The Air Travel Experience & How You Can Help
As consumers, we usually like to think that good and bad customer experiences are solely in the hands of the companies and governmental agencies who are providing them. But sometimes, creating a better user experience is actually in the hands of consumers themselves -- by what fellow consumers can do for one anther. Case in point: The holiday travel experience. At peak bottleneck times like this week's mad Thanksgiving rush in the US, there's only so much the airlines and airport security personnel can do to streamline the experience of checking in and traveling. But there's plenty that fellow passengers can do for one another to not only speed the experience but make it more enjoyable for themselves.
The #1 credo is this: Be efficient about travel and you will save yourself time and as a bonus you won't bog down your fellow passengers. Here are some tips for the week I put together while traveling...
General advice:
Arrive early - It doesn't hurt to get to the airport 2-3 hours early even for domestic travel. Bring stuff to read or do.
Amass frequent flyer miles - Some airports have "premium" lines at security for passengers who have "elite" status on an airline. Elite status means you traveled one airline enough to build up a lot of frequent flyer points. Though you might feel guilty sailing past the masses, it could make the difference in making your flight time.
Don't wear lots of metal - This should be obvious, but don't dress with studded belts or clothing that contains a lot of metal decorations. This will slow you waaay down at screening.
Check in:
Use electronic pre-check in - Most airlines now offer online checkin on their web sites 24 hours ahead of the flight time where you can preprint your boarding pass from your home computer. Often you can even choose or change your seat assignment. Even if you have bags to check in, this is a good idea; they can recheck you if you have bags, and if you don't have bags you can sail through to the security wait line.
Curbside beats inside - If your airport offers curbside checkin, it's usually faster than waiting in those long inside lines where you're stuck behind people trying to arrange 'round-the-world trips at the counter.
Pocket knives etc - Check or any pocket knives or other sharp instruments that might be in your purse or pockets and put them inside your checked baggage. (They won't make it through check-in.)
Security line tips:
Wear slipon/slipoff shoes - You're going to have to take your shoes off going through the security line, so wear shoes that you can easily take off and slip back on again. Pack your more rugged shoes in your bag
Liquids - The new regulations around liquids mean you can only have very small containers (3 ounces or smaller) in your carry-on luggage, and that they have to be contained together in a clear plastic bag. This includes ip gloss, aerosols, toothpaste, etc. PLEASE do this ahead of time, and have the bag ready to show at the beginning of the security line. I've been in lots of otherwise efficient lines that have been quickly bogged down with folks fumbling for lip gloss or eyeglass cleaner. For more info see the guidelines on the TSA web site.
Pay attention (please) - The security line can be inching along, and then all of a sudden things will erupt into rushed pandemonium as you get to the conveyor belt. The best advice for the whole experience is to be aware of what's happening five to ten people in front of you in line so you can geet with the rhythm of the line.
But don't pre-prepare - Don't be one of those folks who is fumbling with coat, hat, laptop, cell phones, etc 15 minutes before you get to the conveyor belt. Keep your stuff together until you get close to the screening station.
Push your bags along - If the line is moving slow, it's OK to push your bags along with your feet. A lot of people try to drag multiple bags along by the handles thinking this is somehow more polite, but it's slower and more cumbersome.
Have the kids help - Get your kinds involved and teach them all the checkin and screening tips. Remember that they haven't done this as many times as the grownups in the line, and they're likely to be confused and distracted. Distracted kids can slow down the line; aware kids can help speed things along.
Laptops and DVD players - You need to remove laptops from your carry-on bags before they're scanned. So, have those laptops out and ready to push through.
Hats and coats - A lot of people forget that coats and big hats need to go through the screening system.
Tomorrow: Boarding and in-flight nirvana.
Technorati Tags: Thanksgiving Travel CustomerExperience
The #1 credo is this: Be efficient about travel and you will save yourself time and as a bonus you won't bog down your fellow passengers. Here are some tips for the week I put together while traveling...
General advice:
Arrive early - It doesn't hurt to get to the airport 2-3 hours early even for domestic travel. Bring stuff to read or do.
Amass frequent flyer miles - Some airports have "premium" lines at security for passengers who have "elite" status on an airline. Elite status means you traveled one airline enough to build up a lot of frequent flyer points. Though you might feel guilty sailing past the masses, it could make the difference in making your flight time.
Don't wear lots of metal - This should be obvious, but don't dress with studded belts or clothing that contains a lot of metal decorations. This will slow you waaay down at screening.
Check in:
Use electronic pre-check in - Most airlines now offer online checkin on their web sites 24 hours ahead of the flight time where you can preprint your boarding pass from your home computer. Often you can even choose or change your seat assignment. Even if you have bags to check in, this is a good idea; they can recheck you if you have bags, and if you don't have bags you can sail through to the security wait line.
Curbside beats inside - If your airport offers curbside checkin, it's usually faster than waiting in those long inside lines where you're stuck behind people trying to arrange 'round-the-world trips at the counter.
Pocket knives etc - Check or any pocket knives or other sharp instruments that might be in your purse or pockets and put them inside your checked baggage. (They won't make it through check-in.)
Security line tips:
Wear slipon/slipoff shoes - You're going to have to take your shoes off going through the security line, so wear shoes that you can easily take off and slip back on again. Pack your more rugged shoes in your bag
Liquids - The new regulations around liquids mean you can only have very small containers (3 ounces or smaller) in your carry-on luggage, and that they have to be contained together in a clear plastic bag. This includes ip gloss, aerosols, toothpaste, etc. PLEASE do this ahead of time, and have the bag ready to show at the beginning of the security line. I've been in lots of otherwise efficient lines that have been quickly bogged down with folks fumbling for lip gloss or eyeglass cleaner. For more info see the guidelines on the TSA web site.
Pay attention (please) - The security line can be inching along, and then all of a sudden things will erupt into rushed pandemonium as you get to the conveyor belt. The best advice for the whole experience is to be aware of what's happening five to ten people in front of you in line so you can geet with the rhythm of the line.
But don't pre-prepare - Don't be one of those folks who is fumbling with coat, hat, laptop, cell phones, etc 15 minutes before you get to the conveyor belt. Keep your stuff together until you get close to the screening station.
Push your bags along - If the line is moving slow, it's OK to push your bags along with your feet. A lot of people try to drag multiple bags along by the handles thinking this is somehow more polite, but it's slower and more cumbersome.
Have the kids help - Get your kinds involved and teach them all the checkin and screening tips. Remember that they haven't done this as many times as the grownups in the line, and they're likely to be confused and distracted. Distracted kids can slow down the line; aware kids can help speed things along.
Laptops and DVD players - You need to remove laptops from your carry-on bags before they're scanned. So, have those laptops out and ready to push through.
Hats and coats - A lot of people forget that coats and big hats need to go through the screening system.
Tomorrow: Boarding and in-flight nirvana.
Technorati Tags: Thanksgiving Travel CustomerExperience
Posted by Douche Bag on November 20, 2006 at 06:50 AM PST #