 Travel Magazine Best Practices
Frequent Flyer Pointers
By Linda Blum
Published: June / July 2008
You arrive at the gate in a sweat. Completely
disheveled, your shirttails hang out. Belt in hand, your
pants are drooping and you haven’t re-tied your
shoelaces. Looking around at the smiling people in the
boarding area, you wonder, suspiciously, what they took
this morning to avoid looking like they’ve been through
the same security nightmare that you have.
How do they do it? Breezing through the check-in and
security process begins when you make an airline
reservation.
Whether your flight is booked through the airline, a
discounter or a travel agent, here are some things to
consider to help get you to the gate feeling fresh and
ready to go places:
#1 Early morning and late afternoon/early evening
flights put you in the middle of rush hour traffic in
cities worldwide. Booking a reasonable time of day to
travel to the airport helps ensure an on time arrival.
#2 Make sure that you have a seat assignment. Nobody
wants to sit in a middle seat or separated from their
companions, but having an assignment, even if it’s not a
good one, means that you will have a boarding pass when
you arrive at the airport. If somebody gets bumped, it
won’t be you. It will be someone that couldn’t get, or
didn’t want, a confirmed seat because it didn’t suit
them.
#3 Back to those same morning/evening departures . . .
they complicate airport parking, since returning
passengers haven’t arrived at their destination, which
means the lots are more crowded than at mid-day.
#4 Give yourself some extra time, no matter the time of
day. Just an extra half hour will ease the anxiety
associated with rushing and travel. Bring something you
haven’t had time to read. Airports are great for
catching up on trade journals, magazines and novels. You
can feel productive while doing nothing.
Packing and dressing have a whole new meaning when
traveling by air:
#1 Don’t plan to carry everything on the plane with you.
Regulations are tighter for carry-on luggage than they
used to be and passengers are permitted just one bag
plus a personal item, i.e., handbag, computer case,
backpack, etc.
#2 Do be sure that you have identifying tags on and also
inside your luggage, should the outer tags be lost or
removed.
#3 Consider buying TSA approved baggage locks which can
be opened and re-locked if a closer inspection of
checked luggage is required, rather than being cut off a
bag.
#4 You are permitted to carry bottles of liquid or gels
that are no bigger than three ounces in one quart size
zip top plastic bag, aboard the aircraft. Anything else
must be put into checked bags or it will be confiscated.
#5 Obtain a complete list of can/can’t items from the
Transportation Security Administration by visiting
TSA.gov.
#6 Try to wear slip on/off shoes instead of laces and
buckles. Try not to have holes in your socks. Wear easy
fitting clothes. Avoid wearing chunky metal belts,
jewelry or other metal items. Remove body piercings
which may trigger sensitive security equipment unless
you want to prolong your search and strip.
#7 Remove your laptop computer from carry-on luggage and
place separately on belt along with shoes and carry-on
items.
#8 Empty all your pockets the first time. Yes . . . that
means keys, and change, and lighters, and cell phones
and anything else that will cause you to receive ugly
stares and comments from everyone behind you because you
held up the line by going back and forth two or three
times before you really emptied all your pockets.
Pat yourself on the back as you leisurely stroll to the
gate and have a pleasant, relaxing break before your
flight departs!
Linda Blum is a travel professional with more than 40
years of industry experience. An Adventure Travel
Specialist, she is the owner of Adventure Pro Travel.
Linda and her husband Burt have spanned the globe
visiting more than 60 countries. Contact Linda at
888-455-9997, email: info@AdventureProTravel.com or
visit her website
www.AdventureProTravel.com.
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