You May No Longer Have To Remove Your Shoes!

Just like having to remove your laptop from your bag is starting to become a thing of the past, the TSA has taken the first steps of having to remove your shoes a thing of the past as well. Earlier this week, the TSA announced on their website that they have been testing shoe scanning technology at Los Angles International Airport (LAX). 

Currently, the TSA has placed two units at LAX which they are using to collect data on how well the scanners work. For those of you who are departing from LAX may encounter these scanners. Since the TSA are still in the early phases of testing, passengers will still have to remove their shoes once they have passed through the new shoe scanner. These scanners are on loan to the TSA from L3 Communications. 

Luggage Scale to the Rescue!

Since airlines have started to charge a fee to check a second bag- some even charge for checking one bag- passengers have been trying to find ways to keep the number of bags they bring on a trip to a minimum. Some travelers are accomplishing this by trying to turn two suitcases into one; by either packing less or by overpacking their one suitcase. The problem with over packing one's suitcase is that it might result in the suitcase being too heavy. Airlines charge extra money for suitcases that exceed a certain amount of weight; the best way to combat this is to weigh your luggage before heading to the airport. This way, you can be sure that you will not have to pay a fee for your luggage being over the limit. 

The best device to weigh ones luggage, is to use a luggage scale. A luggage scale is a simple gadget that can be used at home, at a hotel, or anywhere one needs to weigh their luggage. The luggage scale pictured above works by hooking the luggage handle to the device and then hold the device up to read how much your luggage weighs. This little device could save you money; it will tell you if your luggage is too heavy or not and because of it's size, it can easily be taken with you. 

Following are how much airlines charge if your luggage is over the weight limit:

• American Airlines~  50-70 lbs: $50 per bag; 71-100 lbs: $100 per bag; 101+; not accepted

• Continental Airlines~ 50-70 lbs: $50 per bag; 71+ lbs: not accepted

• Delta~ 51-70 lbs: $80 per bag; 71-100 lbs: $150 per bag; 101+; not accepted

• Jet Blue~ 51-70 lbs: $50 per bag; 71-99 lbs: $100 per bag; 99+: not accepted

• NWA~ 51-70 lbs: $50 per bag; 71+: not accepted

• Southwest~ 51-70 lbs: $25 per bag; 71-100 lbs: $50 per bag; 101+: shipped as Air Cargo (if classified as a Known Shipper as defined by the TSA)

• US Airways~ 50lbs or less: $15 for first bag, $25 for second bag, $100 for three-nine bags; 51-70lbs: $65, $75, or $150; 71-100 lbs: $115, $125, $200; 101+: not accepted

NWA Lets You Pre-Pay Luggage Fees

Northwest Airlines has currently announced that passengers will be able to pre-pay for their luggage when they check in for their U.S. domestic flights online. Passengers can choose how many bags they want to check in, and pre-pay for them, using their credit card, which will not be charged until their tickets are printed out at at the airport's self-service kiosks; at this point the passengers can make changes to the amount of luggage that they will be checking. NWA is hoping that this will speed up the check-in process and make traveling easier for their passengers. 

Starting this past May NWA started charging passengers $25 for checking in a second bag. Next month NWA will start to charge a $15 fee for checking in one piece of luggage; both of these fees will be able to be paid online twenty four hours prior to departure. 

Registered Travelers Have It So Easy

Recently, the Transportation Security Administration announced that they would be expanding their Registered Traveler (RT) program. Currently, RT is being run at nineteen airports in a pilot program. Now that the TSA has announced the expansion, any airport who is interested in the program may participate, which will be exciting news for the roughly 135,000 who are already registered with the program. 

The TSA developed the RT program "to provide expedited security screening for passengers who volunteer to undergo a TSA conducted security threat assessment (STA) in order to confirm that they do not pose or are not suspected of posing a threat to transportation or national security." In order to enroll in the program, applicants have to provide biographic and biometric data, as well as pay $100 for the first year; (The TSA has removed their $28 fee) If the applicants are accepted, then they are given high tech cards which will allow them to quickly get through security. 

Some of the benefits of the RT program are: 

• Fast passage through airport security

• Access to a designated security lines
  

• A stress-free airport experience
  

• Discounts for service or concessions

No Longer Will We Have to Remove Our Laptops!

As mentioned earlier, the TSA has announced that passengers would be able to keep their laptops in a specially designed bag. Prior to this announcement travelers were required to remove their laptops from their bags and place them into the security bins. Although one can not prove that this was the reason for an astonishing number of laptops being stolen from airports this past year; it would make sense. 

Briggs & Riley has been working with Travel Sentry to design and develop these laptop sleeves. When Travel Sentry released the standards for these bags, Briggs & Riley was the first company to submit their design. The new "Speed Thru" sleeves will be integrated into Briggs & Riley's At Work and Verb collections starting August 15. 

So no longer will we have to remove our laptops from their snug travel confines; we will be able to leave them in our bags (as long as it is in a TSA approved bag)

Don't Get Swept Away....

It is hurricane season and with Dolly making her way to the Mexico/Texas boarder, many people are preparing themselves for the impending storm. Since Dolly is making her way to the shores of the U.S. many travel plans have changed. Southwest Airlines and Continental airlines have made changes to their flights that were supposed to be heading out in the next couple of days. In fact, Southwest has cancelled all of their flights to and from Corpus Christi and Harlingen.

So what should one do to prepare themselves for a natural disaster? 

Make sure you contact your insurance agent when a disaster strikes. You travel agent can help re-schedule your flights and hotel accommodations, if necessary, as well as (in some situations) refund your trip. When you travel, make sure to have a good travel insurance policy. Having a good policy will help if you need to get your trip refunded; consult with your travel agent before your trip.

What happens if you are on a trip and disaster strikes?

If a disaster strikes, it would be a good time to end the trip. You might think that it would be cool to witness the disaster first hand, but it is not very smart. It can be dangerous to stay in the area, so try and leave as soon as possible. Once again call your travel agent and let them know what has happened, they can book you a trip home. If you don't have a travel agent, call your airline and hotel and let them know of the situation.  If you are happen to be out of the country when a disaster strikes, get in contact with the closest U.S. Embassy.  

Passport Cards: Required For Land or Sea Travel

Recently, the USA TODAY reported that more and more travelers have started to apply for passport cards. These cards will cost less then the typical passport and it will be small enough to fit into one's wallet. The government has stated that about 350,000 people have already applied for a passport card and are anticipating that the number of applicants could reach up to 4 million by June 2009. 

These new passport cards will only be valid for U.S. residents who plan to travel by land or by sea and are traveling to and from Mexico, Canada or the Caribbean. If planning on traveling by air, one needs to use the traditional passport. 

The State Department suggests not waiting till the last minute to apply for your passport card or traditional passport. The processing time takes about four weeks, at which point the passport will be mailed to you. The cost of the passport card is: $45 for adults, $35 for minors. The renewal time is: 10 years for adults, and five years for those who are under 18. 

For more information visit: the U.S. Department of State

No ID? Now You Have To Answer My Questions....

When traveling via air, it is necessary to be able to identify oneself. Airline security wants to make sure that John Doe is really John Doe and not someone else. In the past if someone forgot their ID, they would be subject to an extensive search of their carry-on and most likely a pat-down. 

Now, if someone forgets their ID not only will they have to endure the extra screening, but they will have to be able to answer questions about themselves. Questions could range from their previous address to their wedding date. Airline security will have access to your information through the Lexis Nexis database.

Now airport screeners will have access to your information which will expose passengers more than the new x-ray machines. What, or who, is going to stop a screener form obtaining private information about you? Is this steeping over the line? Should airport screeners be asking us private information in order to make sure we are who we say we are. Here is an idea: Don't lose your ID and make sure that you have it with you at all times.

Traveling For Work Can Be Fun!

Do you frequently have to travel for your work? Are you tired of always having to travel? Well it is all in the mindset. If you envision yourself having a great time on your trip then your trip will be better. On the other hand if you start the trip out in a bad mood, then you will only think about the negative aspects of your trip. Following are some ideas that could make your next business trip more enjoyable. 

When your in a new location (or even one you have been to many times before) take the time to explore. Go to the theater, museum, restaurant, a local festival, etc. This way your whole trip is not spent working. 

When on a business trip one is more likely to grab quick meals, meals which most likely are not healthy what-so-ever. When traveling try to eat healthy and exercise; you will feel and sleep better, and overall feel less stressed. 

If you can, travel by train. Trains can be a cheaper alternative to flying and in some instances, it takes the same amount of time to get to point A to B. The additional benefits of taking a train are the seats are larger, there are meals, your not as claustrophobic, and you can always look out the window at the scenery that you are passing. 

Motion Sickness

Motion sickness is something that can happen to anyone and can result from any form of transportation (boat, plane, car, amusement park ride). Motion sickness can be mild to severe and usually last until the motion stops. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) motion sickness is more common in women, children ages 2-12, and those who already suffer from migraine headaches. 

Some of the classic symptoms of motion sickness are: 

• abdominal discomfort

• nausea

• vomiting

• dizziness

• pallor

• cold sweats

For those who do suffer from motion sickness there are some ways to minimize or prevent these symptoms:

• Try to get a seat with the smoothest ride (front seat of a car, forward facing on a train or a bus, center of a boat, and seats over the wings on a plane)

• Focus on the horizon or distant objects

• Minimize head movement

• Try using motion relief wrist bands

• Take an antihistamine (you will feel drowsy)

• If you get really bad motion sickness, talk with your doctor

World's 10 Best Airports

In an annual survey conducted by Skytrax, Hong Kong International Airport was crowned as the best airport. Every year Skytrax, a privately-owned research company located in London conducts research to find the best airports in the world. This year the surveys were collected over a 10 month period where over a million passengers completed questionnaires ranking airports in such categories as shopping, dining, wait times, security, etc. 

Now for the World's 10 Best Airports:

1. Hong Kong International Airport, China
2. Singapore Changi, Singapore 
3. Seoul Incheon, South Korea 
4. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
5. Munich, Germany 
6. Kansai, Japan
7. Copenhagen, Denmark
8. Zurich, Switzerland
9. Helsinki, Finland
10. Cape Town, South Africa

China: Here I Come!

Since the 2008 Summer Olympics are fast approaching it might be beneficial to get some background information about China, just in case you are lucky enough to be going to the Olympics. China's official name is the People's Republic of China (PRC) and has one of the world oldest culture. China is slightly smaller than the U.S. and is the most populated country in the world, with roughly 1.3 billion inhabitants (as of June 2008). The climate in China varies from being tropical in the South to sub-artic in the North. The capital of China is Beijing (where this year's Olympics are being held) and their currency is the Renminbi (RMB) also known as the Yuan (CNY). As of July 14, 2008 the exchange rate was: $1 is equal to 6.85 CNY. 

This is a picture of the Chinese flag. The red color of the flag symbolizes revolution, the larger star represents the Communist Party and the four smaller stars represent the people of China. One of the biggest celebrations in China is the Chinese New Year, a celebration that lasts for 15 days! 

Now if you are planning on doing business over in China there are some cultural differences. The following are some do's and don'ts when doing business in China. 

• Show respect- avoid embarrassing yourself and others 

• Silence is golden- The Chinese do not mind long moments of silence, don't open your mouth if there is a long period of silence

• Names are said in reverse order than in America i.e. President Hu Jintao is referred to as Mr. Hu 

• Four is an unlucky number; Eight is considered lucky

• Accept business cards with two hands

If you are going to China for reasons other than business or for the Olympics try visiting one of the following "unspoiled" destinations:

• Putuoshan

• Pingyao

• Xiahe

• Kanas Lake

• Changbai Shan and Baihe

• Lijiang and Tiger Leaping Gorge

• Xishuangbana Region

• Wenchang and Dongjiao Yelin

Minimum Stay Requirement For Domestic Flights

According to ABC News, starting in October, United Airlines will be requiring minimum stays for domestic flights. This means if you are taking a quick business trip and are planning to fly United, you might have to stay at your destination for three nights.  Are there many people who need to take a trip that is shorter than three nights? If there are then what would stop them from buying one-way tickets? This is just another crazy idea the airline industry has to try and combat the rise in fuel prices. 

As well as requiring a minimum stay, United will be raising their fares by as much as $90 for a one way ticket. So buying separate tickets would be out of the question, unless you are willing to pay the extra $90. What new fees will the airline industry come up with next?

EMD Safety Bracelets Will Shock You!

In a recent article published in the Washington Times, it states that the Department of Homeland Security has shown interest in a "safety bracelet" that would act similar to stun guns. In this video, which is from the Lamperd Less Lethal website, shows that these "EMD safety bracelets" would be worn by all passengers and would be given out in place of boarding passes. 

The advantage of these bracelets would be:

• That they would contain the passenger's personal information

• Would have a GPS type device so as to monitor a passenger's whereabouts in the airport
  

• Take place of an airline boarding pass

• Be able to determine whose checked and carry on bag is whose 

The purpose of these bracelets would be to use in case a passenger needed to be subdued mid-flight. One of the airline officials would have a device that could set off the EMD (which stands for Electro-Muscular Disruption). The bracelet then would send electrical pluses to the passenger rendering them immobile for some period of time. How would the device only activate a particular bracelet without setting all of the passenger's bracelets off and would the electrical signal interfere with the functionality of the plane itself? Additionally, what would keep some passengers from cutting off the bracelet? There are a lot of unanswered  questions when it comes to the use of these so called "safety bracelets" 

It's Travel Time: Do You Know Where Your Laptop Is?

A recent study sponsored by Dell and conducted by the Ponemon Institute indicated that on average over 10,000 laptops are stolen from airports each week. This calculates out to about 60,000 stolen laptops a year. Out of the 10,000 laptops stolen each week, only about 30% are recovered and returned to their owners. Sometimes laptops are recovered, but they stay at airports until they are disposed of.

The majority of laptops that are stolen are at security check points. It is not hard for a thief to grab one's laptop and claim it as their own; airport personnel are too busy to remember if a person had a laptop with them or not. 

For travelers (both social and business) loosing a laptop could mean a heap of trouble. There are a lot of valuable and personal information in one's laptop such as credit card information, identifying information, and even private company information is usually located in one's laptop. The research showed that the majority of travelers (about 65%) do not take precautions to secure or backup their data; most people think that it will not happen to them.

The following are some steps, taken from Network World, that one can take to help avoid their laptop from being stolen. 

• Place your laptop in the second bin. Sandwich it between other personal belongings. 

• Mark your laptop with stickers or other identifying markers. DO NOT put any personal information that thieves can use to identify you. 

• If you lose your laptop, contact airport security immediately

• If you are a frequent flyer, you might want to invest in one of the new TSA approved laptop bags

Fido To The Rescue!

Today  The Washington Times , announced that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA)  has certified the use of canines (and their super noses) to sniff cargo containers that will be loaded onto passenger-carrying planes. The fist canine team is all set and ready for work at Washington-Dulles International Airport. Miami International Airport is anticipated to be the second airport to implement canine teams. 

These special dogs had to participate in a 10 weeks in a training course at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. The TSA hopes to train over 400 teams, consisting of one dog and one handler, over the next two yeas.  If this program goes well, the TSA is hoping to implement the canine team to aid at security check points. 

How Many Sardines Can Fit On An Airplane?

With fewer and fewer people willing to travel this year, due to the raise in fees and gas, airlines have been weeding out the least popular flight destinations; because of this, airlines have been packing the few number of  flights that they do offer to the brim, making passengers feel like sardines packed in a can!  Since the number of passengers per flight has increased the amount of space in the overhead bins has decreased! 

According to the New York Times, for the first three months this year, planes have been fuller than ever before. Last year at this time planes were only 76.8% full, and this year they are 77.2% full. It might not seem like a big difference, but when you are seated in the middle seat and having to fight over the arm rest, you will think it is a huge difference. If you want, you could pay extra to get a couple more inches of leg room or to get an aisle seat. U.S. Airways charge at least $5 to passengers who want to reserve an aisle seat, and JetBlue charges passengers $10 to $30 extra if they want to sit in a row that has more leg room. 

Since the airlines are packing their planes near full capacity, how will it effect passengers? Passengers will most likely feel added stress to their travel experience, and no one wants to start their vacation or business trip being stressed out. Not only will there be an effect on the passengers, there will be added pressure to the crew. The flight attendants and crew will be the ones who will have to deal with passenger complaints about personal space as well as the limited space in the overhead bins, and this will stress them out as well. 

These new fees along with the increased number of passengers per flight might not affect the personal or social traveler much, but it will affect business travelers since they usually have to fly frequently.  

How do you suppose the added number of passengers will effect your travel experience?