FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Raymond M. Flynt, President
info@travelersaid.org
(202) 546-1127

November 16, 2007  

IMPORTANT TIPS FROM  

TRAVELERS AID INTERNATIONAL  

FOR AIR TRAVEL DURING THE HOLIDAYS

Washington , DC – Air travel congestion and delays are expected to be especially heavy during the Thanksgiving holiday travel season this year. The airlines expect 27 million passengers between November 16 and 28, a 4 percent jump in the number of passengers over last year's holiday.

These tips were submitted by Travelers Aid managers at airports throughout the U.S. to help air passengers complete their travels more efficiently and smoothly. Ray Flynt, president/CEO of Travelers Aid International, who recently provided testimony to Senate and House hearings on the subject of airline delays and how to improve airport customer service, has put these tips together for the traveling public:

† PLANNING

The secret to successful travel is planning, planning, planning. Planning starts at home with research before you leave.

• Fly early in the day. It’s often cheaper, easier to get a seat, and if there are delays, you will probably still get out the same day. Even better: Fly on the actual holiday.

• Go to the www.tsa.gov web site and understand the security regulations
• Call the airline to confirm your flight status. Other good web sites are

www.flightarrivals.com and www.flightstats.com or your airport web site

• Review the airport Web site to check the location of gates and the amount of walking you will need to do
• Give copies of your itinerary to: 1) person to be called in the event of emergency ; 2) someone you can call if you forget the details; and 3) the people picking you up at your destination
• If you are sending an unaccompanied minor on a flight, arrange for unaccompanied minor handling with the airline and pay the fee. It is well worth it.
• Travelers in wheelchairs: Do not expect the airline or the airport to help you unless you have made prior arrangements with the airline.

† DRESSING AND PACKING

• You may bring only one carry-on and one personal item, such as a purse, laptop computer or briefcase
• Pack undeveloped film and cameras with film in them in your carry-on baggage only
• Wear slip-on shoes
• Don’t wear heavy belt buckles or chunky jewelry
• Don’t pack your laptop computer in your checked luggage. Cargo holds can be punishing and crack cases or damage screens.
• If you lock your checked bag, use a TSA-approved lock with the red diamond symbol. Better: do not lock your bag.
• Pack your clothes in large zip-lock bags to simplify a possible hand search of your luggage
• Label your bags – checked and carry-on -- with your name, address and phone number, both inside and out
• Place books and shoes in different areas of your luggage. Having them condensed all in one place can set off the screening machine alarms.
• Put a number in your cell phone called “Home” or “Emergency contact.” If you lose your phone, this is the first logical place people will look for a number to call.

† CARRY-ON – ALLOWED ITEMS

• Prescriptions in their original containers. It is recommended that the label match your boarding pass. If it does not, be prepared to explain why.
• Necessary non-prescription medications necessary for the duration of the trip
• Baby formula and baby food – but only if the baby is traveling with you! Limited to the amount needed to reach your destination.
• Laptops, cell phones, electronic games
• Matches (safety matches only). No lighters in carry-on bag or on your person.
• Chapstick™ or lipstick. No liquid or gel lip gloss.
• Bring an extra zip-lock bag (or two) and place your change, keys and cell phone in them at the security checkpoint

† PARKING AT THE AIRPORT

• Before leaving for the airport, call the airport (not the airline) if it has a “parking hotline” to check the availability of parking
• Write down your parking location and take it with you. Turn your lights off.

† MEETING PASSENGERS AT THE AIRPORT

• Some airports now have “cell phone lots” where you can wait for an arriving passenger, so they can call you when they arrive
• Make sure you have the airline name, flight number and connecting city of your arriving party. If their flight is delayed or missed, it will be virtually impossible to track them down without this information.
• Designate a specific spot to meet your party. You cannot go to the gate.
• If you are meeting a child, disabled or elderly passenger, you may be able to go to the gate, but you will have to go to the airline’s check-in counter to get permission first

† SECURITY SCREENING

• LIQUIDS: 3-ounce bottles in one one-quart clear, plastic zip-top bag.
• Nothing else will be accepted! Pack this bag before you leave home – security staff will not supply them to you!
• At the checkpoint, have your bag ready to place in the bin or on conveyor belt
• You must declare larger-size liquids, such as baby formula. Be ready when you get to the security checkpoint.
• Take off your jacket and sweater and place them in your carry-on before you get to the checkpoint.
• Have your boarding pass and your photo ID ready
• Take your laptop computer out of the case and turn it on. Do not pack it deep in your carry-on.
• Bringing a prohibited item to security – even accidentally – is illegal!
• Reclaim your items as quickly as possible after they have been x-rayed
• After clearing security, you may bring beverages and other items purchased in the secure boarding area and take them on-board your flight.

† INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL TIPS

• Check U.S. State Department consul information at www.travel.state.gov
• Write your name, address, phone number and emergency contacts in pencil on page 5 of your passport
• Make copies of your drivers license, passport, birth certificates and other travel documents and carry them in different parts of your bags
• Put your name and phone number on your cameras, small electronics, etc.
• Travel with extra zip-lock bags
• Confirm luggage size and weight restrictions with your airline before packing. Some carriers are refusing luggage over 50 pounds. Do not assume you can check extra or overweight bags.
• If you are flying on a charter, find out the actual carrier’s name for check-in counter and gate. Same for “code share” flights.

† AND FINALLY:

• Arrive early. No less than:

2 hours prior to departure for domestic flights

3 hours for international flights -- no matter what your travel agent says!

• Holidays are major theft periods. Do not wander away from your bags. When you are standing at the baggage claim carousel, hand your bags to your friend or relative or hold onto them while you are waiting.

…and if you get in trouble, find Travelers Aid!! (see next page)

Travelers Aid locations in airports

Atlanta - Hartsfield Jackson (404) 766-4511

Chicago O’Hare (773) 894-2427

Dallas/Fort Worth (972) 574-4420 or (972) 973-5050

Detroit Metro Wayne Co. (734) 941-3943

Houston - Bush Intercontinental (713) 526-8300

Houston - WP Hobby (713) 640-3000 (airport general number)

Jacksonville (904) 741-2000 (airport general number)

Los Angeles - LAX (310) 646-2270

Las Vegas - McCarran Internat’l (702) 261-5550 (airport general number)

Milwaukee - Gen. Mitchell (414) 747-5245

Newark - Liberty (973) 623-5052

Newport News/Williamsburg (757) 877-0221

New York – JFK (718) 656-4870

Oklahoma City – Will Rogers (405) 680-3269 or (405) 681-7343 or

(405) 680-3271

Ontario (CA) (909) 937-1256 or (909) 937-1258

Orlando (407) 825-2142 or (407) 825-2353

Phoenix - Sky Harbor (602) 244-1346

Pittsburgh (412) 472-3599

San Diego (619) 295-1277

San Francisco (650) 821-2735

San Juan , Puerto Rico - Marin (787) 791-1034

Tampa (813) 870-8797

Toronto , Canada - Pearson (905) 676-2868 or (905) 626-2869 or

(416) 776-5890

Washington DC - Dulles (703) 572-7350

Washington DC - Reagan National (703) 417-3975

Travelers Aid International
1612 K Street NW, Suite 206
Washington DC 20006
P. (202) 546-1127 F. (202) 546-9112

www.travelersaid.org

Travelers Aid is the oldest, non-sectarian social welfare organization in the United States . The mission of Travelers Aid International is to advance and support a network of human service provider organizations committed to assisting individuals and families who are in transition or crisis and are disconnected from their support systems.

Travelers Aid International, headquartered in Washington DC , oversees a network of 50 social service agencies and help desks in transportation centers, including 25 airports, 6 train stations and 9 bus terminals, throughout the United States , Canada , Puerto Rico and Australia . The Washington office supports and assists its member organizations through communications, education, advocacy and standard-setting. It also directly operates local Travelers Aid programs in Washington DC (Union Station, Reagan National and Dulles Airports ) and in the New York area at JFK and Newark Liberty International Airports .

In 2006, TA assisted more than 6.5 million individuals at airports, bus and train stations and provided casework services to an additional 200,000 individuals in crisis. While each member agency shares the core service of helping stranded travelers, many Travelers Aid agencies provide shelter for the homeless, transitional housing, job training, counseling, local transportation assistance and other programs to help people in their communities who encounter crises as they journey through life.

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