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 How to Ease Your Trip Through
Airport Security
Airport baggage searches are here to stay. Stringent security procedures, now in full
effect, mean that every traveler can expect to encounter one of several screening
procedures before a flight. The result: extended stays in airports originally designed
simply to provide a temporary link from ground to air transportation, a long line to clear
yourself and your carry-on items for boarding, and – ultimately – ragged
tempers.
The smart travelers are already devising ways to make the experience easier on
themselves, the others in line, and the employees doing the screening.
Advice from the end of the line
Here are a few tips from airline customers (especially business travelers) who have
been coping with airports for a long time:
- Empty your pockets early: Anything metal on your person will set off the
“bells and whistles” and slow the whole line in the process. Typical culprits
are coins and keys, metal belt buckles and watchbands. But don’t wait until
you’re next in line to be screened before you start digging them out of your pockets.
Instead, collect them all in one place ahead of time (a plastic bag, for instance) and
have them ready to deposit in the basket the screener will provide to you.
- Have electronic items ready to go: If you are carrying one or more electronic
items on board, it isn’t sufficient merely to show the screener the item in its case.
Well before you are required to do so, you should remove it from your bag and have it
ready for screening. The screener must ascertain that it really works and is not being
used to hide something illegal. Laptops will be x-rayed separately from your carry-on bag.
- Keep an eye on your laptop: Put some sort of identification on your laptop to
distinguish it from the others being screened. A color sticker is a good solution; it will
help you retrieve the right one after the screening is completed.
- Choose the right shoes: Wear slip-on instead of lace-up shoes, with lightweight
socks to protect your bare feet from the floor.
- Organize your suitcase: Small items among clothes and shoes in the suitcase will
only prolong the screening process. This would be a good time to buy some transparent
plastic bags to contain your cosmetics and medicines, and one of those mesh laundry bags
for underclothes.
- Travel light to facilitate suitcase searches: When packing at home, leave plenty
of extra room. If your suitcase is searched, the security person has to examine everything
inside, touching all surfaces, right down to the bottom of the bag. This thorough
examination may create an upheaval, making it difficult to get everything back in, and
sometimes even impossible to close the bag.
- Talk to your travel agent: Your travel agent
will be able to provide you with information about the airports you will be traveling in
during your trip.
- Use the Internet: Review security aspects of the new regulations from the Federal Aviation
Authority website, and any special information on the subject from the website of the
airline on which you are traveling.
January 31, 2002
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