Story and photos
by Kathleen Walls
The start of 2025 is the perfect time
to offer some airport travel tips to keep you safe and make your
trip more comfortable. I've been a travel writer for many years
and have learned a few ways to make the "getting there" part as
pleasant as possible when you are flying. I usually check
reviews on
Trip Advisor when deciding where I want to visit.
Since reviews are by people who have visited that place, they
are usually reliable. Of course, always check your favorite
travel writers (hope I am one of those) for good information.
Here are some of my personal favorite
tips.
Before you
leave on your trip, download the airline app so you will be
notified of any delays or cancellations. check with the
US security site.
They make you aware of the dangers of travelling to certain
countries.
If you travel internationally be sure
to have the address and phone number of the American embassy or
consulate with you. Make a family member or friend aware of your
itinerary. Make a copy of your passport in case it is lost or
stolen. Also, notify your credit card and bank of you will be
traveling. If a credit card gets a charge from another country,
they may not approve it until they contact you in case of a
stolen or hacked card.
The front section of the airport before
you pass through TSA is considered a 'Soft Target,' you want to
get past security ASAP. Be alert for anything unusual as you
head for the checkpoint. If you see someone acting suspicious or
an unusual object, alert the nearest security officer. Even if
you are at the airport long before your flight time, go through
at once. You can always shop or dine past the security
checkpoint.
Being
prescreened helps get you through without waiting in long lines.
If you travel a lot you may want to get a
TSA Pre Check ,
Global Entry,
or Clear to avoid long waits. It's still recommended you arrive
about two hours ahead for you flight. You will want to check on
airport status and general information related to TSA here.
Booking
It's usually
cheaper to fly mid-week if possible. Also book ahead.
Booking.com is a reliable way to compare prices and book the
cheapest flight.
I
have used them often.
NEVER use Expedia. They once cheated me when I booked a hotel
and prepaid. When I arrived the hotel clerk told me the room and
been cancelled. Certainly not by me. They were booked up so I
had to find another hotel in the area at a much higher rate. I
never could get a satisfactory response from Expedia and they
kept my money.
Documents
I always check
in ahead. Most airlines allow you to download your boarding
passes 24 hours ahead of flight time. I keep one copy in my
phone and still print out a copy in case your phone goes dead of
even lost.
Keep
copies of your documents safe. I use a small pouch with a
lanyard such as you might be given as a name badge holder at
conventions around your neck or a small stick-on pouch that
attached to the back of your phone case. In it put your printed
boarding passes, ID, your cell phone and a few dollars or a
credit card. That way, everything you need is right at hand with
our having to dig in a purse or pocket. If using your driver's
license for ID, be sure it has a star (and/or flag) or says
"Enhanced."
Try to facilitate passing TSA
checkpoint as easily and quickly as possible. Wear slip-on shoes
you can take off and on without buckling or tying laces. Have
everything like liquids and laptops easily accessible and
ready to place in bins as soon as you enter the checkpoint.
Liquids, including gels and creams, need to be in a quart-sized
bag and are limited to 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) or less per
item. This is also known as the 3-1-1 liquids rule. ( I often
leave my makeup in my purse and have no problem with it
but legally a lot of them are liquids.)
One good trick is to freeze a reusable
bottle with drinking water. If it is frozen it is not a liquid.
It usually will have your luggage pulled and checked. The TSA
person will open the bottle and see if it is liquid, but as long
as it is frozen it is okay. So be sure to drain off any liquid
just before you enter the TSA section.
TSA personnel often get a bad rap. Sure
there are a few bad apples but most are just doing a thankless
job to help keep us safe. A smile or pleasant word is usually
appreciated and returned.
Seating
If you are
flying alone and hope to have a vacant seat next to you to
sprawl out, ( I am using 'sprawl' loosely considering the seat
size on planes now.) choose either aisle or window seat
on a row with three seats and
pick a row that has the opposite number from your seat (aisle or
window) taken. Most people do not want to pick a middle of the
row seat unless there is nothing else available so unless the
plane is full you have some chance of that middle seat being
left unoccupied for your purse or book.
Luggage
Avoid going to
the airline counter to check luggage. Either go with carry-on or
check at outside or self check baggage. If you want to skimp on
paying luggage fees, try packing your carry-on to maximise
wardrobe use. I try to pick one solid color pants or skirts and
blouses that will go with as many as possible of them. I use the
largest carry-on that meets regulations (does not exceed overall
dimensions of 45 inches length + width + height for most
airlines. Do check your airline's regulations before packing.)
Then for women, use a super large 'purse' that can carry your
laptop or tablet, camera, all your regular personal items and
any snacks you want to carry (unless you fly first class, you
will not get much to eat on a flight.) Inside I use a smaller
tote or regular size purse to compartmentalize items.
For men, pretty much do the same except
substitute a computer bag or extra-large briefcase that holds
all the above. What will often happen if the flight is full and
overhead space is limited, and that is the rule now, the gate
attendants will announce that any passengers wanting to gate
check their carry-ons to their destination may do so for free. I
then check the one bag and split the contents of the oversize
'purse' leaving me with two a small carry-on, my personal item,
and a free baggage check. Remember this is never guaranteed so
be prepared to struggle with the big carry-on plus personal item
if they don't do the courtesy check in.
Always use a
luggage tag of your own. Don't depend on the airline one. Use a
distinctive one, large and brightly colored that can be easily
spotted when your bag starts coming down the turnstile.
Delays and cancelations
U.S. Department
of Transportation (DOT) has issued a new rule that requires
airlines to promptly provide passengers with automatic cash
refunds when owed. This
rule
applies when flights are canceled or delayed, more than three
hours for domestic and six for international.
It
also applies if your checked bags are not delivered within 12
hours of their domestic flight arriving at the gate, or 15-30
hours of their international flight, or if the airline fails to
provide any extra services you paid for such as WI-FI or special
seating.
Even better, you don't have to go
through a ton of requests online. Airlines must automatically
issue refunds without you even requesting them.
Have a happy and safe flight.
