The World of Travel Keeps On Changing

If your last summer vacation involved air travel, it was likely a matter of stuffing as much as you could into your carry-on bags, cutting your arrival at the airport as close as possible and trying to cope with the annoying routine of it all.

What a difference a year makes.

For air travelers today, change is the only constant. Since the events of Sept. 11, the rules governing air travel have changed, significantly in some cases, and the resulting differences range from the obvious--long lines at security--to the subtle--new cockpit doors.

What is clear in this era of heightened security is that a once-casual approach to flying is gone, probably for good. In its place are complexities and confusion that can snarl even the easiest trip.

Despite the hassles, most of us are willing to put up with a little inconvenience in return for a greater sense of security, according to a recent Travelocity survey. Of travelers who have flown since Jan. 1, 87% said they were willing to deal with the inconveniences in exchange for better airport security, although 79% said they were still concerned about security.

Since terrorists turned four commercial aircraft into weapons of mass destruction, billions of dollars have been poured into airport security. The Transportation Security Administration, or TSA, was created in November and will employ about 28,000 screening personnel, thousands of air marshals and support staff. The Bush administration has asked Congress for an additional $4.4 billion on top of the current $1.6-billion budget to pay for more manpower as well as bomb detection equipment. The Department of Transportation, which administers the TSA, has proposed using some of those funds to buy 1,100 computer-aided tomography scanners (like a hospital CAT scan, only for luggage) and deploying them to the nation’s 429 airports. These million-dollar machines would create three-dimensional images of the contents of about 1 billion pieces of luggage per year that would be scanned by TSA personnel.

The TSA is scheduled to deploy federal personnel, including passenger screeners, law enforcement officers and others, to all airports by Nov. 19. Late last month, Baltimore/Washington International Airport became the first to have its screeners federalized.

The DOT also has proposed buying 4,700 trace detection systems, which check for residue of materials used for building bombs, at a cost of $45,000 each. Congress has mandated that all bags be screened for explosives by Dec. 31.

Travelers have already begun to pay for some of this: Lawmakers last fall imposed an airline ticket fee of $2.50 per flight segment, with a maximum of $10 per round trip. Passengers may also begin to see changes in on-board security. Besides more secure cockpit doors, which Congress mandated in November, Rep. John L. Mica (R-Fla.), chairman of the House Transportation aviation subcommittee, early this month introduced legislation to allow specially trained pilots to carry guns. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta and Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge have said they oppose arming pilots.

United Airlines, meanwhile, has purchased 1,300 Tasers, an electric stun gun that disrupts control of the muscles, sending its victims sprawling to the floor. They have not yet been approved for use and won’t be deployed unless the government OKs their use, United officials said. An official ruling is not expected until later this month, a TSA spokesperson said.

Telltale Signs

Behind-the-scenes debates will continue, but passengers will see unmistakable evidence of the new world of air travel, notably the lines at airport ticket counters and security checkpoints. It’s enough to make a seasoned traveler blanch.

“Arrive early, be patient and don’t get flustered,” said Blaise Simqu, an executive vice president with Sage Publications in Thousand Oaks, who flies more than 100,000 miles a year domestically and internationally. “If you get upset by every long line, you’ll just make yourself crazy.”

Signs of normalcy are returning. The National Guard, an ominous presence at the nation’s airports after Sept. 11, is stepping down and being replaced by local law enforcement personnel. And the long waits, if not completely gone, seem to be more manageable. The Travelocity survey found that in March, 47% of travelers reported spending 30 to 60 extra minutes at airports because of increased security, an improvement from the 52% who reported the extended wait in November.

The changes for the better are noticeable at some airports. In Denver, airport wait times decreased substantially, with just 24% of travelers reporting waits of more than an hour compared with 53% in November, according to the Travelocity survey. Chicago (O’Hare and Midway), Baltimore/Washington International, Boston and Dallas/Fort Worth also saw improvements. LAX, however, improved only slightly, with wait times of more than an hour 27% of the time, not much better than they were in November, according to the survey.

“The airports are starting to absorb the process,” Simqu said. “It is still difficult but not as chaotic.”

Arrive Ahead

When security tightened, the Federal Aviation Administration recommended arriving two hours ahead of departure for domestic flights and three hours for international flights. But now some airlines and airports are backing away from that recommendation. “Our research has shown that an overwhelming majority of our customers have relatively short waits at security checkpoints,” said Pete McDonald, United’s senior vice president for airport operations, in commenting on the new recommendations.

LAX still recommends that travelers arrive two to three hours ahead for the airport’s three peak travel periods: 6 to 8:30 a.m., 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 7 to 11 p.m. For nonpeak periods, it recommends 11/2 hours for domestic and 2 1/2hours for international flights.

You should check with your airline because it will have better information about its operations. For example:

* United recommends that domestic passengers who are not checking bags arrive 60 minutes before departure; for those with baggage to check, it’s 90 minutes. For passengers on international flights, United recommends two hours, the same as before Sept. 11.

* Northwest recommends passengers arrive 75 minutes before departure on domestic flights, two hours for international. It also requires all passengers to be checked in and at the departure gate at least 15 minutes before departure, five minutes earlier than the old policy.

Many airlines’ Web sites have suggested arrival times that take specific airport issues into consideration. But remember that every airline’s situation is different; you cannot generalize about LAX based on one airline’s recommendation. For example:

* Southwest suggests that LAX travelers arrive at its terminal 11/2 hours before departure Tuesdays through Thursdays and two hours before departure Fridays through Sundays. At Burbank, it’s one hour ahead for any day of the week. Southwest posts the times it suggests you arrive at all the airports it serves on its Web site, www.south west.com. (Click on “Updated Travel Information.”)

* Delta, which recommends one hour for domestic and two hours for international flights, has one of the most ambitious Web sites dedicated to estimated wait times. Go to www.delta.com and click on “Airport Wait Times.” It provides estimated wait times by airport and breaks them down by peak and off-peak times, curbside, ticket counter and security check.

“It is a general gauge at any given time,” says Delta spokesman Anthony Black, and does not reflect such events as a security breach.

Technology’s New Role

Technology is also helping speed passengers through check-in. Self-service kiosks are available at many airline ticket counters. If you just need your boarding pass and perhaps to check a bag, this might be a good option. Using your frequent-flier card or the credit card used to purchase the ticket, you can get your boarding pass and, if you are checking a bag, a baggage claim ticket. You attach the baggage claim ticket to your bag and hand it to an attendant at the counter, and you are on your way to the gate in “90 seconds,” said Delta spokesman Black.

The process seems to be catching on. After a publicity push to encourage their use at Atlanta’s Hartsfield Airport, about 80,000 Delta passengers used kiosks in one recent week. Delta plans to double the number of kiosks at LAX in the coming weeks.

Some airlines now allow you to check in for your flight before leaving home using the Internet, an advantage for passengers with no bags or those planning on using curbside baggage check.

If you are not checking any bags, you can still check in at the gate. To get through security, you must have government-issued photo identification, such as a driver’s license or passport, and some proof that you are on a flight, such as a ticket or a receipt or airline-issued itinerary for an electronic ticket.

Most airlines have now reinstated curbside check-in. Check with your airline before departing for the airport.

Only passengers are allowed past security, though arrangements can be made with the airlines if you are accompanying children or travelers needing special assistance to the gate, according to the TSA.

Only two pieces of carry-on are allowed nowadays--a briefcase or purse and a bag--and security personnel can be strict, so don’t push your luck. If in doubt, check it.

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What’s Allowed or Not on Board

Items permitted in aircraft cabins:

* Pets (depends on airline; check for policy)

* Walking canes and umbrellas, after they are inspected to ensure prohibited items are not concealed

* Nail clippers with nail files

* Nail files

* Tweezers

* Safety razors

* Syringes, with medication and professionally printed label identifying medication or manufacturer’s name

* Insulin delivery systems

* Eyelash curlers

These items are not allowed through the security checkpoint. Please note that this list is not all-inclusive:

* Ammunition

* Automatic weapons

* Axes

* Baseball bats

* BB guns

* Billy clubs

* Blasting caps

* Bows and arrows

* Box cutters

* Brass knuckles

* Bullwhips

* Cattle prods

* Compressed air guns

* Corkscrews

* Cricket bats

* Crowbars

* Disabling chemicals or gases

* Dog repellent spray

* Dynamite

* Fire extinguishers

* Flare pistols

* Golf clubs

* Gun lighters

* Gunpowder

* Hammers

* Hand grenades

* Hatchets

* Hockey sticks

* Hunting knives

* Ice ax or ice pick

* Knives (any length)

* Kubatons (mini-batons)

* Large, heavy tools (such as wrenches, pliers etc.)

* Mace

* Martial arts devices

* Meat cleavers

* Metal scissors

* Pen knives

* Pepper spray

* Pistols

* Plastic explosives

* Pool cues

* Portable power drills

* Portable power saws

* Razor blades

* Replica weapons

* Revolvers

* Rifles

* Road flares

* Screwdrivers

* Scuba knives

* Shotguns

* Ski poles

* Spear guns

* Starter pistols

* Straight razors

* Tear gas

* Toy weapons

There are no provisions for returning banned items to passengers when they are left at the security checkpoint. Those who try to take banned items through a checkpoint are subject to civil penalties of up to $1,100 per violation besides criminal penalties.

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James Gilden is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer.