Timely Airport Security Advice for Holiday Travel

Posted by Travel Sentry

Just in the nick of time for holiday travel, Smarter Travelers offers up some useful advice for upcoming holiday travel. "Waiting in line at the airport can be a frustrating experience, but don't let long waits in security put a damper on your holiday spirit. Use these 10 simple tips to breeze through airport checkpoints and be on your way in no time (unless your flight is delayed, that is)."

• Know what 3-1-1 means. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) regulations restrict the amount of liquids you can take on the plane. Each passenger is allowed to fill a single, quart-sized, clear plastic bag with 3-ounce (technically 3.4-ounce) containers of liquids. Exceptions are made for medications, baby food, and breast milk, but these items must be declared.

• Pack carry-ons neatly. Use clear zip-top bags to help organize your clothes, pack in layers so screeners can easily see what is inside, and carefully coil electronic cords. If Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) can't tell what is in your bag from an X-ray, your bags will likely face an extra manual search.
  

• Pack holiday goods appropriately. If you're flying home for the holidays, don't wrap gifts since TSOs may have to unwrap them for inspection. Also, liquid and gel-like foods such as cranberry sauce, gravy, and salad dressing will be confiscated, so ship them ahead or put them in your checked bag. Cakes and pies are allowed, but may require additional screening.Use the exact name on your ID. The TSA Secure Flight program is being phased in and will require that the name on your ID match your reservation exactly, as well as extra information such as date of birth and gender. Although small differences between your ID and boarding pass shouldn't be problematic right now, consistency will help minimize your time in line.

• Schedule enough wait time. Some individual airports offer real-time wait length estimates for security checkpoints on their websites. The TSA also has a Wait Time Calculator that uses checkpoint line history to offer estimated wait times, although it was under construction at press time. Currently, there are a few smartphone apps that can provide you with the TSA's historic averages, including TripCase (Blackberry, iPhone, and Windows Mobile) and TSAwait (iPhone), although the information may not be up-to-date. Keep in mind these are only approximate times for security lanes, not for check-in lines.

• Dress for success. Before you head to the airport, empty your pockets of loose change, wear minimal jewelry, and avoid wearing a belt so you have fewer items to remove for the metal detector. Wear shoes that are easy to slip off and on. And if your travels include someplace cold, try to wear one jacket you can remove easily.

• Use a checkpoint-friendly laptop case. Computers don't need to be removed from TSA-approved bags, saving you time. Acceptable cases must meet TSA standards, which require a laptop-only section that lies flat on the conveyor belt; has no pockets; and has no metal. If your bag is not TSA approved, store your computer in an easily accessible pocket so you can quickly place it on the belt.

• Use line time efficiently. Most likely, no matter when you get to the airport you will have to stand in a security line for some time. While you're waiting, take off your coat and watch, put your phone and loose change in your carry-on, and have your 3-1-1 bag out and ready. This way when you reach the front of the line you can quickly put your items in the bin.

• Be polite. Agitated or argumentative passengers are more likely to seem suspicious and may require more screening.

• Choose your line carefully. Many airports now offer three lines for travelers: Expert, Casual, and Family. If you're traveling with little ones or have liquids that must be declared, choosing the latter will help minimize stress. If you've followed all the above suggestions, feel free to choose the Expert lane!

How Accurate are Airport Baggage Scales?

Posted by Travel Sentry

Along with checked bag fees comes the angst of “the weigh in” at the baggage check counter. You’ve put your bag on your scales at home and you believe that you are legal without suffering overweight fees in addition to the checked bag fee.

But home scales can sometimes report varied readings with repeated weigh-ins. Couple the less than perfect scales most of us use at home with an airport baggage scale that is not perfectly calibrated and well, the result can be not very happy passengers stuck with an extra weight fee.

In practice however, airlines rarely charge customers if baggage weight is within one pound of acceptable limits. When readings are close many airline employees look the other way. Nevertheless as checked bag fees with weight restrictions soar, baggage scales should be inspected just as other commodity scales like gas pumps, grocery store produce and meat scales, are periodically checked by inspectors.

The New York City Department of Consumer Affairs recently reported that eight percent of the baggage scales at New York’s Kennedy and LaGuardia airports failed an accuracy check. Last year the fail rate for all New York City baggage scales was 12 percent with inaccuracies of more than one pound.

Overall, 92% of the 608 luggage scales at Kennedy passed the department’s accuracy test, which requires that airport scales cannot read inaccurately by more than one pound. At LaGuardia, 93% of the 133 luggage scales at LaGuardia passed city inspection the first try. After airlines had five days to fix the inaccurate scales, all scales at JFK passed and only two scales at LaGuardia failed and were condemned. Wall Street Journal

Best Spots for Plane Spotting

Posted by Travel Sentry


Harriet Baskas in her column for USA Today brings us some great suggestions for the best "plane spotting" sites around the country. Just bring your own blanket, your binoculars and cameras and look out - I mean up.

These insider spots outside airport terminals offer great views of aviation activity. "Many suggestions came from dedicated plane spotters, aviation enthusiasts and professional photographers, but some tips came from frequent travelers who just get a thrill from getting a good close look at jets as they take off and land."

Al Mueller, a retired travel agent from Guerneville, Calif., believes that "the very best close-up observation points are no longer accessible," perhaps because many spots near airports were declared off-limits after 9/11. Still, he's discovered that Bayfront Park in Millbrae is a great place to watch planes coming and going from San Francisco International Airport.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport doesn't have an official viewing area, but Joel Lesser, an Internet developer from Johns Creek, Ga., shared the locations of what he believes are "the best plane spotting locations at ATL that are legal to access." In addition to heading to the recycling center or sewage treatment plant near ATL, Lesser says many folks pay the hourly parking fee ($1/hour for the first 2 hours) just so they can plane-spot from the top floors of the airport's south and north parking garages.

Garage rooftops seem to be popular viewing spots at many airports around the country, but in Washington, D.C., the hands-down favorite spot to watch airplanes is at Gravelly Point, a park area about a mile from Reagan Washington National Airport. The park is officially part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway and Jesse Reynolds of the National Park Service explains that Gravelly Point is such a big draw because one side of the park is adjacent to the northeast boundary of the airport and "planes essentially fly right over the top of your head." That's the part that thrills Troy Barbour from Fairfax Station, Va. who works as a project manager for a global defense contractor. "After the planes pass over, you can hear the whooshing sounds of the wing vortexes swirling above you."

You may not be able to get that close to the airplanes at some of the other official and unofficial viewing spots listed below, but you should be able to get close enough to snap some great pictures.

LAX
While the reopening of the official outdoor viewing area on top of the Theme Building at Los Angeles International Airport has been pushed back to at least the end of 2009, an unofficial airport viewing area at nearby Imperial Hill (officially Clutter's Park) remains open and as popular as ever. Located in the neighboring city of El Segundo, the park offers picnic tables and a great view of the southern portion of the airport. The In-N-Out Burger, at 9149 South Sepulveda Blvd., is also a popular LAX viewing spot (and while you're there you may as well sample the legendary burgers).

BWI
In addition to the observation gallery inside the terminal at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport there's the outdoor Tom Dixon Aircraft Observation Area on Dorsey Road, along the airport's southern edge. The park has a playground, picnic tables, bicycle racks, and access to the 12.5 mile BWI Trail that encircles the airport.

RDU
At Raleigh-Durham International Airport's Observation Park, visitors can listen in on communications between the control tower and pilots from an elevated deck that looks out to the airport's longest runway, the new terminal and the general aviation area. Located near the air traffic control tower, about three-quarters of a mile from the terminals, the park also has a playground and a picnic area and is a popular spot for birthday parties and for people waiting to pick up arriving passengers.

GRR
Mike Lewis, a media planning supervisor in Chicago, has fond memories of the observation area alongside the main runway at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, Mich. "It's more or less a parking lot with some picnic tables, but the proximity to the airport is great. I still try and go there any time I'm in Grand Rapids visiting family." Located about two and a half miles from the airport entrance, the observation area has portable restroom facilities, picnic tables, and air traffic control communications that can be picked up on the AM radio dial. But the real appeal? The viewing area is just 600 feet from the airport's main runway.

LAS
In Las Vegas, it's a sure bet you'll get a great view of planes taking off and landing from the Sunset Viewing Area at McCarran International Airport. It's just south of the airport, off Sunset Road, and looks out to the airport's busiest east/west runways. Here again, visitors can dial up air traffic control chatter on the radio.

AUS
At Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, the airplane viewing area is officially called the Family Viewing Area, but you don't need to have kids in tow to enjoy the one-acre spot just east of the airport entrance. Located near the 9,000-foot east runway, the observation area has picnic tables and, according to airport's website, recommended viewing hours: mornings from 6 until 11 a.m.; mid-afternoons from 1:30-3 p.m.; and in the evenings starting at around 7:30 p.m.

FLL
At the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport you'll find the Ron Gardner Aircraft Observation Area on the west side of the airport, on the opposite side of the airfield from the terminals. Many people watch aircraft activity here from their air-conditioned cars, but if you roll down the windows you'll get to hear the communications between the pilots and the air traffic control tower from speakers installed at the site.

DFW
In 2008, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport relocated its popular Founders Plaza observation point to a new and larger spot on the northwest quadrant of the sprawling airport grounds. The new location offers some spectacular views of aircraft traffic on the airport's west side and provides amenities that include picnic tables, telescopes, canopies and covered seating, display panels with historic information, parking for tour buses, and speakers broadcasting air traffic control communications.

PHOTO GALLERY: Airport observation decks

Flying Above Everest on a U-2 Spy Plane

Posted by Travel Sentry

Hat tip to Professional Pilot News for this fascinating video. James May, of BBC Top Gear fame, rides on a Lockheed U-2 spy plane. The view is spectacular at 70,000 feet as the sky above turns black.

Click here if video does not appear below.




More on the Lockheed U-2 Spy Plane from Strategic-Air-Command.com:

The Lockheed U-2 spy plane was an ultra light glider-like plane designed by the Lockheed Skunk Works for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. It's mission was to photography soviet military installations. Originally, it was hoped that the plane could fly so high that the Russians could not even detect it. As it turned out, although the Russians could see the U-2 on radar, it flew so high that it was out of range of their missiles and aircraft. There was nothing they could do about it.

Because the Russians could not shoot it down, the U-2 flew freely over all of Russia for four years taking pictures of all the Russians' high security military equipment. Finally, after four years of providing the US with the most valuable information during the entire Cold War, one was lost to Soviet action.

Surprisingly, it was not actually shot down by the Russians. The Russians sent up a plane to shoot down the U-2. It couldn't reach it, so it shot straight up. At the same time the Russians were also firing missiles at the U2. None of them could hit the U-2 but one did hit a Russian plane! It exploded and the shock waves broke off the U-2's fragile wings. The Russians captured the pilot and plane ending the missions over Russia for the U-2.

The loss of the U-2 resulted in an international conflict. In the wake of it, the controversial aircraft were assigned to the Air Force. Today it is used for high altitude research.

Real Time FAA Glitch Freezes Flights

Posted by Travel Sentry


Thursday, Nov. 19 ’09. It promises to be an ugly day in many U.S. airports, especially Atlanta International as widespread flight cancellations wreak havoc because of a problem with the FAA system that collects airlines' flight plans.
Answers are still forthcoming from the FAA as to how many flights are being affefted and when the problem will be resolved. But for the time being, prepare yourself with a favorite stoic mindset and sit back if you are planning to fly today.
Reports assure that there is not danger to flights already in the air, and flights are still taking off and landing, just not at light speed. The FAA computer glitch with the automated system is requiring that flight plans be inputted manually.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world's busiest airport, has been particularly affected.
If you plan to fly today, check the status of the flights online before going to airports.

Cash Registers in the Sky

Posted by Travel Sentry

Photo from the GuestLogix website

If you were a retailer what would be the easiest way to keep customers in your space? That’s right – lock the doors!!! How easy!

That is exactly the philosophy of GuestLogix, a Canadian company that sells credit card readers and sales software to the airline industry. The company’s marketing materials describe onboard retail as unique because “operators are able to lock their doors with their shoppers still inside.” A company executive says the jetliner is a huge retail opportunity.

Would you be offended if flight attendants or gate agents became live commercials promoting brands from resorts or car rentals while getting you settled on your flight? Tie-ins with seatback advertisements, brochures and airline websites or social media sites may drive you crazy but the marketing pros spell such as revenue generators for airlines seeking $’s under every seat.

Airlines know they have to be careful not to go too far least they alienate their passenger base. But their approach very carefully pushs the envelope. Daily. So by the time a couple of months pass by, you look back and low and behold, passengers have swallowed yet another revenue generating scheme, hook, line and sinker.

Charles Flateman, vice president of marketing for the Schubert Organization, said in an interview that he had been talking to GuestLogix about selling tickets to Broadway shows and other live performances. The Walt Disney Company is discussing making theme park tickets available on airplanes as well. The credit card readers do not now transmit information in real time, so it will require a “trick of technology” to assure that show tickets sold during a flight still exist in the theater when the plane is on the ground, Mr. Flateman said.

“It’s our desire to market and merchandise and conclude ticket sales wherever our customers are,” he said. “If that’s at 35,000 feet en route to New York, that’s wonderful and we’re excited by the prospect.” New York Times

While new to the large American airlines, Ireland’s discount airline Ryanair, has been selling travel services since the early ‘90s to subsidize their ticket price and boost the bottom line. “Fundamentally we’re an airline with a retail tail,” said Michael Cawley, deputy chief executive of Ryanair. “We can expand our business by lowering fares and any additional profitability means we can grow our business.”

But the job of selling falls to flight attendants. The Association of Professional Flight Attendants said hold on just a minute in a letter to American Airlines. They warned that sales commissions with Sky Mall or any other vendor must be negotiated as part of the labor contract with the airline. The weary flight attendant takes on yet another job in addition to server, safety monitor, janitor and doctor.

“There are a myriad issues surrounding SkyMall,” said Diana Dunn, a member of the union’s negotiating committee. “What is the commission they want to pay us? What if a customer returns something, how are they going to get the money back?”

The New York Times reports other concerns that “retail commissions may be used to replace salaries.” Corey Caldwell, a spokeswoman for the Association of Flight Attendants says “If airlines are encouraging flight attendants to participate in selling of products and services, it needs to be done when the flight attendant has completed safety and security activities onboard the flight.” Ms. Caldwell said. “It’s definitely a proceed with caution type of thing.”

While sky-high retail will not solve all the financial problems of U.S. airlines, it will, along with revenue generated fees, substantially help the bottom line. The average amount a passenger spends with an airline after purchasing a ticket is $1, according to GuestLogix. Ryanair’s customers spend on average $15.

Ms. Caldwell of the Association of Flight Attendants said she understood the economics behind the idea. “It doesn’t take an expert to see there are airlines that are not charging what the cost of the service is,” she said. “There is a huge deficit between what a seat costs and what the airline charges.”

Nickel by nickel the airlines look for ways to keep us in the air.

ATA Expects 4 Percent Decline in Air Travel Over 12-Day Thanksgiving Holiday Period

Posted by Travel Sentry

Despite deep discounts in airline ticket prices the Air Transport Association (ATA), the industry trade association for the leading U.S. airlines, is expecting fewer travelers over the 12-day Thanksgiving holiday period. Both airlines and hotels face a bleak outlook for the holidays.

Seems like a call to action. Pack those bags and book those reservations and hit the road for a stress-free holiday vacation.

But enough about us. Back to the reality for the travel industry. The ATA expects a four percent year-over-year decline in air travel during the Thanksgiving period.

“It is increasingly apparent that the economic head winds facing the airlines and their customers are anything but behind us. ...” said ATA President and CEO James C. May.

As is typical with the Thanksgiving holiday travel period, flights are likely to be quite full, driven this year by the decrease in available seats and deep discounting, rather than by robust demand. Carriers have cut back their schedules in response to economic pressures, with 2009 capacity reductions the deepest since 1942. In addition, recently released government data show that average domestic airfares in the second quarter of 2009 fell to their lowest level since 1998, dropping 13 percent from the second quarter of 2008 – the largest year-to-year decline on record.

ATA is expecting the federal government once again to open up Special Activity Airspace to help ease congestion.

May encouraged passengers to pack light, to check their flight status before leaving for the airport, and to remember to arrive early.

“During this busy travel period especially, passengers should plan ahead and provide plenty of time for airport check-in and security screening,” said May.

In addition, ATA encourages passengers to consult its resource page for recommended travel tips.

In particular, passengers are encouraged to keep in mind the following:

• All passengers are strongly encouraged to review the Web site of the airline on which they are flying for respective policies, amenities, customer service plans and flight-operation alert notifications.

• Remember that TSA requires that air travelers follow its 3-1-1 Rule for liquids, gels and aerosols in carry-on bags when passing through security checkpoints.

• Passengers should be aware that they will be asked to provide their date of birth and gender when making a reservation, as part of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Secure Flight program. Travelers should expect no change in the travel experience, however, as a result of this security initiative.