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Enhancements
in security measures since Sept. 11, 2001 came fast and furious.
Although most of the kinks have been worked out, the new precautions
and procedures may still lead to increases in travel time and
inconveniences. Whether you're waiting on longer lines, subjected to
closer personal searches or having to cool your (shoeless) heels
while your bags are carefully inspected, you'll likely find
traveling today a far different experience than it was in the more
trusting pre-Sept. 11 days.
Security
measures are still evolving and they tend to vary from airport to
airport, but there are a few rules of thumb any traveler can use to
make their next trip a little easier. Our tips:
Know
your departure time:
Although the Federal Aviation Administration
still recommends arriving at the airport two hours before your
flight's scheduled departure, check with your airline or the airport
first. Some airlines don't require you to arrive quite so early for
all flights. Delta, for example, recommends that you arrive one hour
prior to a domestic flight. Other airlines say 60 or 90 minutes. Ask
first; you may be able to reduce your airport time significantly.
For most domestic flights, you need to be at the gate, with boarding
card in hand, 15 minutes before the flight is scheduled. For
international flights, you need to be at the gate 30 minutes prior
to departure.
Use
curbside checking:
Unless you have a ticket that requires special
assistance from an airline representative (for example you need to
change your flight), you can use curbside check-in at most airports,
where lines frequently are shorter. Not all airlines offer curbside
check-in for all flights, however, so check with your airline or
airport first. If you're traveling on an e-ticket, many airports and
airlines allow you to proceed straight to the gate to check in,
provided that you don't have any bags to check. To get through
security you'll need a printout of your ticket or an e-ticket
confirmation from your travel agent or airline, and your picture ID,
of course.
Luggage
restrictions:
Or better yet, know what you can't carry:
• knives of any type
• cutting or puncturing
instruments (including pocketknives, carpet knives, box cutters, ice
picks, straight razors, metal scissors and metal nail files)
• corkscrews
• athletic equipment that could be
used as a weapon (such as baseball or softball bats, golf clubs,
pool cues, ski poles and hockey sticks)
• fireworks (including flares or
sparklers)
• flammable liquids or solids
(such as fuel, paints or lighter refills)
• household cleaners (such as
drain cleaners and solvents)
• pressure containers (spray cans,
butane fuel, scuba tanks, propane tanks, CO2 cartridges
and self-inflating rafts)
• weapons (firearms, ammunition,
gunpowder, mace, tear gas or pepper spray)
• other hazardous materials
(gasoline-powered tools, wet-cell batteries, camping equipment with
fuel, radioactive materials, poisons and infectious substances).
Find
the entire list here at the U.S. Transportation Security
Administration website www.tsa.gov/public
You
can carry personal care items that may contain potentially hazardous
materials (such as flammable perfume or aerosols), but only if they
total no more than 70 ounces. You also can carry matches and
lighters on your person, but "strike-anywhere" matches,
lighters with flammable liquid reservoirs and lighter fluid are
forbidden. You can carry on dry ice for packing perishables, but
only if you have less than four pounds of dry ice and the package is
vented.
Moving
quickly through airport departure checkpoints:
Before you leave for the
airport, or while you're standing in line at the security
checkpoint, take everything — coins, pens, keys, lighters — out
of your pockets and put them in your carry-on. If you're wearing a
big belt buckle or clunky jewelry, put it in your bag as well. This
will save you time from having to unload at the foot of the X-ray
machine and enduring the grumbles of those behind you. You might
want to stow such small loose items in a plastic bag inside your
carry-on so that you don't have to dig through your bag playing
"find the lost watch" later in the day.
Leave
gifts loose:
You might get through security with your
wrapped packages still intact, but airline security personnel will
rip open your gifts if they can't get a clear view of what's inside
from the X-ray scan. Save yourself the trouble and leave the paper
off.
Obey
the rules:
Don't leave your car unattended; the signs mean what
they say and your car will likely be towed if you leave it alone.
Security personnel also are hyper-serious about bags left alone or
jokes about bombs or other threats.
Watch
your baggage size/weight restrictions:
The FAA recommends — and most airlines agree —
that each passenger bring one carry-on bag, plus one personal bag
such as a purse, laptop or briefcase. Airlines are now enforcing
size restrictions on your carry-on, so don't try to bring your
steamship trunk onboard. Airlines typically require that your bag be
less than 45 linear inches (height, plus width, plus length) and no
more than 40 pounds. The good news is that the lighter you travel,
the quicker you'll get through security and on your way.
Keep
your batteries fully charged:
You may be asked to turn on your laptop or cellphone, so
make sure your battery is charged and ready to go.
Keep
your ID/passport, ticket and boarding pass handy:
You'll need them when you
check in, when you go through the security checkpoint and when you
board your plane, so keep them stashed in an easy-to-reach spot.
Watch
your
camera film:
Where you pack your film is more important
now than ever before. The new, stronger X-ray machines used in some
U.S. and overseas airports to scan your checked bags can fog
undeveloped film. It's best to carry your film — including
undeveloped film in your camera — on the plane, since the
lower-dose X-ray machines used to screen carry-on bags are safe for
film. The only exception is when your bag — and film — pass
through the X-ray machine more than five times during an extended
trip. Repeated exposure even at this lower dose could damage
high-speed film. To reduce excessive exposure, you can try asking
the security personnel to hand-check your film rather than putting
it through for an X-ray, although not all airports will honor the
request. Or you can also buy a lead-lined bag, which will help
reduce the amount of radiation that hits your film, but it will
likely cost you in the form of increased scrutiny by security
personnel. And of course, you can have your film processed before
you head to the airport — there's no risk to processed film.
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