Travel Jitters

[pameladean]

Update: Before the dithering, rather than at the end of the entry as is traditional.

minnehaha B sensibly asked me where I had heard such a silly story about checked baggage, so I went to the website where I'd seen it, planning to provide the URL, and found the assertion clean vanished. It was Orbitz, and they are redoing their site, which may or may not explain anything.

Despite now feeling very silly, I have to say that no matter what kind of nonsense I post here, I am always charmed and delighted by the little vignettes people provide when they answer my questions. I loved getting tiny glimpses of people's recent travel. And you are all very kind indeed.

The original entry follows in all its loopy glory.

I continue to despise the Bush Administration and all its works. And I do mean all, all, all.

In lesser but more immediate news:

In a burst of financial irresponsibility, I am going to visit Eric from June 5th through June 12th. We have a lot of clever plans to minimize spending money, and in fact I think that they will work. However, one can only get as cheap a plane ticket as is on offer -- and the $153 round-trip offer from United turned out to be some kind of glitch, utterly unreal. Anyway, I've bought an actual ticket, it's non-refundable, I'm committed, and I'm not sorry.

I'm just stressed. Actual frequent travellers, can you tell me, is it in fact the case that there is a law requiring that passengers be reunited with their baggage at the end of every flight, so that if one is changing flights on the same airline one must retrieve one's baggage and then recheck it for the next flight? And if this is so, are any concessions being made to the fact that it's almost always a huge trek to and from gates to baggage claim, and that some people (me, with my cheap ticket, say) have only a 45-minute layover to begin with, and the security people reserve the right to refuse to check your baggage if you appear before them less than half an hour before flight time?

Yeah, I could call the airline, but calling the airline has never worked very well for me. Their website doesn't say anything about it. I'll do that if I have to.

I have evolved a nice comfy method of packing that involves putting most of my stuff in checked luggage and forgetting about it until I reach my destination. My suitcase can be carried on, but I really, really don't want to do that. I hate airplanes, I hate flying, if I have to get on one of the damnable machines I want to just shove my bag of essentials under the seat as quickly as possible and settle in to be inconvenienced for three hours. I'm too short to see into the overhead bins and sometimes too short to heave a suitcase up into them. The great thing about my current packing arrangements is that I can do everything by myself -- the suitcase has wheels and a little handle and will trundle obediently over almost any surface. I don't want to lug it and the knapsack onto the bloody plane. I don't want to be asking strangers to put it into the overhead bin. (It will fit under some airline seats but not all.)

I have never found a set of tips on packing light that was of any use to me whatsoever. I need to be comfortable on the plane, not to wear my hiking boots and my heavy clothes that take up a lot of room. I need to take stuff with me, not spend extra money buying more of it when I arrive. I need to bring food, since there's no guarantee that I can eat what's on offer and I can't afford to buy it anyway. That is to say, I my bag of essentials is pretty hefty already; adding a suitcase just messes me up.

When I had this nice streamlined arrangement that worked for me, I could almost forget how much I hate, hate, hate flying. But now I'm remembering.

I'm pretty sure that a lot of this panic is caused by previous underlying and ongoing stress of other sorts. I really need to be able to just go on automatic for the trip. But it looks like they want to hand me a manual transmission with a dodgy clutch.

People should feel free to offer suggestions, but I may just ignore them. I'm not up to explaining why I need to take this or that and then arguing over whether I really do need to do so.

Pamela

Comments

[kalmn.livejournal.com]

it has always been my experience that if i am changing flights on the same airline that the nice airline personnel will get my suitcase from the underbelly of one plane to the underbelly of the next plane for me and i just have to pick it up once i am done with planes for that leg of the trip. i am not an enormously frequent traveller, so someone may still be able to overrule me on this, but i generally don't even worry about it unless i am switching airlines.

I fly a minimum of once per month for work...

[thrasher543.livejournal.com]

and have *always* had my baggage checked *through* to my final destination. If for example you get on a United flight in Minneapolis and tell them "I'm going to Oakland, by way of the North Pole" they will route the bag to Oakland, not to the North Pole. The bag may even get to fly direct, sometimes they do wierd things to make it all balance properly in the air, but it will be waiting for you at your final destination -or- if G-d forbid it goes astray, they will deliver it to you when it does arrive.
Good luck!

[lisajulie.livejournal.com]

When I last flew (May 2003), my luggage was taken from me at the beginning of the trip and I next saw it when I landed at my destination (one plane change outbound, two changes inbound). As long as you are staying with the same carrier, you shouldn't have to deal with your luggage.

[merriehaskell.livejournal.com]

There's no visit to baggage claim for stop-overs unless you're switching airlines *or* you have to go through customs. For example, the very confused French men who sat in front of me during one flight, who were going to Alaska to do salmon fishing--had to stop in Detroit, disembark, get their luggage, go through customs, and get on another domestic flight (we were coming from France).

[merriehaskell.livejournal.com]

Uhm, they were confused about the meals offered, not about the customs thing, because the stewardess kept trying to tell them that dinner was pollo, and they just didn't speak Spanish. Or English. "Chicken" was an equally meaningless word.

[brooksmoses]

Actual frequent travellers, can you tell me, is it in fact the case that there is a law requiring that passengers be reunited with their baggage at the end of every flight, so that if one is changing flights on the same airline one must retrieve one's baggage and then recheck it for the next flight?

This is in fact absolutely not the case. And if it were the case, I'm sure they would be making concessions and having a large obvious kerfluffle about it and making very very sure that people were aware of it.

(Insofar as any "matching" is done, it's a matter of them confirming that you actually get on the plane, and if you don't, they may have to delay things to take your baggage off of it.)

[oursin.livejournal.com]

I have no idea how it works with internal US flights but I've travelled through various parts of Europe, and all the way to New Zealand and Australia via Singapore (on different occasions), and not had to have anything to do with my luggage until I picked it up at the final destination. Though always involving the same airline or its partners (e.g. Singapore Airlines and Air NZ). I don't see why it should be any different, but it's some time since I did internal flights within the US. As I recall in 02 I checked my case at Hartford, changed at Newark to the transatlantic flight, and collected it at Heathrow.

[platypus]

No, you don't need to pick up your baggage and re-check it at your connecting flight. If I had the time, I'd almost like to do it -- I have little faith in the voodoo that's supposed to get my bag from flight A to flight B. What I really want is not to check bags at all, which worked just fine for me back when one was allowed to carry on two reasonably-sized items. I've never quite had the guts to try to declare my backpack the equivalent of a purse or laptop or other 'free' item, though. It's worrisome enough that someone might take it into their heads to weigh me and possibly suggest I'm going to take up two seats (hello, Southwest, I'm not planning to fly with you); I'd hate to do anything else that invites officials to stop and censure me. The person next to me inevitably shows up with two giant suitcases and passes with a nod, but I'm an obedient (subservient?) chicken.

[davidgoldfarb.livejournal.com]

It's usually not explicitly mentioned in the lists, but you certainly can have a backpack as your "personal item". When I travelled to Cincinnati and Minneapolis last April, I did just that -- I carried on a decent-sized duffle bag that I put up in the bin, and a backpack that I stowed under the seat ahead of me. (I like to be able to get off the plane and go without any tedious mucking about in baggage claims.)

[norabombay.livejournal.com]

Worry not. You check it at the start, and pick up the luggage at the final destination.

Do worry- there is now a 50lb weight limit on each piece of checked bagage, else you have to pay overage charges.

And with most large checkable suitcases, it's easy to go over 50lbs.

[rdkeir.livejournal.com]

Last month I flew into and out of Arlington, VA, which is quite close to the Pentagon.

Travel, including baggage, was really very trouble free - no need to screw around with reclaiming my bags, etc. I agree that a lot of the current security hysteria is more about the appearance of better security than the reality, but the baggage checks aren't the stress inducing part of travel.

Frigging United Airlines with its 15% cancellation rate on the Madison <--> O'Hare flight these days ... now that's stress inducing.

[wild-irises.livejournal.com]

What they all said, and my most recent datapoint is March of 2004. And I've never had a suitcase go over 50 pounds, even the one Alan bought without checking with me, which is heavier empty than my carry-on is when full.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

"Actual frequent travellers, can you tell me, is it in fact the case that there is a law requiring that passengers be reunited with their baggage at the end of every flight, so that if one is changing flights on the same airline one must retrieve one's baggage and then recheck it for the next flight?"

No. The only time that EVER happens is when you return to the US from abroad. You have to claim your baggage and clear customs, and then give it back for your next flight.

But no, that does not happen normally. The airlines would not be able to do it even if the government wanted them to. Where did you hear such a rediculous rumor?

B

[pameladean]

Orbitz. However, it's not there now. They've been redoing their website -- hence, I suspect, the phantom $153 airfare -- and it has clean disappeared. It was in their Packing Smart section, but it's not there now.

I feel very silly.

But I was going to believe you or K over any travel website any day, anyway.

Pamela

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

I believe Orbitz was only referring to changing planes after clearing customs, and that you misread it.

In any case, relax. Travelling is easy. Travelling by plane is easy. Don't worry about luggage restrictions; unless you're carrying heavy metal objects you're not going to hit the weight restriction. Pack whatever you want in your suitcases, pay the $3 for a cart, and check them. They'll magically appear at your destination.

Security is easy. Everything is fine. Don't worry about it.

B

[pameladean]

Don't forget the wiggly hand motions, or the hypnosis doesn't take so readily.

If I can pack the way I've always packed, I don't have any problems other than the usual.

Orbitz may well have meant when clearing customs, but I'm pretty sure they messed up their text during website update. They were very flaky for a while there.

Not that I'm above misreading stuff, either. But I did check to make sure I was reading about domestic rather than international travel.

Pamela

[nolly.livejournal.com]

I have hit the weight limit, on my way home last Christmas. I was carrying quite a lot of books (and other things, but the books were the heaviest) in a large rolling duffle bag -- a complete set of New Testament commentaries, 15 Georgette Heyer paperbacks, a large cookbook, and whatever I'd actually packed myself for reading while there. I was able to redistribute to my other bag and get back under the limit.

[brooksmoses]

I've never hit the weight limit, either -- despite the fact that, as a grad student living cross-country from home, I tended to use the airplanes I was using to come back after vacation as substitute moving vans. Books are indeed the easiest culprit, though.

Speaking of heavy metal objects, I didn't even hit the weight limit with the computer-monitor box that I'd packed various car parts (including a couple of wheels) in. I was quite proud of that one. But I was also being particularly careful that trip, and used a bathroom scale to check first.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

What they all said. No problem checking your suitcase.

As for your packing strategy, you already know that you have to carry everything you bring on the plane, and so can plan to bring the least heavy suitable item whenever you have a choice. If you want to perfect this, make a list of all the things you bring, and compare it on return home and maybe learn that indeed, checking the weather and then putting the umbrella in the checked bag is the clever way to do things, or whatever.

You *can* take a luggage cart through the security checkpoint. So if you score one, you can bring it all the way to the gate and then not have to carry your under-seat carry-on to the gate (at MSP). The carts cost $3 to rent, so don't do that, but have your ride drop you downstairs by the luggage carousels and maybe find one that someone has just finished with.

Or, just take your trip, enjoy yourself, and don't worry about doing a pro job of travelling. The minutiae of it is boring anyway.

I am so very pleased to know that you and Eric will soon be twinkling at each other. Give him my regards, would you?

K. [and congrats on the marvelous airfare! Good job there!]

[pameladean]

Alas, the marvellous airfare was a chimera. I have an okay airfare.

I will absolutely give Eric your regards. He asks after you and B often.

Pamela

regards

[arkuat]

Hi K.!

I should probably start making my own LJ entries, since I have all the adventures of a new career (substitute teaching K thru 8) to recount.

Re: regards

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

I should say so. I hope to go back to the school I volunteered at, and we could trade stories.

K. [glad you got in a Pam visit just now, too... how great is that?]

[kightp.livejournal.com]

I've been flying rather a lot the past two years, and I can say one thing for the whole heightened-security thing: The federally trained security people are actually far more polite and congenial than their predecessors, particularly to middle-aged women. Even when they require you to take off your shoes or let them rummage through your carry-on, they do so in a friendly and efficient manner. I have the feeling they must get training in how to help minimize traveler stress or something.

As others have confirmed, you can still check your bag all the way through. The only difference is that at some airports you don't just shove it under the ticket counter - you have to tote it a few steps to the security inspection point and stand there while they check it with their little bomb-sniffing wipes and such. It's really no great ordeal.

For all the fact that flying these days has all the charm of a bad greyhound bus trip, and for my shared loathing of the current administration and its (*spit*) Homeland Security fetish, I don't think you'll have many problems.

My own bag of carry-on essentials these days includes saline nasal spray, saline eyedrops, a bottle of water and my knitting, and very little else.

[pameladean]

I flew in September of 2003 and in February of this year, and I did notice how very respectful and courteous the security people are. I even forgot to leave my Micra at home (it's the Leatherman version of a Swiss Army knife, basically) and they apologized for confiscating it. That was in Minneapolis. In San Francisco, I am quite sure that the person checking ID's before security proper disapproved of the goodbye smooching going on and told them to search my stuff. She was very sour-faced, but everybody else was very polite.

The now-vanished material on the Orbitz site referred to a "new law" about checked baggage, so I figured something had changed since February.

Pamela

[kightp.livejournal.com]

I've found that Orbitz and other travel brokers often have outdated information, so I've been going straight to the horse's mouth:

The National Transportation Safety Board's air traveler site. Lots of useful information there (it's where I learned that it's now OK to bring knitting needles on board, for instance).

[ambar.livejournal.com]

In San Francisco, I am quite sure that the person checking ID's before security proper disapproved of the goodbye smooching going on and told them to search my stuff.

I used to work as security in SFO post-TSA, and at that point, the person checking ID's was not a TSA agent, and basically didn't talk to us. And, well, it's San Francisco; a heterosexual couple smooching in the airport would be practically invisible. :-)

[pameladean]

She definitely talked to the people who did the searching. She called out a phrase with "female" in it, and they hand-wanded me and had me take my shoes off and searched my luggage. Possibly it was just the turn of the next person through the system, but she really, really glared at us just before I approached her.

Pamela

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

A heterosexual couple smooching in the airport would be practically invisible.

Uhhh...I've had a similar experience to Pamela's in San Francisco, the "you hetero smooching people, you are a security risk, go away right now" reaction from the ID checker. So I think it must vary with who is doing the checking.

[kate_nepveu]

Was the Micra in carryon or checked baggage?

I am thinking of giving someone a knife/tool that would have to go in checked; I think it ought to be okay, but I don't want to cause difficulties for the recipient.

[pameladean]

It was in an inside pocket of my jacket; I'd just forgotten about it. My checked luggage was checked already. I think it's fine to put something like that in checked luggage.

Pamela

[kate_nepveu]

I thought so too, and so did the various web sites I checked, but I wanted to make sure that reality matched those thoughts. Thanks.

[cakmpls.livejournal.com]

When we traveled last December, our son, then 16, had to be checked with the hand wand because he wears braces on his lower legs--mostly plastic, but a bit of metal. The security people were courteous and efficient about it and didn't seem in the least surprised at the situation. I was pretty impressed, actually.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

By now, they've seen it all.

B

[clindau.livejournal.com]

Except for the trip from LA to Mpls, I always travel with just my backpack, which, even at its fullest, still fits nicely in the overhead or underneath. I don't take much clothing--I can always wash things in my hotel, or go to the laundromat (big adventure!). Usually I end up wearing almost the same thing every day anyway. My sweetie doesn't mind, and the people I meet don't know that I only brought two shirts and the one I'm not wearing is hanging out to dry back at the hotel. That leaves room for books and things, which I always seen to buy lots of when traveling.

This is what works for me--I know that what works for you is different. I do share your preflight nerves though. In my case it's worry about leaving the cats behind. When I can go by myself and my sweetie stays home I could go all over the world with nary a thought. When the two of us go somewhere, it's totally different. I go quietly crazy. In fact, last fall, we were supposed to go to Europe and I panicked and backed out at the last minute. I mean the very last minute--hours before we were to leave for the airport. I was convinced that there would be a break-in while we were gone and the cats would get out never to return. My sweetie was a saint. He didn't understand why I was panicking, but agreed to postpone the trip. Just talking about it is bringing a little of the panic back, but I know that it's totally unfounded so it's easy to beat back.

*whew* Have a good time with Eric--he's your reward for getting on that plane.

Can you send some of the heavier stuff to Eric ahead of time and then have him send it home? Just a thought.

Cindy

[pameladean]

I too panic about the cats when there is nobody actually living in the house with them. Luckily for me, these days that is almost never the case. For this trip, there will be three people at home. I absolutely understand your panic, and I certainly agree about your sweetie's sainthood.

Pamela

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

When there is a panic in the media, airlines sometimes go temporarily insane about pseudosecurity. (Not just airlines, really.) In late September, 2001, US Airways was saying passengers could not bring batteries in carry-on bags. For instance. Laptops, PDAs, tape players, calculators...anything with a battery had to have the battery removed and checked. This was not enforced consistently, and it stopped altogether after a few weeks, but I wouldn't be surprised if techniques for coping with it were still on some "Advice To Travelers" websites that hadn't been updated properly. Some of what airlines do is required by the FAA, and they all do it. A particular airline might have additional policies and restrictions, in an attempt to reduce risks, or just make it look like they're trying harder.

Most airlines don't do the particular inconvenient thing you posted about. That's pretty clear from other people's responses. I would still recommend calling the airline you're planning to use. They will have someone whose job it is to coordinate various kinds of help for passengers with disabilities (either the ADA requires it, or all the airlines just figured out how much money they'd lose if they didn't.) Ask to talk to that person, and explain that you can't walk fast, and have problems with lifting and carrying, so you're concerned that you won't be able to claim your bag and move it across the airport for your connecting flight. The airline liason should say, either, "Don't worry about that, you don't need to reclaim your bag between flights if you check it through," or "Would you like a cart to drive you and your bag across the airport?" If you end up towing your big suitcase to the gate from which your connecting flight will be leaving, you won't need to carry it on the plane and put it in the overhead bin. You can give it to the airline employee at the gate, and have it checked for that flight segment.

Even if you're not Really Disabled in most circumstances, don't feel bad about using resources that are intended for disability accomodations. The airlines have plenty of those (obscenity)* carts. If the airlines are putting up barriers so high that you can't cope without help, it's perfectly legitimate to use whatever help they make available.

(*) I have serious problems with flashing lights, and the carts all seem to have strobes as well as beepers (both going continuously.) So I'd usually rather walk, even if I have to carry or tow something that hurts my hands. But the carts are a big help to people who have problems walking or seeing.

Baggage

[medievalist.livejournal.com]

I've flown rather a lot from west to east coast of late. No, you do not have to claim and recheck your baggage--in fact, it's in the airline's interest that you do not. Remember the "no pointy objects"--that means none--in your carryon. Spread books or thick stacks of paper throughout the checked baggage so that the X-ray can pass through enough to reveal that it's a book, whereas two books stacked together can just look like Mysterious Impenetrable object. Don't wrap presents; don't put things like toiletries in non-see through bags. If you have shoes in checked baggage, put them in on top, so if the luggage is opened the shoes can be inspected with a minimum of fuss. If you're carrying food items, with you or checked, pack them in clear containers or bags so that they can be easily seen. It's best to pack them with the labels still on. In general, to make the plane trip better for you, get a bottle of water, but don't open it until you're on the plane; I've been asked to drink it to prove that it's water, and I've had open bottles confiscated. Drinking water on the plane, whether or not you're thirsty, is Good. Just do it. And if you're in the Santa Monica area, give me an email.

[tanac.livejournal.com]

My roommate Sylvia moved back to Australia last week, after living here (on and off) for the past six years. She went through months and months of agonizing over what to ship (at exorbitant rates), what to pack, etc., and managed to finally get it down to six pieces of luggage (5 checked, 1 carryon, p lus a "purse" (backpack)). Ken and I accompanied her to the airport, and got to watch the fun spectacle of this tiny (5'0) woman and her six HUGE pieces of luggage (1 ski case, 1 bicycle case, 1 bicycle trainer case, 2 huge suitcases, 1 huge backpack). Security opened EVERYTHING when she checked in, and had trouble closing a lot of it up again (plus losing the ring that attached her key to the lock for the bike case). She managed to make it through okay at O'hare, but in Sydney when she had to clear customs and get it all to another gate so she could fly the rest of the way home (Adelaide), it just didn't happen. They got her on another flight two hours later, though.

Nothing applicable to you, except that at least eyebrows won't rise quite as much when you go to the counter :) Have a great trip!

[davidgoldfarb.livejournal.com]

While you're in the Bay Area, be sure to visit The Other Change of Hobbit while you still can.

I'd offer to take you there myself, but as luck would have it the time of your trip almost exactly coincides with the time that I'll be in Alaska.

[pameladean]

I had originally planned to travel two weeks earlier in part just to be sure of saying goodbye to the bookstore. I thought they were closing at the end of May and I'd missed my chance.

Pamela

[davidgoldfarb.livejournal.com]

Well, they were still there as of last Thursday, the 20th. And I haven't seen any official press release or other notification of their plans. So I don't know exactly what is going on. But you could at least give them a call when you're here, to see. (510) 848-0413.

[pameladean]

I found out about the closing from a comment Tom Whitmore made to an entry in Making Light a few months back. At that time, he said they'd be closing at the end of May. I haven't seen anything else about it anywhere either. I'll certainly check it out if we can afford to drive anywhere at all given the gas prices.

I want to say I'm sorry I'll miss you, but so far these trips haven't had any leeway for getting together with anybody, so it's actually rather nice that I couldn't do so anyway. I hope your trip is pleasant.

Pamela

Matching Luggage with Travelers

[karenkay.livejournal.com]

Actual frequent travellers, can you tell me, is it in fact the case that there is a law requiring that passengers be reunited with their baggage at the end of every flight, so that if one is changing flights on the same airline one must retrieve one's baggage and then recheck it for the next flight?

There may a requirement for the airline to match luggage with passengers that have boarding passes, but that's transparent to you. If your luggage is checked, it stays belowstairs.

I don't remember if you're changing planes, but if you are, be warned: I spent 5 hours in O'Hare last Christmas because I didn't have enough time to get to the 2nd plane. No one on my flight did. All the other flights to Grand Rapids were full, so in the end, I flew to Kalamazoo--and my luggage went to Grand Rapids. It was a mess. My flight from Austin was 15 minutes late, and that screwed up everything.

Re: Matching Luggage with Travelers

[pameladean]

I am changing planes. I could have gone through O'Hare for less money, but I decided I didn't want to. I'm going through Phoenix. This is an America West hub, so I hope they'll be able to cope.

Pamela

Re: Matching Luggage with Travelers

[karenkay.livejournal.com]

I hope so, too, but you might want to make sure you have phone numbers with you. At least check the on-time stats for the flight--they weren't available for my flight, and I can see why!

Actually, that's when I last talked to Susan, when I was stuck in O'Hare. After being bumped from 3 more flights, because they were oversold, I was pretty hysterical and just started phoning people in my cellphone directory.

Even if you can't make your connection, you shouldn't have the problem of being bumped from every following flight, though, because it's not a holiday. And I will say that every time I went through Phoenix, I had no problem. I had to go godawful distances, but it was made very doable. It will be fine.

Re: Matching Luggage with Travelers

[pameladean]

The on-time stats for the flights in question are 90% for the Minneapolis-Phoenix leg, and 80% for the Phoenix-San Francisco leg. Not that this says anything about specific flights, of course, but as trends those seems to be vaguely in my favor.

And yes, the complete lack of holidays anywhere in the vicinity should help.

Thanks for the tip about phone numbers. I might bring extra reading matter, too.

Pamela