Disoriented Travel Tips

Between the grounding of Comair (One of Delta's airlines regional carrier partners) and the US Air baggage fiasco this holiday weekend was one of the worst ever for air travel. I had a daughter come home for Christmas and her luggage has been lost for almost ten days. One of her friends came to visit and his luggage was also lost. Fortunately his luggage has since been found and delivered to our house.

Travel woes have been exacerbated by our friends at the TSA. With the arbitrary enforcement of their ever-changing policies, the traveling public never knows what to expect.

As a service to the community— the dis-oriented author presents 10 air travel tips for a post 9-11 world.

The dis-oriented author averages 75,000 air miles and 100 hotel nights a year . Here are his top ten travel tips:

1.	Don't try to figure it out — just take off your shoes.
	The TSA has gone through so many revisions of this policy that I can no longer keep track. First x-ray all shoes. Next only xray those shoes that set off the metal detector. Then it's optional to x-ray your shoes but if you don't you will be forced to go through secondary screening including a pat-down and bag search. Recently they have been xraying my sandals. I have even had my bare feet wanded! I give up — now I just take them off and put them on the belt. I think Richard Reed (the Shoe Bomber) should be executed. My suggestion is to dangle him by his heels over the security line at DIA and let the passengers do the rest.
2.	Make sure the number for your airline is in your cellphone speed dialer.
	If you ever have to wait in line to fix a flight or get information at an airport about a delayed flight, you'll thank me for this one. If your flight gets delayed everyone will be trying to get to the agent. Of course the agent will be busy so while everyone else is queuing up trying to get things fixed — you can call directly to central registration. Even better if you are an elite member of the airlines frequent flyer program. I have found that they often have me already taken care of and if I call they can tell me which gate to go to or even if it is not worth my time and I should look for a rental car or hotel.
3.	Know the airline schedule.
	I carry a schedule for my favorite airline and a few others on my computer and PDA. If there is ever a problem, I try very hard to have a suggestion. I can call and say,  "If you can't get me on the 4:05, Airline X has a 6:00 flight through Newark." This has gotten me home a few times when I might otherwise have spent the night in an airport.
4.	Avoid checking bags whenever possible.
	As I mentioned, my daughter just lost a bag and her friend had one delayed. Whenever possible, I try to carry everything on. Recently though, I have started traveling with a camera and tripod. So I now carry a computer bag and a camera bag in the cabin and I check a rolling bag wit ht he tripod. The only problem is that I now have to check my rolling bag.
5.	Get on the plane first.
	The worst thing that can happen on a flight is to have to check a bag you intended to carry on.  If you are the last one on the plane you can count on the overhead bins being full. I had this happen on a flight to Boston via Detroit once. The stewardess took my bag and gave me a claim ticket that said Detroit. I complained that my final destination was Boston and she said that she would tell the pilot and he would radio the ground crew. Sure do I look like I was born yesterday? The stewardess came back and assured me that my bag was taken care of. Unfortunately she lied. My bag only made it to Detroit. I made it to Boston and since there was a snowstorm, it took me three days to get my luggage. The moral of the story is get your bags in the overhead and to increase your chances that means get on the plane first. If you are in first class no problem but if not you have two choices, either request an exit row or sit in the back. At least on the airline I fly, exit row passengers are allowed to board first. Then the plane boards from the rear. If I am not in first class, I  the last row. The last row has one more benefit. If you sit in the last row aisle you are  in the most likely place in the plane to not have someone in the seat next to you. Most frequent fliers sit in the front but if I am not in first class, I typically sit in the very back.
6.	Mark your bags.
	Bags get lost. Checked, carry-on or others can all get lost. If your bag gets lost it will never be found unless  the airline can identify it. Luggage tags can get lost, handles break off. Mark your bag inside and out. I make it a point to place a business card in every pocket inside or out of every bag I own. Have you ever noticed that all bags look the same? I have a couple of TravelPro rollaboards. Just like everyone else. The way I identify them is that I replaced the wheels with inline skate wheels one bag has green and the other red. I am about due for a new bag and when I get it I will give it one yellow and one blue wheel.
7.	Carry essentials onboard
	I always make sure I have the essentials on board. On my outbound trips, I have everything I need for the next day's business. On my way home, I carry everything I would need if I got stuck overnight in a hotel.
8.	Take a backup bag.
	I always carry a backup bag. I keep a small folding duffel bag in my suitcase so if I buy anything or my checked bags are overweight, I have something to put stuff in.
9.	Use your pockets — be creative.
	If you have too much stuff to carry. Be creative. I buy souvenir coffee mugs on my trips and sometimes I don't have enough room for them in my bag. I've discovered that you can put them in a coat pocket and carry them through security that way. Likwise, if  you  find that your computer bag is too large for the overhead on a regional jet or turboprop, you can remove the inner computer pouch if any or wrap your computer in a coat and put it in the overhead separately. Be creative and plan ahead.
10.	Use the Internet.
	Use the Internet to check in for flights, get status and updates on delays and to plan your trip. I always check the flight status and weather before leaving for the airport. It has saved my trip more than once.

You will make your life easier in the air if you plan ahead.