AIR TRAVELERS ASSOCIATION ENDORSES BARACK OBAMA FOR PRESIDENT
Potomac, MD, January 7, 2008 – David Stempler, President of the Air Travelers Association, today announced that he and the Association are endorsing Barack Obama for President. The Air Travelers Association (http://www.AirTravelersAssociation.com), founded in 1997, advocates for airline passengers on airline safety, security, savings, and service. David Stempler, President of the Air Travelers Association, is often called the “Voice of Passengers” and is an internationally known authority on airline passenger and air travel issues. David Stempler was recently selected by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to be the airline passenger/consumer representative on the New York Aviation Rulemaking Committee to reduce aviation congestion and delay in the New York metropolitan area.
According to Stempler, “The best hope for airline passengers to solve the current aviation crisis involving congestion, delay, and dangerous safety, near-collision problems is to quickly get in place a new, GPS-based, next generation, air traffic control system, called ‘NextGen’. We believe that Barack Obama is the best candidate for President, and as a forward-thinking President, will get NextGen passed in Congress, and then quickly implemented and deployed throughout the United States. We give our complete trust and support to Senator Barack Obama who can use his charisma, inspiration, and can-do attitude to solve many of the problems facing this country, including those involving our aviation system.”
Stempler continued, “Every individual, business, company, and corporation, uses airline travel to get around this country and internationally. The troubles of our overburdened aviation system are widespread and affect every person, every package shipper and recipient, and every industry in this country.
Stempler concluded that, “We believe that Senator Barack Obama is the best Presidential candidate to solve our critical aviation problems and to move our airline/aviation system into the 21st century. We can have GPS navigation systems in any car or truck that we want. There is no reason why we can’t have GPS units in every airliner that we fly on. We believe that Barack Obama will enable us to have safety-based, GPS systems for airliners, sooner than any other candidate for President, and that is why we are endorsing Barack Obama for President.”
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AIR TRAVELERS ASSOCIATION NAMES THE TOP TEN AIRLINE
PASSENGER TRENDS AND ISSUES FOR 2008
Potomac, MD, December 30, 2007 (Business Wire) – David Stempler, President of the Air Travelers Association, today provided the Association’s assessment of the top ten airline passenger trends and issues for 2008.
1. The Battle with the Government over Delayed Flights versus High Fares will Continue.
Delayed flights are a political problem stemming from the failure of government to modernize the air traffic control system and build improved airports and runways at existing airport. The Bush Administration is dealing with the large number of delayed flights by capping the number of flights at JFK Airport, and soon will add Newark Airport with capped flights like LaGuardia Airport. We expect that this will drive airfares up and cut flights from the schedule. This has the possibility of becoming a trend for other congested areas and airports around the country. Airports and metropolitan areas that might be subject to flight capping are: Atlanta; Boston; Los Angeles; Miami/Ft. Lauderdale; Washington, DC; Philadelphia; and San Francisco.
2. The Airline System will Continue to Operate at or Near Capacity.
Unless there is a recession, the airline system will continue to operate at near capacity. To ensure safety, while operating at capacity, if there is any problem like weather, the FAA just slows the system down.
With the system operating near capacity, the smallest problem can have effects that ripple through the system. In addition, flights are at very high load factors – the percentage of seats that are filled. If planes are 90% full, and if a flight is cancelled, the math shows that it will take at least 6 or more subsequent flights to get the passengers to their destinations. If there are only 2 flights a day to that destination, passengers can be required to wait for up to 3 days to get to their destination. That is why we always encourage airlines to accept delays and avoid cancellations.
3. The Start of the Next Generation Air Traffic Control System will continue to be Delayed.
The Next Generation Air Traffic Control System (NextGen) is stuck in the Congress over funding for the GPS satellite-based system. The battle is over whether each user of the system should pay their fair share of the costs of their usage of the system. The airlines and their passengers having been overpaying for years, and the corporate jets operators, who operate their “air limousines”, have been underpaying. The corporate jet crowd would like to keep things just the way they are and are blocking the “fair share” approach.
The Air Travelers Association has called for an Aviation Summit with Kenneth Feinberg, the 9/11 Victims Fund Administrator as the mediator, but so far no takers. Without it, the stalemate will extend well into 2008.
4. There will be More Reports of Near Collisions in the Air and On the Ground.
With the combination of a continuing dispute between the National Air Traffic Controllers Association and the FAA, the installation of more precise ground-based radars, the heightening crush of aircraft in the air and on the ground, and even some human errors, fatigue, and inexperience, the number of reported near collisions in the air and on the ground will continue.
5. The Battle Over the Passengers’ Bill of Rights versus Passengers Rights to Get to Their Destination Will Continue.
The battle will continue over whether a “Passengers’ Bill of Rights” that forces the plane back to the terminal after a certain amount of time will best serve passengers interests. But what about the right of passengers who say, “We’ve invested this much time already, don’t cancel the flight by going back to the terminal, but get me to that meeting, wedding, court appearance, cruise, vacation, dying relative, critical appointment, or any of the thousands of reason people fly.” In addition, 50 different state “Passenger Bills of Rights” is no answer for a national airline system.
6. Watch for Domestic Airlines to Merge or Accept Foreign Carrier Investments.
Some believe if there is to be consolidation in the airline business it may come early in 2008, so that they can be completed while the Bush Administration is still in office. The feeling is that the Democrats are likely to take over the White House and will be tougher on mergers, especially if they represent a threat to labor, which the Democrats will be beholden to if they win the election.
Lufthansa’s purchase of 19% of JetBlue may start a trend. For Lufthansa, it provides great traffic feed to Lufthansa flights that can now go all over Europe under the new US-EU treaty. It may also be a company that Lufthansa can buy very valuable JFK slots from, now that JFK will be slot capped. Delta has a huge number of slots at JFK, as does American. What are the possibilities?
7. Expect More Regional Jets in Our Future.
As passengers continue to demand low fares, the only way that many of the old-line, legacy carriers can produce these fares is operating flights through their regional partners, operating regional jets of all sizes. To the extent that passengers still remain low fares, which we think will continue into 2008, the proliferation of regional jets will continue into 2008.
8. There will be Continued Service Problems with Airlines with Labor Disputes.
Those airlines that are having union difficulties with their pilots, mechanics, and flight attendants will continue to have service problems. Pilots who don’t agree to work “above and beyond” the terms of their contract and don’t agree to work extra hours can cause service problems at airlines. All of these groups of workers are unhappy with their managements who have taken huge amounts of stock, received large bonuses and dividends, while the workers have lost their pensions and have had their salaries cut, can be the cause of continuing problems.
9. The Competition Between the Super-Jumbo Airbus A380 versus Super-Nonstop Boeing 787 will Begin in 2009.
The Boeing 787 will begin flight testing in 2008 and the battle will be joined the following year between the big bet that Boeing and Airbus have made with their aircraft production. The A380 Super-Jumbo will enable around 500 passengers in 3-class service to travel from hub cities to hub cities. On the other hand, the Boeing 787 with approximately 225 seats in 3-classes, will allow airlines to fly nonstop from their home airport to distant destination on the other half of the globe. Which will win? We shall see. But the battle will be joined in 2009.
10. The Battle Between Residents on the Ground Over Noise and Airline Passengers in the Air will Continue.
As the first steps in modernizing the air traffic control system like the New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia Airspace Redesign, many old air routes (like the old 2-lane, US Highway system) must be converted to modern, multi-lane routes (like the Interstate Highway System), and the people on the ground, under these new routes are complaining and want this modernization to stop. These are many of the same people who want discount flights and don’t want delayed flights for their own trips. It is a conflict that will continue into 2008.
The Air Travelers Association (http://AirTravelersAssociation.com), founded in 1997, advocates for airline passengers on airline safety, security, savings, and service. David Stempler, President of the Air Travelers Association, was the airline passenger/consumer representative on the New York Aviation Rulemaking Committee to reduce aviation congestion and delay in the New York metropolitan area, David Stempler is an internationally known authority on airline passenger and air travel issues.
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AIR TRAVELERS ASSOCIATION ASKS SECRETARY PETERS - WHAT DO AUCTIONS OF SLOTS AT JFK AIRPORT HAVE TO DO WITH REDUCING DELAYS AND CONGESTION IN THE NEW YORK/NEWARK AREA?
Bush Administration is expected today to cap flights at JFK and perhaps Newark Airports, and may propose to withdraw and auction off up to 10% of the slots at JFK to the highest bidder.
Press Availability of Air Travelers Association after DOT/FAA announcement at 11:00 AM outside FAA Flow Control Center in Herndon, Virginia
Potomac, MD, December 19, 2007 – David Stempler, President of the Air Travelers Association, today asked Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters what place auctions of slots have in the program to reduce congestion and delay in the New York/Newark metropolitan area. According to Stempler, under the slot auction plan expected to be delivered by Secretary Peters today, “All we end up with is the same number of planes, but with different paint jobs on the side. Unless those planes are helicopters, these slot auctions provide no relief to the congestion and delay problem at the New York/Newark airports.”
According to Stempler, “Higher fares may result from the auctions, because the airline winners of the auctions will have to pay a very high price for the slots, and this inevitably will be passed onto passengers in the form of higher airfares. These high slot auction costs for passengers will be added to the higher airfares from slots caps and higher fuel prices. All of this will add up to significantly higher airfares. These DOT proposals to raise airfares come at a time when airlines are stressed financially and the economy is struggling to stay out of recession.”
Stempler continued, “The mere threat of taking and then auctioning off slots will cast a pall over the financial markets and creditworthiness of both airlines and airport authorities and the financial institutions that financed them. So whatever the Government gains from the slot auctions, will be lost in lower stock and bond prices, lower corporate income tax and excise tax revenues, and lower employment, all at a time when the Government can least afford it with the subprime mortgage crisis.”
“The Air Travelers Association truly believes that the best market-based solution for the aviation congestion problem is the market itself. Apparently the Bush Administration doesn’t feel that the market is the best solution, so it is using big Government’s regulatory powers to attempt to solve it, something that President Bush promised that he would not do in his last two presidential elections campaigns.”
Stempler continued, “Our view of slot auctions is that they should only be used for new capacity created at an airport. New capacity means just that - new airport slot capacity gained from new runways, taxiways, or air traffic control improvements. Slots that result from merely returning to prior slot usage is not new capacity, and the numbers should not be rigged to call them ‘new slots’.”
The Air Travelers Association (http://AirTravelersAssociation.com), founded in 1997, advocates for airline passengers on airline safety, security, savings, and service. David Stempler, President of the Air Travelers Association, was the airline passenger/consumer representative on the New York Aviation Rulemaking Committee to reduce aviation congestion and delay in the New York metropolitan area, David Stempler is an internationally known authority on airline passenger and air travel issues.
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AIR TRAVELERS ASSOCIATION PLEADS TO PRESIDENT BUSH AND TRANSPORTaTION SECRETARY PETERS – “PLEASE DON’T RAISE AIRFARES AND CUT FLIGHTS TO AND FROM THE NEW YORK/NEWARK AREA”
Administration Proposals to Cap Flights at JFK and Newark and to Auction Slots is a Bad Idea Whose Time Has Not Come
Air Travelers Association Calls on President Bush and the Congress to Convene an Aviation Industry Summit to Agree on the Funding for the NextGen Air Traffic Control System and Appoint Kenneth Feinberg to Mediate the Dispute at the Summit
Potomac, MD, December 17, 2007 – David Stempler, President of the Air Travelers Association, the airline passenger/consumer representative on the New York Aviation Rulemaking Committee to reduce aviation congestion and delay in the New York metropolitan area, pleaded today, in advance of statements by the Bush Administration, “Please Mr. President and Secretary Peters, don’t raise airfares and cuts flights to and from the New York/Newark metropolitan area by capping flights at JFK and Newark Airports. Many laws are made and repealed in Washington, but it is the ‘law of supply and demand’ that cannot be repealed by any Administration. By limiting the supply of flights at JFK/Newark, with the demand remaining the same, fares in the entire New York/Newark metropolitan area will shoot up. That’s not the result that passengers wanted in exchange for lowered delay flights.”
According to Stempler, “Aviation congestion in the New York/Newark metropolitan area is a delicate balance between low fares, flight time, airport choices, and delay. Proposals to limit or cap airport operations called ‘slots’, slot auctions, and even the now discarded congestion pricing idea for airports, only will have bad results for passengers - higher fares and fewer flights. Airline passengers are not interested in reduced flight delays at the cost of significantly higher airfares and significantly fewer flights.” Stempler continued, “New Yorkers, remember those $69 fares to Ft. Lauderdale? Well you can forget about it! They are going to go up to $169, $269, $369, or higher. Who knows? But that high fare flight is going to be on time. What a deal!”
David Stempler continued, “The Bush Administration has taken a bad idea and made it worse with slot auctions. Everybody on the Committee was generally in agreement that a slot auction for new slots was an acceptable idea. But taking away slots from airlines that have invested billions of dollars in facilities at New York/Newark airports and planes to service them, seem to us patently unfair. It reminds me of Hugo Chávez’s nationalizing of oil companies in Venezuela. Most Americans find that offensive. Is nationalizing airline slots what we’ve come to in this country because someone spent 30 minutes extra waiting to take off? I say no!” Stempler concluded, “Fair is fair, and this is not fair!”
Stempler continued, “These caps on flights at JFK and Newark are just a Band-Aid® on a festering disease. Delays are just one symptom of the disease, but near collisions on the air and on the ground are another. The real, long-term solutions to these safety and efficiency problems is to put into service a new, safety-based, GPS, next generation air traffic control system (‘NextGen’), as soon as possible. Airline safety, savings, and service depend on it.”
David Stempler concluded, “The Air Travelers Association calls upon the following U.S. Government officials to convene an aviation summit of all of the interested aviation parties - the legacy airlines, low fare carriers, regional airlines, airline passengers, airports, corporate jet and private aviation operators - to find a solution to the current funding stalemate, that would start the implementation of NextGen immediately.
President George W. Bush;
U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters;
Senator John D. Rockefeller, IV, Chairman of the Senate Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security Subcommittee;
Senator Patty Murray, Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Transportation, House and Urban Development, and Related Agencies;
Congressman Jerry F. Costello, Chairman of House Subcommittee on Aviation; and
John W. Olver, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Transportation, House and Urban Development, and Related Agencies.
The Air Travelers Association suggests that Kenneth Feinberg be appointed by the Government to be the mediator of such a summit. Mr. Feinberg was selected by Attorney General John Ashcroft to administer the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, established by the Congress shortly after the September 11th terrorist attacks. He has also handled other complex legal disputes over the past 30 years, including Agent Orange, asbestos, and the closing of the Shoreham Nuclear Plant. According to Stempler, “There is no finer, world-class mediator than Kenneth Feinberg, and the aviation industry would be fortunate to have him for the aviation industry summit”.
The Air Travelers Association (http://AirTravelersAssociation.com), founded in 1997, advocates for airline passengers on airline safety, security, savings, and service. David Stempler, President of the Air Travelers Association, is an internationally known authority on airline passenger and air travel issues. He was the airline passenger/consumer representative on the New York Aviation Rulemaking Committee to reduce aviation congestion and delay in the New York metropolitan area
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AIR TRAVELERS ASSOCIATION FILES PROTEST TO U.S. DOT SECRETARY OVER SUMMARY DENIALS OF ITS “PASSENGERS FIRST” PROPOSALS IN THE NEW YORK AVIATION CONGESTION/DELAY COMMITTEE
Potomac, MD, December 3, 2007 – David Stempler, President of the Air Travelers Association, today filed a formal appeal and protest to U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) Secretary Mary Peters over the summary denials of its “Passengers First” proposals in the New York Aviation Rulemaking Committee organized by the Secretary to deal with aviation congestion and delay in the New York metropolitan area (“NY ARC”). According to Stempler, “These summary denials were issued by Secretary Peters’ subordinates, DOT General Counsel, D.J. Gribbin, Chairman of the NY ARC, and by Rebecca MacPherson, Assistant Chief Counsel of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for Regulations. At a time when the Bush Administration is trying to spread democracy around the world, it is appropriate that Secretary Peters bring democracy to the operations of her own DOT.”
The Air Travelers Association is the airline passenger/consumer representative on the NY ARC, and submitted its “Passengers First” proposals to represent the best interests of airline passengers. The Air Travelers Association protested to Secretary Peters the summary denial of all of these proposals and requested that the Secretary overturn the rulings of her subordinates and allow these proposals to be considered by the NY ARC and be subject to a vote of the members of the NY ARC for presentation to her and then to the President, who will ultimately become the “decider” on these issues, according to Stempler.
The following are some of the “Passengers First” proposals summarily denied by Gribbin or MacPherson, and sought to be overturned by Secretary Mary Peters.
1. DENIED. The Air Travelers Association’s request to have a recorded vote of the members of the NY ARC members on each of the proposals to be submitted to the DOT Secretary and then submitted to the President.
2. DENIED. Proposal by the Air Travelers Association to eliminate all corporate jet operations at LaGuardia Airport; replace them with higher passenger capacity airline flights; and then convert the freed-up corporate jet ramps for use as delayed airliner aircraft holding pads.
3. DENIED. Proposal by the Air Travelers Association to have a separate NY ARC to deal with the complexity of the issues just related to New York’s LaGuardia Airport.
4. DENIED. Proposal by the Air Travelers Association to eliminate the 1500-mile perimeter limitation for flights to and from LaGuardia Airport, only when combined with proposals to move beyond perimeter flights from JFK Airport to LaGuardia, and combined with reallocating slots at LaGuardia.
5. DENIED. Proposal by the Air Travelers Association to eliminate all “non-standard” departures at LaGuardia Airport.
6. DENIED. Proposal by the Air Travelers Association to eliminate all published airline connections at LaGuardia Airport.
Stempler continued stating that, “if the DOT Secretary does not review and overturn these Denials, the report of the NY ARC may be flawed, resulting in: either a continuation or worsening of the current New York airline/aviation delay situation into the Summer of 2008; substantially higher airfares; substantially fewer flights; or some combination of all of the above.”
The Air Travelers Association (http://AirTravelersAssociation.com), founded in 1997, advocates for airline passengers on airline safety, security, savings, and service. David Stempler, President of the Air Travelers Association, is an internationally known authority on airline passenger and air travel issues.
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AIR TRAVELERS ASSOCIATION SUBMITS “PASSENGERS FIRST” PROPOSED SOLUTIONS FOR THE NEW YORK AVIATION CONGESTION CRISIS
Potomac, MD, November 28, 2007 – David Stempler, President of the Air Travelers Association, today submitted some of the Association’s “Passengers First” proposed solutions to the U.S. Department of Transportation to deal with the aviation congestion crisis in the New York area. Stempler stated, “Because there is no ‘silver bullet’ solution to the New York aviation congestion problem which would produce a significant improvement, the Air Travelers Association believes that aggregating a number of smaller improvements will produce the significant improvement that we are looking for.”
Stempler continued, “The Air Travelers Association is the airline passenger/consumer representative on the U.S. DOT’s New York Aviation Rulemaking Committee, established to deal with aviation congestion in the New York metropolitan area. There have been a large number of proposals discussed in the Committee and the following ‘Passengers First’ Solutions were submitted by the Air Travelers Association.
Ø Eliminate All Corporate Jet Operations at LaGuardia Airport and Convert the Corporate Jet Ramps for Use by Airline Aircraft as Delayed Aircraft Holding Pads.
· Eliminating corporate jets would immediately add airline operating slots at LaGuardia Airport and serve the greatest number of people. Corporate jets have multiple other convenient airports that they can use instead of LaGuardia, but airlines can only use Islip Airport in Eastern Long Island and Stewart Airport in Duchess County, New York, both inconvenient for airline passengers traveling to Manhattan.
· Delayed aircraft holding pads are airport ramps where airliners can park after pushing back from the gate and required to wait prior to take-off, or are delayed after landing. When airliners are parked at these holding pads, passengers can use cell phones, move around the cabin, use aircraft lavatories, and in an emergency, passengers can safely be removed from the aircraft. These pads are expensive and take a long time to build. By taking over corporate jet aircraft facilities, these holding pads can be available almost immediately and serve the interests of a far greater number of passengers than in corporate jets.
Ø Do Not Permit “Non-Standard” Departures at LaGuardia Airport.
· “Non-Standard” departures involve the use of a runway by an aircraft when that runway is not then in use. Aircraft requests for “non-standard” departures at LaGuardia often arise because the aircraft, as loaded, cannot take-off and climb within required FAA and other operational requirements from the runway in use. “Non-standard” departures can result in substantial disruption and delays at LaGuardia. It is like sending a car down the opposite direction of the Long Island Expressway in rush hour, with all the disruptions and delays that would cause.
· To reduce delays at LaGuardia, the FAA should not permit “non-standard” departures at LaGuardia at any time. If wind, weather, or heat conditions do not permit an aircraft to take-off on the runway then in use, then the aircraft must offload cargo, passengers, luggage, fuel, or other weight items to take-off on the runway in use, wait until the conditions are favorable for the runway being used, or cancel the flight.
Ø Eliminate All Published Airline Connections at LaGuardia Airport.
· The highest, best, and most efficient use of LaGuardia Airport is based on its proximity to Manhattan. Because of this, only passengers originating from and destined to LaGuardia should be served at LaGuardia.
· To reduce unnecessary passenger demand at LGA, the U.S. Department of Transportation should prohibit airlines from publishing airline connecting flights through La Guardia. Published connections represent less than 5% of total passengers at LaGuardia, but this is extra passenger demand that is not needed at LaGuardia. These connecting passengers can be served through other hub airports.
Ø Consider Eliminating the 1500-mile Perimeter Limitation for Flights to and from LaGuardia. Allow Airlines to Move Beyond Perimeter Flights from JFK Airport to LaGuardia, and Reallocate Slots at LaGuardia to Accomplish This.
The 1500-mile LaGuardia perimeter limitation is a rule of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. With the congestion and delay situation that is now being faced in the New York metropolitan area, the elimination of the LaGuardia perimeter rule, along with allowing airlines to move beyond perimeter flights from JFK Airport to LaGuardia, and together with other changes, trades, compromises, and adjustments, could allow a reduction of congestion at JFK Airport and reduce delays in the entire New York area.
Ø For all Airline Delays and Congestion, Change the DOT and FAA Definitions of “Delay”. These Definitions are Antiquated, Unrealistic, and Out of Touch with the Current Congestion Reality. Fix the Definitions and Passengers Will Get a More Realistic Understanding of the Congestion/Delay Situation.
· The DOT definitions of when a flight is delayed, as arriving 15 minutes after the scheduled arrival time is not meaningful in today’s congested flying environment. This 15-minute standard does not relate to the scheduled flight time of a trip. A 15-minute delay on a one-hour flight (25% of the trip time), is more significant that a 15-minute delay on a 6-hour flight (about 4% of the trip time). Actually, in today’s flying environment, no passenger would seriously complain about a 15-minute delay.
· The FAA’s definition of when an airport is in delay is based on the unencumbered taxi-out times from each gate to the end of the runway, like in the middle of the night. Actual taxi-out times at each airport at congested times of the day should be the benchmark for whether any airport is in delay.
The Air Travelers Association (http://AirTravelersAssociation.com), founded in 1997, advocates for airline passengers on airline safety, security, savings, and service. David Stempler, President of the Air Travelers Association, is an internationally known authority on airline passenger and air travel issues.
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AIR TRAVELERS ASSOCIATION SAYS FOLLOW THE 3 “BE’S” FOR SMOOTH HOLIDAY AIRLINE TRAVEL — “BE EARLY”, “BE INFORMED”, “BE PREPARED”
Potomac, MD, November 19, 2007 – David Stempler, President of the Air Travelers Association, advised airline passengers over the holiday season to “Follow the 3 ‘Be’s’ for smooth holiday airline travel – Be Early, Be Informed, Be Prepared. If you follow this advice, you will be in a better position to defend yourself against the ‘slings and arrows’ that you may confront in dealing with today’s congested aviation environment, especially in this upcoming holiday season.” Stempler continued, “The 3 ‘Be’s’ for smooth holiday airline travel are as follows.”
Be Early
· Be Early Rule #1 — you can never be too early for your flight.
· Be Early Rule #2 — Allowing extra time is often the only thing that gives you the ability to solve many airline delay problems.
· Be Early Rule #3 — For holiday travel, provide at least twice the time you normally would allow for each segment of the travel process.
· Be Early Rule #4 — Arrive early at the departure gate and board the aircraft as early as possible to help to avoid being bumped from your flight.
Be Informed
- Be Informed About Your Flight and Use Advance, Online Check-in to Obtain Your Boarding Pass
Ø Confirm all of your flights well before departure day either online or through the airline’s toll-free telephone numbers.
Ø Check-in and print boarding passes online at least 24 hours before departure.
Ø Confirm the actual departure time of all of your flights: before leaving for the airport; when you get to the airport; and when you are waiting at the airport. Things change.
Be Informed (cont’d.)
- Be Informed About Your Airline’s Rules
Ø Check the airline’s rules for check-in times and for boarding times at the gate. When flights are full, such as during the holidays, airlines will start boarding even earlier.
Ø Check the airline’s rules for the number, size, and weight of carry-on and checked bags.
- Be Informed About the TSA Rules
Ø Know the Transportation Security Administration rules at http://www.tsa.gov for what you can and cannot bring through security checkpoints.
Ø Know the TSA 3-3-1 Rule for liquids and gels in carry-on bags – 3-ounce containers in 1 quart-sized zip-top bag with only 1 zip-top bag per passenger.
Be Prepared
- Be Prepared to Use Self-Service, Check-in Kiosks
Ø Use check-in kiosks to obtain boarding passes, obtain or change seats, and at some airports to check bags.
Ø Go directly to the security checkpoint if you have a boarding pass and no bags to check.
- Be Prepared to Check Any Bags
Ø Confirm that all checked bags have bag tags on the outside and inside that contain your name, address, e-mail address, home phone number, cell phone number, destination phone number, and flight information.
Ø Important Note: Never pack anything in checked bags that are breakable, valuable, irreplaceable, necessary for your health, required for your identification, or absolutely essential for your trip.
- Be Prepared for the Security Check Point
Ø Be prepared to show your photo identification and boarding pass.
Ø Be prepared to offload all of your metal objects into your carry-on bag before entering into the security line.
- Be Prepared for Long Lines and Delays from the Time you Arrive at the Airport Until You Get on the Plane.
Ø Be prepared for: lines on the roads into the airport; lines to get into the parking lots; lines at the check-in counter; lines at the security checkpoint; lines to get food and drinks; lines at the Starbucks; and lines at the gate.
Ø Be prepared to be self sufficient during flight delays on the aircraft, by bringing food and snacks with you from home and buying drinks after passing through the security checkpoint.
- Be Prepared for Long Lines and Delays from the Time you Arrive at the Airport Until You Get on the Plane. (Cont’d.)
Ø Be prepared to call the toll-free number of your airline if your flight is cancelled or delayed, to re-accommodate yourself on an earlier or later flight. Do this in addition to standing in line with passengers waiting to be accommodated, until you are re-accommodated on the phone or at the desk.
Ø Be prepared to call your car rental company, local ground service provider, or those waiting for you at the destination airport to keep them advised of your delayed or cancelled flight.
Be Ready to Have a Good Flight and a Happy Holiday!
