I travel....a lot!!! I thought I would share some observations with you. Perhaps I can save you some time or some trouble and make your holiday trip a bit easier. Many of you are frequent travelers. Much of this will seem routine. If you don't travel frequently, read on. If you have a tip to add, please comment!
Today I am in Chicago. Leaving for Shanghai, China in the morning. The airports are packed! Arrive Early!
Salt Lake Airport is geared up for the holidays. There were lots of extra security screeners working today. Nonetheless, you need to allow extra time. There are lots of folks traveling and many of them are not frequent fliers. Lots of parents with children. Today I had 4 elderly wheelchair travelers in line in front of me.
Watch the liquids in your carry-on baggage. All liquids in your carry-ons must be in 3 oz. or smaller containers. These containers must be placed in a 1 quart ziplock bag. This bag must be removed from your bag for x-ray. Laptops must be removed from baggage and coats and jackets must be removed. If you are checking luggage, put everything you can afford to be without in the checked bags. www.tsa.gov
Be patient and kind. Imagine doing security screening 8 hours a day. It's a demanding, thankless job. A smile and a kind word are "priceless" and much appreciated.
Austere times in the airline business have left ticket agents and gate agents working alone where there used to be 2 or 3 agents working. If you have a special request try to handle it before you get to the airport! If that won't work, try to get to the gate early to make any special requests. Check in online. If you don't have bags to check that will save you lots of time. If you have to check bags, use the kiosks at the check in counter. These really can save you time.
Use your cell phone to keep abreast of flight schedule changes and delays. Every airline now offers cell phone notification of delays and schedule changes. Many of the internet travel services like www.expedia.com, orbitz.com and travelocity.com do too! Most airlines have mini-website for use with web-enabled phones. You can use web-enabled phones to check schedules and much more. I use this service on every trip.
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