Navigating TSA Checkpoints: Getting Through Security Stress Free for Business Travel

Linda Singerle: For infrequent travelers, it seems every TSA experience is different. What are the latest changes to the security process, and which of those changes are most likely to slow passengers down? Garrison Wynn: Procedures at airport security checkpoints seem to have changed dramatically in the past four years. But they've also changed a lot in just the last year and a half or two years. A few years ago they were routinely strip-searching Grandma and very concerned about fingernail clippers as a weapon. Now it's all about x-rays and the evils of possessing more than three ounces of toothpaste! You'll fare much better if you're up on the latest procedures, so ask a friend who has traveled recently what the experience was like. In general, in every city that I know of except for two in Texas, you show your boarding pass and your driver's license once as you enter the security process but you don't need to show it again as you walk through the x-ray machine or metal detector. San Antonio and Houston are the only cities I know of where you have to show those documents again. So it's true that everything is big in Texas, including the long line created by slowing down even the experienced travelers. Once you show your license and boarding pass, you can usually put them away, except for in those two cities. In many airports, the TSA officers ask you two questions: 1. What's your destination, and 2. what's your name? If you can't answer those two questions, you've got a problem - which I think is pretty fair. I've seen people struggle with those two questions before. If you don't know where you're going or don't even know how to pronounce your own name, then you're either a terrorist or a New York City cab driver! Make sure you are paying attention so when it's your turn, you can prove yourself worthy of air travel. LS: I've seen "20/20" - I know the cleanest bathroom stall is actually the one nearest the entrance because it's the one everyone passes by, assuming it's the most heavily used. So is there a TSA station that's typically faster than others - say, the last one in the terminal, maybe? GW: Well, I'm sure that varies by airport and by the number of lanes open at the different stations. However, in many cities, at each checkpoint, you'll find designated lanes for different types of travelers, such as individual travelers, and families or groups traveling together. Some of those lanes are definitely slower. Avoid the line with the family of five still talking about Disney World and wearing matching shirts. They are not in a hurry and they have stuff in their carry-on luggage that they've never seen before. Also, if you see three people studying the same luggage x-ray screen, it means you have a new TSA employee hoping to find a bomb on his first day. Often there is a reserved lane for elite passengers. "Elite" is not an opinion you have of yourself. It's a status or designation the airlines give you for flying so much. Don't get in that line if you are not so designated. Officers love sending elite-pretenders to the back of the line. Similar to the elite travelers' lane is the lane designated for people traveling first class. Often these lanes are combined. Not only do you move fast in these lanes, but you also dramatically reduce your chances of a baby throwing up on you! It will be printed on your ticket if you're traveling first class. (If your ticket says 72D, first class you are not.) Some people will tell you that flying first class is a waste of money because it's not that much better. Let's get real: it's a lot better. If you fly every week, you should stick with the same airline so you can get upgrade opportunities... or you could just continue exercising your right to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of flying with infants. There's usually also a casual travel lane, which seems to be populated by a lot of people wearing Hawaiian shirts who clearly have no agenda. Often, you'll find experienced traveler lanes that anyone can get into regardless of how experienced you are. This lane's your best bet, unless it's not moving; then just get into the one that is. LS: So I've stashed my boarding pass and I've been fast-tracked as elite. Now I have to offload all my stuff and partially disrobe. I'm like a pack mule when I travel. Help me make quick work of those bins. GW: Those bins that look like they were used by restaurant busboys in the '70s? You can use as many as you want. The first thing you do is take off your shoes (and belt, if you're wearing one) and put them in the bin. I do not recommend that you put your shoes on the conveyor belt - they can get scuffed; I've actually had a pair of shoes ruined that way. Now, in some smaller airports, they might try to tell you that you need to put the shoes directly on the conveyor. They are wrong! But you do not want to be on the wrong side of an argument with small-market airport security person. It's like getting pulled over by a small-town cop. They are very friendly but secretly reeeeally want to arrest you! Kids under 12 usually don't need to take their shoes off these days. But that could vary from one airport to another. For adults, slip-on shoes are great. You don't want to be untying and tying your laces in that line. Women, if you don't like walking barefoot in airports, you might want to wear socks, although I'm sure socks and Prada pumps are not going to land you a Vogue photo shoot. Then again, neither is ringworm! If you can pull off socks and Prada pumps, you're the kind of woman who travels with no stress but can still slap fashion right in the face. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7282796