Gathering as much information as you can before you leave home is a smart way to cut down on the stress of holiday travel. Here are a few tips and apps that will help you to know before you go.

1. Download My TSA is an app that gives you great travel info. Just select the airport you’re departing from and you’ll get information about real time delays and the wait times at various security check points along with everything you need to know about what you can carry on and how to dress to speed up your check-in time.

2. Ship your gifts whenever possible. Not only will you avoid having to drag cumbersome packages through crowded airports, but also, you’ll probably be saving money because of increasing charges for both checked and carry-on luggage. And if you must carry gifts with you, don’t wrap them. They will be opened and your expensive gift wrap (not to mention the time you spent wrapping) will be tossed in the trash. [Read more →]

 TSA Administrator John Pistole recently announced a new airport screening procedure aimed at getting some travelers through the process faster—and without having to take off their shoes or remove laptops from their carrying cases.

The initiative  (an extension of Secure Flight which was created as a pre-screening program in 2009) will begin this fall on a trial basis. And, at least for now, it will be somewhat limited.

Only those flying Delta from Atlanta or Detroit or American from Dallas/Ft. Worth or Miami will be eligible, and only certain elite members of those airlines’ frequent flier programs will be invited to join the program. You can’t volunteer.

Selected frequent fliers and members of the U.S. Customs Trusted Traveler programs will receive an e-mail invitation to submit background information and, if they pass muster, will be admitted and receive a bar code on their boarding pass that allows them to be directed to a special, dedicated security checkpoint.

Sounds great for those who make the grade. But it should also speed up security clearance for everyone else once the elite are no longer in the line.

When it comes to airline safety regulations, we are aware that the rules are the rules. It doesn’t matter whether the flight is international or domestic, and even first-class passengers don’t get luxury treatment.

To avoid unpleasant surprises, all gifts of any kind, checked or not, should be left unwrapped, because even those in your checked luggage could be unwrapped if an inspector felt the need to take a closer look. And if your gift is liquid, whether it’s a can of pure maple syrup you’re taking from Vermont to Virginia, a bottle of French perfume you’re bringing home from Paris, or a snow globe you’re giving to your favorite niece in Chicago, you won’t be allowed to carry it past the security point if its more than 3.4 oz.

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Just when you thought you’d mastered all the new rules for airline travel, there’s yet a new one to learn. As of November 1, 2010, you will be required to provide your date of birth, gender, and full name as it appears on a government-issued photo ID (such as a passport or a driver’s license) at least 72 hours before departure so that the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) can check the data against their no-fly list.

If you don’t provide the info, you will not be issued a boarding pass. The Federal Aviation Administration says this is just one more step they are taking to increase security in the air. The airlines say they’ve already been requesting this information for months from anyone making a reservation and, therefore, don’t expect too many problems.

But it you’ve made your reservation through a travel agent who didn’t ask for it, you could be in for a surprise. It’s good to be forewarned because if you haven’t provided the required information, you could be turned away at the gate and—well—grounded!

With a busy Memorial Day coming up this weekend, tempers may be running hot, but it’s more important than ever for you to keep your cool.

The TSA has a little known database where abusive travelers get their names recorded in a national “Hall of Shame.”  Those travelers, who act out and say the wrong thing, could make their future trips a little tougher to handle.

Privacy advocates worry that such a database could subject innocent people to extra airport screening, but the TSA says the list is being constructed to counter violence in the workplace.

The TSA database includes names, Social Security numbers and birthdates for all the people involved in the incident. A threat, verbal abuse, comments about death and violence or overt displays of anger can put you on this government watchdog list. [Read more →]

I’ve always loved duty-free shops, but, like most things related to flying these days, the rules governing duty-free purchases have changed, and if you’re not up-to-date on what’s allowed and what’s not your liquid duty-free purchases may be confiscated by security. Bear in mind that these new rules apply only to the same liquids, lotions, gels, and aerosols that are subject to the US 3-1-1 rule (no container holding more than 3.4 ounces, must all fit in one 1-quart zip top bag, no more than I bag per passenger).

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If you don’t want to be in the same position as the woman in front of me going through airport security last week, you need to play by the rules laid out by the US Transportation Security Administration for carry-on liquids, gels, lotions, and aerosols. Otherwise, as the TSA agent said to that unfortunate woman while he tossed her stuff into a bin, “TSA stands for takes stuff away.”

Remembering the 3-1-1 rule will make it easier—on you, on the passengers in line behind you, and on the security agent as well.

3: No container can be larger than 3.4 ounces by volume.
1: All your individual containers must fit in one 1-quart clear plastic zip-top bag.
1: Only 1-quart bag per passenger is allowed.

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Anyone who’s flown in the last nine years is aware of the carry-on limits for liquids and gels. But there’s a lot more to it than that. Did you know that you can carry on scissors with blades shorter than four inches and of course you’ll have to check your meat cleaver? And you can carry on two lighters with fuel so long as they’re in a DOT approved case—but you can’t check them. There are so many rules and regulations that it’s hard to keep up with what you can carry on and what you can check. One interesting exception to the liquid rule is that you can carry on baby formula, breast milk, and juice, assuming that you declare them in advance—and that you’re traveling with a baby or small child.

To be sure you aren’t forced to jettison your expensive shampoo or Cartier lighter at the airport and to find out about other exceptions, log on to www.tsa.gov to get the latest info directly from the source.