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Entry bubble Holiday Air Travel

By: Joanne | November 17, 2009 | Category: Travel

man in an airport talking to customs agents I can’t believe it, but holiday travel time is here already! My family is off to Grandy’s house this year, and luckily her house is just a car ride away. Many, many of you will be flying to your Thanksgiving destinations next week, and if you haven’t been in an airport lately, I recommend you prepare yourself before you leave the house.

There are so many rules and regulations for flyers now.  The rules are in place to keep us safe, but they certainly do make a trip to the airport more complicated.

Before you leave the house, be sure to check airport delays, and also check with your airline about the status of your flight.

Bringing a special dish for the thanksgiving table? Be sure to pack it right, or it won’t be allowed on the flight. Want to get through the security line faster? TSA tells you how to pack to have an easy trip through the airport security checkpoint.

And then there are the rules for traveling with liquids, and the list of things that you’re not allowed to pack in your carry-on bag.

As Jacob says, leave your hand grenades at home.

I hope you have an easy, safe trip this Thanksgiving, but if you have problems along the way, you can always file a complaint.

| Post a Comment | View Comments [2] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: air   airport   fly   joanne   thanksgiving   travel  

 

Entry bubble Leave Your Hand Grenades At Home

By: Jake | October 19, 2009 | Category: Travel

Fake Desk Hand Grenade from TSA BlogSince July, twenty-one people have been caught bringing grenades (most of them inert) into the airport according to to a recent U.S. Transportation Security Administration blog post.  Amazingly, some of these people were unaware a grenade was a prohibited item. TSA makes a good point that when in doubt you should probably leave items that even look like they could cause harm out of your luggage.

I think their logic also applies when you enter a federal government building. I actually laughed when I saw the TSA blog's picture of the "Complaint Dept: Take a Number" gag grenade, which I've used in this post, because it reminded me of a friend who accidentally brought one of these into a federal building. 

He had started with a new company and had packed the gag grenade in his bag to put on his office desk, but never followed through on the idea. Unfortunately, he was reminded a few months later by a security guard manning the X-ray machine at a federal building where he was going for a meeting. Suffice it to say he got to spend some quality time with the security people.

What about you? Have you or anyone you've known ever accidentally brought a prohibited item through airport or building security? 

| Post a Comment | View Comments [6] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: airport_security   hand_grenade  

 

Entry bubble Travelling? Tarmac Delays and Your Rights

By: Jake | September 28, 2009 | Category: Travel

Have you ever been on a plane that was grounded due to some sort of flight delay? I sat on the runway for a half hour waiting to take off once and I wasn't thrilled.

I could not imagine what it would be like to sit on the tarmac for almost six hours like some folks on their way to Minnesota did in August. According to the Department of Transportation, of the more than half a million flights in July there were 105 tarmac delays that were longer than 3 hours and 16 of these were longer than 4 hours.

There may be an end to these tarmac delays soon. If passed into law, the Federal Aviation Administration Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act will ban tarmac ground delays of 3 hours and longer. After the 3 hours pass, airplanes will be required to allow passengers to get off the plane. 

Airport upgrades are the main goal of the bill, but there are other provisions for consumers. In addition to the ban on keeping passengers on the plane for more than 3 hours, the law would require airline companies to provide essential services like water, food, functioning bathrooms and access to necessary medical treatment during delays. It would also set up an airline complaint phone line.

Keep in mind this is a bill and not a law and it still needs approval from the Senate and President. What do you think of the Federal Aviation Administration Air Transportation and Modernization and Safety Improvement Act?

| Post a Comment | View Comments [4] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: airport_delays   tarmac_flight_delays   travelling_delays  

 

Entry bubble Tracking hurricanes

By: Jess | August 20, 2009 | Category: Travel

HurricaneThe peak of hurricane season is now here, ushered in by the arrival of Ana and Bill. The southeastern part of the country will now be on alert until the middle of the fall when hurricane season passes. But hurricane season affects more than the people living in Florida, the Carolinas, or other hurricane-prone states. It also affects vacationers who plan fun get-aways to the South.

I know every year when my family planned our vacation to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for August, my mom would always pay close attention to the weather to see if any storms were a-brewin'. A hurricane far off the coast usually meant awesome waves, but anything that moved too close to shore had the potential to rain out our beach vacation.

NOAA's making it easier for people to track hurricanes by offering widgets that can be embedded on Websites and blogs. These widgets make it super easy to track the hurricanes. You won't have to be glued to the TV trying to catch the latest.

And to give residents and vacationers some peace of mind, NOAA's predicting this year's hurricane season will most likely be average to below average in terms of the number of hurricanes developing. People are still advised to be on alert if they plan to travel to or live in the areas most affected by the Atlantic hurricane season.

| View Comments [1] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: 2009_hurricane_season   hurricane_season   hurricanes   jess   noaa   severe_weather   travel   weather   widgets  

 

Entry bubble Summer Beach Vacation

By: Joanne | July 28, 2009 | Category: Travel

two pairs of bare feet standing in the sandThe kids are getting antsy. In a couple weeks we’ll be headed to the Jersey shore for our summer beach vacation. We’ve been doing the same thing for a few years now and we think a week at the beach is a wonderful family vacation. It’s nice to get away and spend a week biking, swimming, and golfing (mini golfing, that is) together.

Since we don’t live close to the coast, it’s a long, long ride to get to the beach. Any time you’re taking a long ride, it’s a good idea to check for road closures and construction. Anything that makes a long ride with little kids smoother is time well spent. We plan to map out a good route and then bring along plenty of snacks and dvd’s to keep the kids happy along the way.

There’s a lot to remember when heading to the beach – like water safety, and sunscreens, and hats, and towels. I start making a list weeks and weeks in advance. We also keep an eye on the beach temperatures just because we’re excited and we can’t wait to get there!

| View Comments [0] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: beach   jersey   joanne   new   ocean   sand   shore   sun   travel   vacation  

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