These Tips Will Help Avoid Turbulence Releasing Some Of That Holiday Stress
by Heather Cassell
An estimated 40% of Americans plan to travel for Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa, according to a NerdWallet survey conducted by The Harris Poll. Thursday was the busiest travel day of the holiday season, according to the United States Federal Aviation Administration.
Airlines for America, a US-based airline trade group, expects more than 39 million passengers to flood airports, and board airplanes during the holidays between December 20 and January 2, 2024, reported Reuters.
If you are not already in the thick of the holiday travel contending with the crowds, delayed or canceled flights, or already squeezed between two other holiday travelers – like yourself – in your seat, you are about to enter the fray and become one of the millions of people who have taken to the air this holiday season.
Before you leave for the airport, these 7 tips can make your flight smoother and jollier this holiday season:
1. Pack Smart
Know what is allowed and not allowed in checked and carry-on bags.
A prohibited item in a carry-on bag is the most common thing that slows down screening at a TSA checkpoint, a San Francisco Bay Area TSA office noted in a December 12 press release from the agency.
This will guarantee that you will experience a bag check in the checkpoint, slowing the process down for you, your fellow travelers, as well as reducing the overall efficiency of the screening process, according to the release.
Liquids
If you can spill it, spray it, spread it, pump it or pour it the item is more than 3.4 ounces (100 ml) it must be packed in your checked bag or it will be confiscated. So, think twice about that bottle of perfume, your favorite lotion, your must have hair conditioner, and other gels and liquids going on holiday with you.
Gifts
Place gifts in gift bags or unwrapped and easily openable gift boxes in checked and carry-on bags. This will make security officers checking for security threats jobs easier and you will be less disappointed to find your carefully wrapped gift destroyed. It will also make getting pulled aside for an inspection easier.
“You’d hate to spend all that time wrapping gifts just to have them unwrapped by the TSA,” Rich Henderson and Andrew Kothlow, the flight attendants behind Two Guys on a Plane, told HuffPost.
Another thought, Rich and Andrew noted that many airports have gift wrapping stations available before you get to your gate. You can always make a stop to wrap if necessary.
Have A Plan For That Favorit Holiday Dish
You can bring that fruitcake or box of chocolates in your carry-on bag, but wrap up and check that bottle of wine, champagne, maple syrup, and preserves. (see above for packing liquids).
Valuables
Protect your valuables. You might have heard about the man who stole $23,000 in cash from three fellow passengers while on a budget flight from Vietnam to Singapore earlier this week.
Cabin theft constitutes a federal crime in many countries, including the US, and is more common than most travelers think, reported CNN and according to Eisner Gorin LLP.
To save yourself grief, the DOT advises to take valuables (money, jewelry, keys, cameras, passport, medicine, travel documents, etc.) with you in your carry-on bag that can be put in the overhead bin or to keep at your feet in the seat in front of you. I have two great carry-on bags, one that goes in the overhead bin and the other that holds my cash, passport, camera, laptop, and other equipment at my feet. If the bigger bag gets gate checked I don’t panic. Gate check means your bag gets checked at the end of the gate at the door of the plane. Sometimes I hope for gate check because I get the benefits of not paying the bag check fee, I am mostly hands free on the flight, and my bag is waiting for me at the door of the plane when I walk off skipping baggage claim (well these days it sometimes ends up at baggage claim).
If you aren’t a frequent flier, pack your carry-on bag so that if it must be gate checked you can quickly remove the fragile, valuable, and critical items. A great way is to pack the most important items in a small, soft bag that will fit under the seat in front of you, and make sure that the small bag is easily accessible in your carry-on bag. I also pack a day or two of clothes, toiletries, makeup, and medicines in my carry-on just in case something happens to my luggage.
Unsure of what you can or cannot pack? Start with an empty suitcase and check TSA’s “What Can I Bring” list before and while you are packing.
Tag Your Bags
Slip an AirTag or Tile Pro in your bag. These tracking devices have become popular within the past year or so. AirTag is an Apple tracker. Tile Pro can work with Android and Apple devices.
Tile Pro has double the range than Tile Mate, 400 feet compared to 200 feet, according to the company’s website, and it will get you into the vicinity of where your bag will be. When it is out of range, you can enable lost mode.
AirTag will take you directly to your bag using the Find My app and the Precision Finding feature app built into the iPhone 11 or a newer generation. It also notifies you once your item is out of range.
Tile and AirTag are affordable and come in multipacks.
2. TSA Security
Traveling While Trans
Last year, TSA made some major changes to heal its relationship with American transgender, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming travelers from applying for its PreCheck program to working with airlines to add a third gender marker in reservation systems, but some things continue to remain somewhat the same.
When going through security scanning equipment hasn’t caught up with gender realities. TSA recommends when traveling with medically necessary liquids and/or medications, medical equipment, and/or prostheses to inform TSA officers and separate the items from your carry-on luggage before screening begins. If a bag must be opened by an officer to resolve an alarm, ask for the bag to be opened and inspected in private. Also have all your medical documents, such as notes from doctors, readily available.
Body scans remain binary, but a new gender-neutral algorithm was tested and implemented in 2022. The goal is to reduce triggering the system which results in more invasive pat down procedures. TSA also revised its pat down policy. TNGN travelers can inform a TSA agent of their gender and request a same-gender officer for a pat down rather than being forced to be patted down by an officer who matches how you present gender-wise. You can also be accompanied by a companion of your choice during a private pat down.
Going Through Security
Pack your keys, loose change, mobile phone, and other small items in your carry-on bag being screed ahead of time. This simple step will prevent items from being left behind in the checkpoint and ending up in the local Lost and Found, a San Francisco Bay Area TSA office reminded travelers.
Do You Have A KTN?
If you are a registered Trusted Traveler, check to make sure your KTN is current before you fly and your correct date of birth are in your airline reservation so you will be eligible for TSA PreCheck screening. Double check when you get your boarding pass that the PreCheck insignia is on it (computers get bugs and have glitches, humans make mistakes and have hiccups). There’s nothing more disappointing than getting in the PreCheck line to find out your boarding pass doesn’t have the PreCheck insignia on it and you get booted to the long line of non-PreCheck travelers or return to the check-in line for your airline. (OK, there might be some other things in life that are more disappointing or embarrassing, but still it’s a bummer.)
In 2022, TSA updated its policies for transgender, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming travelers.
American TNGN travelers can apply for PreCheck using self-determination. They will not be required to update their gender on other government issued identification documents to enroll in the program.
If you don’t, see below for “Skip The Line” for how to get a KTN.
Real ID
Do you have your Real ID? If you don’t you are still safe to travel with your current ID, but come May 7, 2025, every American will need a Real ID to travel. The pandemic pushed the deadline way back several times, but come 2025 the jig is up. The Real ID was established in 2013 with the Real ID Act, which established minimum security standards for license issuance and production. Federal agencies will be prohibited from working with states that do not meet the Real ID requirements for certain purposes, such as boarding a federally regulated commercial aircraft.
Going Digital
Government is getting with the times. This year, some states have digitized IDs, and the US State Department has digitized passports.
Travel Within The US
Download your digital ID. Some airports have kiosks where travelers can quickly digitize their IDs for free to get through security faster or you can do it at home with your phone’s wallet feature or your state’s DMV app. Travelers can use their mobile ID to verify their identity instead of using a physical driver’s license.
Who Has A Mobile ID?
- Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, and Maryland have digitized IDs in Apple Wallet. Here is how you can add your ID to your wallet.
- Google Wallet users can add your ID to your Android phones.
- TSA just announced for the holiday travel season December 20 that it’s testing an app for Samsung Wallet users at 27 participating airports.
Here in California, the Golden State’s Department of Motor Vehicles has an app, The mDL, for Apple Store and Google Play. American Airlines, Iowa, and Utah also have ID apps.
How It Works:
Present your ID at select TSA checkpoints by tapping your phone or linked device or scanning the app issued QR code. Your photo will be taken by the TSA reader at security to proceed to screening.
You must still carry your physical ID just in case it is needed.
“Just go ahead and activate that, present that, it will bring up your photo, it will do a real time facial matching and you’ll be allowed into the security checkpoint,” Lorie Dankers, a TSA spokesperson, told KGO-TV in San Francisco. “It’s a great system and we encourage people to try it out.”
Skip The Line
Don’t have TSA PreCheck? Don’t dump everything out of your bag just yet! Listen to clues from the TSA agents. They will have you sailing through the scanner just like those who paid for TSA PreCheck. You won’t have to take out your laptop, tablet, or other electronics or liquids while going through security. Some airports have added more 3D X-ray machines (Computed Tomography (CT) scanners) to scan bags. These new scanners can view your bags in 3D. Not sure if you will have to still take your shoes off though.
If you want to sail through security all the time, consider signing up for Clear and TSA PreCheck.
Clear uses biometrics (face, fingerprints, and iris) to identify and screen members. Clear costs $189 a year, but you can cut that fee down by $40 for yourself and to under $100 for up to three friends and family members, but for only three select cards, according to Thrifty Traveler. Check your credit card, especially a credit card for your airline, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred United card, and sign up for Clear email alerts. Clear is expanding its identity verification services at some sporting events and for verifying a person’s identity with LinkedIn.
How It Works:
- You walk up to the Clear gate area and greet the agent. Let the agent know if you have PreCheck or not, some airports, like Girls That Roam’s home airport, San Francisco International Airport, have two separate Clear gates, one for only Clear members, and one for Clear and PreCheck members.
- Agents will check you in at the machine scanning your ID and boarding pass and either your iris or fingerprint.
- Agents will then walk cleared members to a TSA agent gate where members cut in line.
- Walk through security.
For additional power to make security easier, sign up for both programs.
Signing up for PreCheck is initially $85 for a five-year period. Renewal applications cost $70 (online) and $78 (in person) up to six months prior to the expiration date for another five-year term. Applicants are available online, which takes just five minutes to complete, and applicants must schedule an appointment at any of the 500-plus enrollment centers. Applications are typically approved within 3-5 days when travelers receive their Known Traveler Number. However, some applications can take up to 60 days. Check your credit cards, for example under “Card Privileges” for Chase Sapphire Reserve members, to see if one of them covers your PreCheck or Global Entry fee up to $100 every four years (Psst, Global Entry includes the PreCheck fee).
How It Works:
- Walk past the regular TSA line to the PreCheck line. Children 12 and younger may join PreCheck family members in the PreCheck screening lanes. Children 13-17 may join enrolled adults in the dedicated lanes when traveling on the same reservation and if the “TSA PreCheck” indicator appears on the child’s boarding pass.
- The TSA agent will check your boarding pass and ID.
- Walk directly to the PreCheck line at the TSA agent gate.
- Do not take off your shoes or take your laptop and tablets out of your bag on the conveyor belt.
- Walk through security.
This Just In…
PreCheck got even better! Delta Air Lines and United Airlines are participating in TSA PreCheck Touchless Identity Solution at select airports. Travelers can now opt-in during check-in in the airport lobby and at the bag drop by storing your KTN and passport number in the airlines mobile app. Opting in means your identity can be verified without presenting a physical ID at bag drop, the security checkpoint, and at the boarding gate.
Registered TSA PreCheck members also receive some additional benefits beyond getting through security quickly.
There are more than 17.6 million passengers enrolled in PreCheck, which is the highest amount ever recorded and represents 3.9 million more TSA PreCheck members than there were this time last year, according to the TSA November release. There are about 34 million people qualified to use PreCheck lines, according to the Washington Post.
The release also noted that PreCheck has more than 90 participating airlines, is available at more than 200 airports and has two authorized enrollment providers.
Girls That Roam is one of the millions of PreCheck members and also is a member of Clear. Having both services has saved me flying through airports switching flights several times, especially internationally. One time, returning from Belize, I would have missed my connecting flight at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, if I wasn’t registered with both programs. I made it stepping onto the plane as the doors shut and the gateway pulled away behind me.
Seamlessly Cross Borders
Going beyond the border to sunnier shores this holiday season? You’re not alone. Aviation analytics firm Cirium reported US airlines are seeing an 17% increase in seats scheduled from last year for flights from the US to Caribbean resort destinations. Versus the first quarter of 2019, they’ll be up 19%.
Global Entry
Global Entry is a US Customs and Border Protection program that provides allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the US and in 22 countries using facial comparison technologies. The program also now offers a mobile application that will allow members to begin their arrival processing before they even enter the federal inspection area at 16 ports of entry in the US. Members
The program also offers new Global Entry Touchless Portals at nearly all international airports across the US. The portals reduce physical touchpoints and expedite arrival processing by eliminating paper receipts and protecting passenger privacy.
Sign up for Global Entry for $100 for five years. Applications take between four and six months. Bonus, PreCheck is included in the Global Entry fee.
Get your Mobile Passport
Mobil Passport streamlines the traveler’s entry process into the US by reducing passport control inspection time and overall wait time.
How It Works:
- Eligible travelers submit their travel document, photo, and customs declaration information through a free, secure app on their smartphone or other mobile device when the plane lands in the US.
- Those who have filled out their Mobile Passport enter a separate line designated for Mobile Passports at customs.
- Since Mobile Passport isn’t as widely used by most travelers you will zip through customs.
Download the Mobile Passport app at the Apple Store or Google Play.
Make coming home to the US even easier. Use Global Entry with the Mobile Passport.
Always have your correct official ID handy as backup.
Visiting the US
For those who want to have family and friends visit them in the US from abroad, CBP announced a new program, the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, to fast track some foreign visitors who are eligible in June. Non-U.S. citizens from 41 Visa Waiver Program countries can use the new ESTA Mobile App, according to the agency’s June 21 press release. The app is an automated system which determines the eligibility of travelers who do not pose any law enforcement or security risk entering the US. Travelers in 40 countries permitted by the Department of Homeland Security who are allowed to travel to the US for business or tourism can stay up to 90 days without a visa. The app is available in 25 languages at the Apple Store and Google Play.
Travelers can apply for ESTA authorization through DHS for $21 (individual) from their mobile devices. Approval can take up to 72 hours.
4. Stay On Top of Your Flight
Download your airline’s app, turn on push alerts, and sign up for text alerts. Check flight-tracking platform FlightAware to see if your plane is on time.
5. Be Earlier Than Usual, Buffer Your Layovers With Time
Get to the airport earlier than usual. This is a great way to reduce travel stress. You will have time to navigate congestion at the departure gate drop off point or crowded trains if you live in large cities, such as San Francisco, New York City, Chicago, Atlanta, and other large metropolitan areas that have public transportation to local airports. TSA typically advises getting to the airport two hours early for domestic flights and three hours for international flights, but nothing is “usual” after the pandemic. What is a little more time at the airport? A little more time in the airport lounge? One more cocktail before your flight?
If you need to be somewhere by a certain date, leave a day or two ahead just in case of winter weather. If you need to transfer planes, leave ample time between flights. There might me a misconnection with your connecting flight due to weather or other reasons.
6. Know Your Rights In The Air
While DOT Secretary Pete has pushed for many changes in air travel for travelers, but its not enough. It’s up to Congress. In July, major reform for the aviation industry was overwhelmingly passed by the House in a 351-69 bipartisan vote, reported the New York Times. The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2023 was sent to the Senate where the Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations, and Innovation held a hearing November 9. The bill remains in the Senate, which delayed its holiday recess to work on immigration and aid to Israel and Ukraine, reported NBC News.
That doesn’t mean air travelers have to wait. DOT created the Airline Customer Service Dashboard that gives fliers a quick and easy way to know their rights with the airlines. Or you can make a call to FlyersRights Hotline (877)-FLYERS-6.
7. Ask For Help
Get help at the airport by contacting TSA Cares Helpline by phone at (855) 787-2227 daily, including holidays and weekends, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET, text a question by texting “Travel” to AskTSA at 275-872, or online and social media using @AskTSA within 72 hours of your flight to request assistance. An automated virtual assistant is available 24/7. Help is also available at the TSA Contact Center, call 866-289-9673 from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends/holidays to connect with a staff member or access an automated service 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Travelers can also connect with a Transportation Security Officer at the airport if necessary.
Finally, spread the holiday joy to everyone you come in contact with on your journey.
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