Holiday Travel: Flying Tips from a Grumpy Passenger

It's the holiday season and some turn to the airlines as the means for visiting relatives in far away places. Flying is not what it used to be. Gone are the amenities once standard on flights, while long lines, missing luggage and cramped quarters are more the norm. So how do you pack up your family, travel via the airlines and retain your sanity upon arriving at your destination? Here are some tips which may help you through the process.

Packing for the Trip

- Pack light. This may sound like a no-brainer but it becomes even more necessary in these days where the airlines are adding up their charges for baggage. Think about where you are going and pack accordingly. Will there be a washer and dryer at your destination? Perhaps you can carry fewer clothes and do a laundry load where you're going.

- Consider dressing in layers. That allows the same clothes to be used for multiple purposes. Pick clothes that don't crush or wrinkle easily.

- If you're traveling from a warm place to a cold place, instead of packing a coat, consider carrying that coat and using it as an in-flight pillow.

-Put the emergency items, clothes and toiletries in the carry-on you plan to place in the overhead. Put items you'll use during the flight in the carry-on you will place under your feet. This prevents you from having to leave your seat and block the aisle while you get whatever it is out of the overhead

Lost Luggage

The airlines have lost our luggage two years in a row on two different airlines, changing planes at two different cities. Fortunately, both airlines were able to find our luggage and it arrived one to two days after we did. Particularly when you have a short layover between flights, you need to be prepared for this event. It can happen and it's never fun.

-Mark your luggage so it can easily be identified. Consider some bright duct tape across the front and handle or a luggage tag that is unique and easily seen. The more unique and easily seen, the easier it will be to retrieve your luggage and describe it in the event it is misplaced.

-Put your name and contact information, at both your home and your destination, inside your luggage where it won't fall out when the luggage is opened. The mesh pocket inside most suitcases is the perfect place for this. This is another safety measure in case they need to verify it is your luggage.

-Anything you absolutely need to have, put in your carry-on luggage, not your checked baggage. Your carry-on should include your toiletry items and any medicine you require. A change of clothes or pajamas is not a bad idea either. This can make the wait for your missing baggage bearable and not cause you substantial hardship.

-Follow the carry-on rules. There is nothing more annoying to passengers than not having room for their own legal carry-on over their seat because someone has put two or three of their items in the overhead. Remember: One carry-on placed in the overhead and one carry-on placed under your feet. Be a courteous passenger and maybe someone else will return the favor.

Getting through security

Most of us are now aware of the security lines at airports. Allow more than enough time not only for checking your baggage but also for going through security. The rule of thumb used to be one hour before a domestic flight. That is not enough time anymore. Allow yourself two hours. You may go through both check-in and security in under an hour, but we have seen it take almost the entire two hours and gotten to our flight just as they were calling for passengers to board. Here are a few tips for the security lines.

-If you have a jacket, take it off before you get to the security bins.

-Take off your shoes. They will also need to be placed in the bins along with your jacket.

-Your jewelry also needs to be removed. Take off watches, pins, necklaces and key chains. Keep a clear sandwich bag in your purse or coat pocket. Put your jewelry in that, prior to your getting to the security bins and then place the plastic bag in the same bin with your shoes.

-If you walk with a cane, this will need to go through with your bins.

-If you have a laptop, you will be required to take it out of its case. Do this as soon as you get to the bins.

-When you get to the bins, grab however many bins you think you will need and lay them out immediately. Throw your laptop case in one, with your laptop on top. Throw you jacket in another with your shoes and the plastic bag with your jewelry.

-Your carry-on luggage doesn't need to be placed in a bin but it will need to go through the machine with your bins.

-Make sure you've removed all jewelry and metal before trying to step through the security gate. If you have a metal plates or pins, be sure to let them know beforehand.

-If you have a disability or you are with children, please look for the special line many airlines are putting in for passengers who need assistance. Your children have to do the same things you do when they go through security. Prepare them for this before you get to the airport. Why not make a game of it to see how fast they can get their shoes and jackets off and into a dishpan you place on a chair? Kids are generally up for games and this can actually be a fun challenge, which also prepares them for their travels.

Kids and Traveling

That brings me to traveling with children. I've been on both ends of this spectrum. I've been the harassed passenger near someone's screaming baby and I've been the parent trying desperately to keep a child entertained and quiet during a five hour flight.

Parents

- Since your child is a passenger and requires a seat, that child is entitled to a carry-on. Pack their carry-on bag with books, toys and pocket games to keep them busy during the flight. Pack a snack or two that can tide them over between meals.

-Though you can't take liquid drinks through the security checkpoints, you can take an empty bottle though security and fill it from the water fountain before your flight. Doing this prevents your having to wait until the flight attendants pass out the drinks and snacks.

- Have a plan for the change in air pressure and the kids needing to pop their ears. Gum, water or yawning can help with this.

-Insist that your child sit by you or another adult in your party. Be prepared and check your tickets before boarding. If your seats are not together, call the airline and get this straightened out before your flight to make sure that child will be sitting with you and not sandwiched between strangers. It can and has happened and airlines don't like changing seat assignments at the last minute.

-In your child's carry-on be sure to pack a small blanket (or use your jacket) for a pillow so the child can comfortably take a nap.

-Remember, if you have a layover, you will be carrying all these things between flights.

Other Passengers

-One of the kindest things you can do for yourself is to take a Zune, iPod, portable CD or DVD player with headphones. Books on tape are wonderful things to take on a flight. Make sure you have enough batteries too. You can lean back, catch up on your reading (in this case listening) and drown out any small child's chatter. Screaming may not be quite unheard, but at least it will be muted.

-Remember that the parent and child are not out to get you and they would much rather be happy too. Parents do get embarrassed when their children are unhappy travelers. Try not to make it worse with glaring looks or exasperated sighs. It is much better just to put on your headphones and listen to something more pleasant.

In-flight Comfort

- If you have flown before and found the seat belts too tight to be comfortable, ask for a seat belt extender as soon as you board the plane. The airlines do have them available and this can make the flight a great deal more comfortable for you.

-Raise the armrest. If you are sitting next to a relative or a familiar traveling companion, consider raising the armrest between the two of you. Though you still have the same amount of space, it feels larger because you don't have that arm rest boxing you in.

-Before you board that plane, be sure to use the restroom facilities. Currently, more often than not, planes are boarded and then sit there waiting much longer on the tarmac than in years past. It can become quite uncomfortable without access to a restroom for hours at a time. This is particularly important when traveling with children.

-Another option before boarding is to remember the empty bottle. Fill that with water from the water fountain and take that with you onto the plane. You will have water to swallow to help pop your ears or when you get too dry from the re-circulated air.

To recap, for more comfortable flying, pack smart, pack light, identify your luggage, arrive early, be prepared for security, have a noise reducer for yourself or activities for your kids, hit the restroom facilities before you board, have an ear popping plan and keep the items you need most in the carry-on under your feet. Enjoy the Holidays and Happy Travels!