flight regulations

[edenfalling]

I am off to Savannah on Friday afternoon.

I haven't flown since 9/11. I hear there are a whole slew of stupid new regulations -- I already know the one about the size of shampoo bottles and related liquid stuff, but beyond that, I am clueless.

Help?

ETA: Thank you, everyone!

Comments

[willowgreen.livejournal.com]

You can now carry on SMALL nail scissors or clippers--I think the blades have to be under 1 inch long. You can carry on knitting needles. And there's the wacky thing about the liquids (which, from what I hear, they're being quite strict about). In general, avoid anything that looks like it could easily kill somebody. I think that's pretty much it for what you can and can't carry on.

You'll find that most of the new regulations involve what happens at security. Because most checked baggage is now X-rayed, it's no longer advisable to check film through--if you're bringing film, carry it on in a plastic bag and ask to hand it around the X-ray machine. You will have to take off your coat and/or jacket and your shoes and put them in a plastic bin for X-ray, so you may want to wear slip-on shoes. Laptop computers also have to be pulled out of carry-on luggage and put through X-ray separately, although they no longer seem to be examining digital cameras or PDAs. The metal detectors are now very sensitive--my barrette set one off last summer--and if you set it off twice, one of the security people will pull you aside and check you with a wand and possibly pat you down... ick. Belt buckles, watches, and change in your pockets can also set metal detectors. I've even heard that the underwires in bras can set them off, although the nice security lady who searched me during the Great Barrette Incident said she hadn't found that to be the case. You'll almost certainly need to have your boarding pass in your hand when you go through the X-ray machine. Different airports check your ID at different points in the process--sometimes only once, sometimes multiple times--so it's a good idea to have that handy too.

What I find most annoying is that at many airports, there are people "managing" the line whose job is to harangue you to move faster, have your boarding pass in your hand, etc. etc., and they're often quite unpleasant about it. This is not always easy for me, given that I'm busy disrobing myself and my children and unpacking my carry-on luggage, but if you're traveling alone and not carrying a computer, it shouldn't be too difficult to keep the line moving.

Re: when to arrive: An hour and a half early seems to be plenty of time. And that's with my husband, who would happily spend all day at the airport if I'd let him!

Hope this helps. Don't worry too much about remembering the security protocol--instructions will be posted and the haranguers will be there to remind you. And have a wonderful trip!

[willowgreen.livejournal.com]

P.S. I forgot--also no matches or lighters! Also, at some airports your carry-on baggage will be chemically screened for "explosives," and among other things, opened bottles of sunscreen can trigger a positive result. The good news is, no liquids = no sunscreen = no problem. The "no liquids" rule has had the unintended positive side effect that people check a lot more luggage, so getting on and off the plane goes much faster and more smoothly, and there's less risk of brain damage from some corporate asshole dropping his aluminum suitcase on your head while you're trapped in the aisle.