Preparation tips can simplify air security process

We are experiencing great changes in the way we use the air transportation network.

There are added requirements for safety and security imposed on all departures.

With that in mind, we offer the following tips to help you minimize the inconvenience you might experience:

1. Call your travel agent or the airline prior to going to the airport to reconfirm your flight time.

2. Check in at least 1 1/2 to 2 hours before your scheduled departure time.

3. Minimize the number of pieces and size of baggage you carry.

Most airlines require that carry-on items measure less than 22 inches by 14 inches by 9 inches and weigh less than 40 pounds.

4. Limit the electronic equipment you carry with you.

This includes cellular phones, pagers, laptop computers, personal listening devices (CD players), electronic toys and games, etc.

If you must carry these items, whenever possible, place them in your checked baggage to reduce the possibility of delays in the screening process.

5. Remove all knives, scissors, blades, pointed or sharp objects, personal safety devices, or questionable items from carry-on baggage. These items should be packed in your checked baggage.

6. Make sure you have your ticket. If you have an e-ticket, or ticketless travel, confirm with your travel agent what you will need at check-in.

7. Make sure you have government-issued ID, such as a driver's license or passport, with you at all times and ready to show upon request.

8. Passengers should keep and watch their belongings at all times and never watch a stranger's belongings for them.

9. If you have a medical condition that requires you to carry a needle and/or syringe on your person or in your carry-on baggage, you must also have the medication that requires such injection on your person. The medication must be packaged with a pharmaceutical label or professionally printed label identifying the medication.

10. Avoid carrying bottles of liquid through the screening checkpoint. The necessity of screening of the items will increase your check-in processing time.

11. Always lock your luggage and put your name, address and phone number on the inside of your luggage, as well as on the baggage tag. If the tags are torn off, the airline will still have a contact.

12. If your luggage is lost, don't leave the airport until you have filed a claim with the airline you traveled on.

13. Try not to book the last flight through an airport that is prone to weather delays. This will give you a back up if you miss your connection.

14. If your flight is canceled or delayed to the point of missing a connecting flight, go to the airline you are booked on and ask them to find an alternate flight for you.

You must work with the airline you are ticketed on unless you are willing to pay for a new ticket.

Please keep these tips in mind as you plan your trips and when you arrive at the airport.

Be patient with the service agents who are there to assist you. They, too, are experiencing changes in the way they conduct their business.

If we work together, we can make the system safer and more effective for everyone.

(Linda Strait is president of House of Travel Inc., a full-service travel agency in Springfield.)