substitute travel arrangements for you, the compensation doubles (200% of your fare, $800 maximum).
— You always get to keep your original ticket and use it on another flight. If you choose to make your own arrangements, you can request an "involuntary refund" for the ticket for the flight you were bumped from. The denied boarding compensation is essentially a payment for your inconvenience.
Like all rules, however, there are a few conditions and exceptions:
— To be eligible for compensation, you must have a confirmed reservation. A written confirmation issued by the airline or an authorized agent or reservation service qualifies you in this regard even if the airline can't find your reservation in the computer, as long as you didn't cancel your reservation or miss a reconfirmation deadline.
— You must meet the airline's deadline for buying your ticket. Discount tickets must usually be purchased within a certain number of days after the reservation was made. Other tickets normally have to be picked up no later than 30 minutes before the flight.
— As noted above, no compensation is due if the airline arranges substitute transportation which is scheduled to arrive at your destination within one hour of your originally scheduled arrival time.
— If the airline must substitute a smaller plane for the one it originally planned to use, the carrier isn't required to pay people who are bumped as a result. In addition, on flights using aircraft with 30 through 60 passenger seats, compensation is not required if you were bumped due to safety-related aircraft weight or balance constraints.
— The rules do not apply to charter flights, or to scheduled flights operated with planes that hold fewer than 30 passengers.
— The rules don't apply to international flights inbound to the United States, although some airlines on these routes may follow them voluntarily. Also, if you are flying between two foreign cities-from Paris to Rome, for example-these rules will not apply. The European Community has a rule on bumpings that occur in an EC country; ask the airline for details, or contact DOT.
Also, if the airline loses your bag, the airline has to provide reasonable temporary replacement for toiletries and even possibly clothing. (When I went to Arizona, my bag was for some reason unloaded at our flight's stopover point. Southwest gave me an incredibly nice toiletry kit, although it was clearly a kit aimed at men, not women, as it contained a men's-scented antiperspirant. But it had anything I might need overnight, including a toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, a comb, antiperspirant and a few other items.)
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If it's a weather problem or you are late arriving to the airport, you're on your own. But airlines can still
sometimes help you find a discount for lodging in these cases, and should definitely assist you in getting rebooked.
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But remember: airline policies vary, and each airline employee will choose to enforce some rules over others. Stay polite and friendly, and this will get you a far better response than the jerk who's standing there screaming at the ticket agent/baggage agent/etc. for something that is not
their fault to begin with.
Although these are intended as helpful guidelines for the holiday travel season, keep in mind that they pretty much apply for the whole year, too!
