I received the video at the bottom of this article from a co-worker and I just couldn’t help but laugh.  As a frequent business traveler, the holidays are probably one of my least favorite time to travel due to the large number of people that are traveling, but even more important than that, the number of people that are infrequent travelers that seem to make the experience even worse.

Don’t get me wrong… I have nothing against the infrequent traveler!  I just wish there was some way that they could be better prepared for the journey on which they are about to embark.   Things that would make the journey more pleasant for them as well as me.

Be prepared for Check-In. 

• If you are checking baggage know the piece count and weight limits for your airline.  Each airline has their own policies so check! 
• Have all of your bags tagged with identification tags before showing up at the airport.  Its also a good idea to put some ID inside the bag.
• Know what fees are being charged for baggage and don’t argue about paying them.
• Proper ID is required – no a credit card is not good enough and your your gym membership doesn’t count either.
• Don’t use the airport as a place to weight balance your bags so that you don’t have to pay extra fees.   Do your weight balancing at home!  Surely you have a bathroom scale that you can use to approximate baggage weight.
• Make sure liquids and gels over 3 ounces are IN your checked baggage.  This will include the jams and jellies, and the bottle of Scotch you got from your family for Christmas.

Be prepared for TSA Security Check.

• You will have to take your shoes off!!!
• They aren’t joking about the quart size bag with items of 3 ounces or less.  Don’t make them find the items you’ve tried to hide in your carry-on bag.  It doesn’t matter that you just paid $80.00 for that moisturizer if it is over the wight allowed you can plan on leaving it behind.   Make sure you have it OUT of your carry on and in a scan “bin”.
• Computers and large electronic equipment like video recorders and DVD players should be taken out of the bag they are in a placed in a separate “container” to go through the X-Ray machine.
• Hold on to your boarding pass… don’t send it through the X-Ray.  They are going to check it when you pass through the metal detector.
• Coats, hats, scarfs and sweatshirts have to go through the X-Ray machine.  Don’t make them ask you to take them off.
• Take off your jewelry, belts with metal buckles, cell phones, coins, etc… These are going to set off the metal detector.  Unless you are an authorized tester for the government you can be assured that these machines work and you don’t need to help with the testing process.
• Gather your things from the X-Ray belt quickly.  There are usually places past the belt to put your shoes, jewelry, coats, etc… back on.  The X-Ray scanner will hold up the line while you get dressed and there are other people waiting.

Be prepared for Aircraft Boarding.

• Everyone has a seat assignment (unless you are on Southwest)  Milling around the gate just slows up the boarding process as people try to get through the herd of people
• Frequent fliers get to board first.  It’s a perk for dealing with this hassle trip after trip after trip.  (If nothing else it assures us that our carry-on bags are going to have a place in the plane.)
• Most roller bags fit into the overheads lengthwise.  Depending on the plane it will be wheels out or wheels in.  The overhead doors are designed to allow for those wheels in most cases… Please try to fit your bags in this way first.
• Under the seat in front of you space should be used!!!  If you brought a computer bag and a roller bag one of them belongs under the seat in front of you.
• Wait to put your coats up into the overhead until everyone in the rows around you have had an opportunity to put their large items overhead. 
• Fragile items overhead?  I don’t think so just ship them!  You have a better chance at getting them there.  I was just on a flight where someone had a “very valuable” rolled up “poster” in the overhead.  When the passenger in the row across from them started to use the overhead space for a bag we were close to a fist fight because they might “crease” the poster.   The flight attendant made them “hold” it at their seat the entire flight and of course the customer complained the entire way – all 4 hours.  If I had to hear about this valuable poster one more time I think I might have had to “snap”.

Remember folks that those of us that do this week after week get into a routine and know the ins and outs of the process.  We get just as frustrated as you do but for different reasons.   The real trick is keeping your cool through the process.  Be pleasant, be tolerant, be understanding.

Now without further adieu the video:
[coolplayer]

http://www.projectspossible.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/carryonluggage.mpg

[/coolplayer]

Is the rule supposed to be liquids and gels?  Where do pastes fit into the mix?  When I’m not in a hurry I will keep a tube of toothpaste or a deodorant in my carry-on bag… about 50% of the time I am stopped and my bag is searched and I am told that I can’t bring a paste through security.  You can check out what is permitted at the TSA website.

I also always carry a computer through security.  We all know that our computer has to be out of the bag and scanned with no additional articles.  Again about 1/2 the time I am also asked to put my external CD/Floppy drive into a bin for scanning.  Apparently at these airports that device is considered to be in the same category as a video camera or a DVD player.  I guess the rest of the time it doesn’t matter.

At many airports on the initial screening (when they check your ID and boarding pass) I simply show them my boarding pass and id and I am pushed through.  Other airports the screener is writing stuff on my boarding pass.  I can only assume that the boarding pass marks are to keep people from bringing their 3 ounces of gel through screening, then leaving and bringing 3 more ounces and leaving, etc…

Other things I’ve noticed… 

• Very different procedures / processes for doing a manual check.  I’ve only had my “zipper cleared” in one airport.
• Settings on the metal detectors vary from airport to airport and within airports.  I’ve learned at my local airport which are more sensitive and will require me to take off my belt and which ones will not sound if I leave my belt on.
• Jackets and sweatshirts – some airports make you take them off, others will let you keep them on.
• Do they want my boarding pass AND id after I go through the metal detector?  Some yes on both, others yes on just the boarding pass.
• Corkscrew… I’ve had one in my computer bag for months… On my last trip an airport screener asked me to check it or surrender it.  You can take scissors as long as the blade is no longer than 4 inches…
• Sports Equipment… you can’t take a hockey stick on a plane but a cane or an umbrella are allowed.  Go figure!

Have you found consistent inconsistencies?