| The holidays are here and so is the stress. | | | | scheduled for secondary screening. |
| There is nothing like the stress of booking | | | | |
| tickets and traveling during the holidays. | | | | 5. Use curb-side check-in. The porters have |
| Added to that stress is airport security. | | | | to pay for their carts in some cases, so give |
| | | | them a little and save BIG TIME. I saved 2 to |
| I am a former airport screener and I have | | | | 3 hours of waiting in line when I tipped a |
| made it my personal mission to help | | | | porter $20 to check me in curb-side in |
| passengers get through airport security fast, | | | | Orlando. |
| safe and easy. | | | | |
| | | | 6. Keep your cool! TSA could charge you up |
| Here are my top ten valuable airport security | | | | to $5,000 for interfering with the screening |
| tips to help you travel through airport | | | | process for unruly behavior or threatening |
| security this holiday season. Be sure to tell | | | | comments. This means NO joking around. Do |
| me your horror stories or comments on | | | | not say any of these words: terrorist, bomb, |
| traveling through airport security during the | | | | IED, IID, George Bush and Osama bin Laden. |
| holidays. | | | | |
| | | | 7. Dress for airport security. No body |
| 1. Book your tickets as far in advanced as | | | | piercings, no thick bracelets or jewelry. No |
| possible. This will lower the chance of you | | | | baggy pants and avoid wearing skirts or |
| being chosen for secondary screening, since | | | | dresses. You will increase your chances of |
| last minute bookings seem to increase your | | | | secondary screening if your clothing can |
| chances. | | | | easily conceal a weapon. Wear slip-on shoes! |
| | | | This alone will save you time. |
| 2. Pack light. Nothing delays the security | | | | |
| lines more than when the x-ray operator has | | | | 8. Place your personal bedroom toys in |
| to ask for a rerun on a passenger's bag | | | | checked baggage. You could shutdown an |
| because they cannot determine if the contents | | | | airport by mistake if they are carried in |
| contain a prohibited item or not. Remember | | | | your carry-on luggage. They have similar |
| that liquid medications, breast milk and baby | | | | components as an IED. |
| formula are exempt from the 3-1-1 rule for | | | | |
| liquids, gels and creams. Pack your exempt | | | | 9. Arrive at least 2 hours early for |
| items separate from your regular 3-1-1 | | | | domestic and 3 hours for international |
| carry-on items and declare them to the | | | | flights. You don't know if the person in |
| screener at the divesting table at x-ray. | | | | front of you will do something stupid and |
| | | | delay the line. Power outages, weapon scares, |
| 3. Know what items are permitted and | | | | bomb threats are just a few reasons airports |
| prohibited in your carry-on and checked | | | | will shutdown for hours. |
| baggage. Download the Ultimate Packing List | | | | |
| on my contact page. 40 million prohibited | | | | 10. Normally you can get cheaper ticket |
| items have been confiscated to date, | | | | prices on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. |
| including explosives, guns, knives and | | | | During the holidays, avoid traveling that |
| weapons. Do not be only of those passengers | | | | holiday week if possible. Fly early than 10am |
| who delay the line by bringing a prohibited | | | | and later than 3pm if possible. That is peak |
| item to security checkpoint. | | | | travel time for security lines. |
| | | | |
| 4. Use online check-in. The airlines will | | | | Tell me your horror stories of going through |
| allow you to check-in no more than 24 hours | | | | airport security screening during the |
| in advance. This is a BIG stress reducer. If | | | | holidays. |
| you can print out your boarding pass from | | | | |
| home, this alone tells you that you are not | | | | Happy and Safe Travels! |