Holiday Travel Tips

Tips For Holiday Travel
· Driving? Gas up the night before you travel; no one leaves enough time for buying gas on the way to the airport.
· Investigate your frequent flyer options to get better (and better guaranteed) seats.
· Bring diversions. Take along work, books, magazines, a CD player, and some healthy snacks -- whatever you need to get through delays. This goes double when traveling with kids.
· Keep your cool. Airline employees have considerable power over your well-being. Unfortunately many enjoy wielding it against you, and few respond well to anger.
· Have phone numbers for everything: your hotel, your car rental agency, your airline, and friends at your destination. Directory assistance is expensive, whether from your cell, from a phone booth or from home.
· Check flight status repeatedly. Know your airline's 800 number as well as your flight numbers and exact times.
· When traveling on an E-ticket, carry a printout of your itinerary from your airline or booking site. Also print out boarding passes 24 hours before the flight.
· Choose nonstop flights. The worst, most brutal delays occur in connecting airports, where you have no home, friends or family to retreat to.
· Don't overpack even checked luggage; overstuffed bags that must be opened for a security check are much harder to repack.
· Do not wrap gifts, especially if you intend to carry them on the plane. Even in checked baggage, there is a strong chance they will be unwrapped for inspection by security personnel. Consider gift bags instead of wrapping paper this holiday season -- you can easily remove the items from their bags if required and you don't have to do a last-minute wrapping job at your destination.· Give your cell phone a full charge, and write down or program the phone number of your airline so you can call easily as your flight time approaches.
· If you're leaving pets at home, and you haven't made kennel reservations, do so right away. If Fido is coming along, check out our your airline, hotel, car rental companies rules on Traveling with Pets.

Put It All Together Travel during the holiday is the time to lay all your travel savvy on the line. For example, if you:
· purchase a package deal in one click of the mouse
· print out your boarding pass at home
· leave early enough not to sweat the small stuff
· travel light enough not to have to check any bags
· proceed directly to and through security
· arrive at the gate on time and at ease
· and nail your connections ...You might actually enjoy traveling this season!

Tips for Holiday Air Travel

10 Tips For Holiday Travel via AIR
Know this year's peak travel dates and avoid them
Book early, save on tickets and get the flights you want
Shop around, specials are available if you look for them
Check alternate airports for lower fares
Plot connections carefully. Do not schedule to miss your flight
Leave early. Build in time for check-in and airport security
Travel light to save hassle and money
Use the Web for more than just booking. Use Web Check-in to save time
Travel early or late in the day. Avoid the midday rush
Consider package deals. Car, air and hotel offer savings and convenience

Don't be late at the Gate

Flight check-in times are being enforced. They vary from Airline to Airline. If you are late, you may not get on that flight or any other, except by paying fees. Take a look at some of the new guidelines that are being strictly enforced.

Air passengers who report after check-in time could be denied boarding and charged for an alternate flight. Charges are often at the discretion of the airline agent, and check-in times might vary by airport and destination. Always check with the airline for your particular flight.

Times are listed below in order as:
Airline Required check-in for boarding pass (minutes before flight)
Required check-in at gate(minutes before flight)
Charge for alternate flight

AirTran 30, ticket counter; 45, airport kiosk; 90, website. 10 $50, plus fare difference.

Alaska 90, average, without checked bag; 90-120, average, with checked bag. 30, domestic flights; 40, international flights. No charge on unrestricted tickets; $50, plus fare difference on others.

America West 30, most airports; 45, others. 15 No charge if check-in is within 2 hours after ticketed flight.

American 30 15, domestic flights; 30, international flights. No charge if ticketed flight hasn't departed. No charge on unrestricted tickets; $25 or $100 for restricted domestic ticket depending on route; $200 for restricted international ticket.

Continental 30, domestic flights; 60, international flights. 15, domestic flights; 30, international flights. Usually no charge, but written policy is $100 plus fare difference.

Delta 15, shuttle, domestic flights; 30, domestic with checked bag; 45, most international and some U.S. cities; 60, international with checked bag 15, domestic flights; 45, international. $25 for same-day flight; $50 for next-day flight.

Northwest 30, most domestic flights; 60, international flights. 15, domestic flights; 30, international flights. No charge for domestic flight; $150-$200, plus fare difference, for international flights.

Southwest 60 10 No charge.

United 30, airport kiosk; 60 recommended at ticket counter for many domestic flights; 90, with a checked bag; 120, international flights. 20, domestic flights; 30, most international. No charge if check-in is within 2 hours after ticketed flight.

US Airways 20, shuttle flights; 30, most airports; 45, others/international flights. 5, shuttle flights; 15, domestic flights; 30, international flights. No charge if check-in is within 2 hours after ticketed flight.

Sources: Airlines

Remember that you still need to get through Security, and that time needs to be included in your schedule.

Best bet... For Domestic Flights get to the airport at least 2 hours before flight time. For International Flights, 3 hours. Check-in immediately, go through security, go tou your gate and then relax.