Passenger Beware!

Checked baggage fees are here and more airlines are jumping at the chance to nickle and dime you! 

Northwest (www.nwa.com) has joined Delta Air Lines (www.delta.com), United Airlines (www.united.com) and US Airways (www.usairways.com) in enforcing their fee for a second bag that is checked.  Northwests fee is $25 for reservations made on or after 3-29-08 for travel starting 5-5-08.  Elite frequent flyer travelers will be exempt from this fee.

Northwest has also increased other baggage fees, raising the cost of 3 or more checked baggage from $80 to $100 and checked luggage that weighs more than 50 pounds from $25 to $50.

Hi Everyone,

I am so excited to tell you that National Geographic’s Traveler Magazine interviewed me.  They quoted me in thier “Smart Traveler, Expert Opinion” section on page 26 in April’s issue. 

Check it out when you can.  Read my testimonials at: http://www.airportbook.com.

Happy and Safe Travels!

Please share with everyone your airport story!

Here is a story that my father told me when he worked for PanAm Airlines.

My father worked for an airline company for many years. Here is one of the funny but serious stories he shared with me: A man decided to take his own life on a flight from San Francisco to Japan. He went into the bathroom and pulled out a can of cigarette lighter fluid. He lit it, opened the toilet seat cover, and threw it in. The toilet exploded, blowing the bathroom door off its hinges and the man with it. He found he was covered in poop and still alive. He and the airplane’s walls and floors were covered. 

Gives a new meaning to “I had a crappy flight.”

Congress is now requiring that millions of foreigners each year get fingerprinted when they arrive and depart U.S. airports. Congress did not, however, detail who would be taking the prints. Now, the government says it is up to the airlines, which are vehemently opposed as it will probably increase the lines at check-in counters.  USA TODAY

Go to http://www.airportbook.com for more articles and information.

I love the new technology that is coming out. It certainly is making it easier for American and foreign travelers. It’s cost effective and expedites you through the nation’s borders. Now we need express lanes for those who have the passport cards. 

Americans wanting to visit Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean by land or sea can now apply for the new passport card, a cheaper, high-tech alternative to a regular passport. The passport cards, available for about half the price of a passport, has a chip with an encoded ID number that border guards read using RFID scanners from 20 feet away.  Seattle Times, The

Tell me your border crossing experiences at http://www.airportbook.com/contact.htm.

We need better technology that actually works accurately if we want to stay safe and save lives.  Technology is certainly better than it was back in 2001; however, it’s not good enough in my opinion.

Please read this article and tell me what you think or write your techy experiences at: http://www.airportbook.com/contact.htm.

Some lawmakers say that the TSA is not moving quickly to find technology that could strengthen aviation security. A report last year by the Government Accountability Office found that the TSA stopped acquiring explosives trace portals because of performance problems. In addition, privacy concerns have slowed the TSA’s adoption of other technology.  NewsFactor Network

Finally, we are getting some organization from TSA.  Please read this new pilot program which deals with categorizing passengers and their needs at security checkpoint. This should help speed up the lines at security checkpoint.

Sign up at http://www.airportbook.com/contact.htm for FREE Weekly Tips for security checkpoint and FREE Special Reports for keeping your travels safe and fun!

“People are doing it. They are picking their line,” the 80-year-old Yarrington said as he gazed down on the dozens of people passing through the Transportation Security Administration’s two-week test program at DIA.