On the Transportation Security Administration’s 10th anniversary, TSA and American travelers still have a lot of work to do on their relationship. So says a recent survey commissioned by the U.S. Travel Association, the results of which association CEO Roger Dow shared earlier this month at a press conference at Washington Reagan National Airport.

About two-thirds of travelers are satisfied with the job the TSA is doing on security, but 80 percent say that the most unpleasant parts of flying have to do with security checkpoints. Their biggest gripes:

• 72.4 percent chose “people who bring too many carry-on bags through the security checkpoint”
• 68 percent chose “the wait time to clear the TSA checkpoint”
• 62.3 percent chose “having to remove shoes, belts and jackets at the TSA checkpoint”
• 42.5 percent chose “TSA employees who are not friendly”

U.S. Travel suggested that improving the checkpoint process could encourage Americans to fly more often, and indicated that both TSA and airlines could play a role in easing some of the headache that the security process induces. Airlines could make it easier to enroll in the new trusted-traveler program PreCheck and help reduce the number of carry-on bags going through passenger checkpoints (we’re looking at you, ever-increasing checked-bag fees).

Travelers’ impressions of TSA aren’t all bad, the survey showed. A majority believe the agency is on the “right track” with PreCheck, the decision to eliminate pat downs for children, software upgrades that replace personal body images with a generic body image and a decision to phase out the removal of shoes.

Photo: Inha Leeks Hale

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First, we could no longer lock our checked luggage and had to start worrying about baggage handlers taking items out of our bags. Now we have to worry about them putting things in. Illegal things. Like drugs.

Last week, the New York Post reported that Queens-based Roger Levans sued Delta Air Lines over his drug arrest Dec. 29, 2010, at JFK International Airport, when he departed his flight arriving from Guyana, where he had been visiting family. When passing through customs, officers found bricks of cocaine in his luggage. Bricks that Levans says he knew nothing about.

Yesterday, another article in the Post reports that several travelers were detained recently, again at JFK, after a drug-smuggling plot to move cocaine through unsuspecting passengers’ suitcases was discovered.

Turns out drug traffickers have been paying airline employees in other countries to place drugs in luggage headed to the United States and mark the bags so that the handlers on the receiving end can remove the packages from the marked bags before the luggage is picked up by innocent passengers.

Unfortunately, sometimes employees on the receiving end miss the bags and fail to remove the drugs. That’s when the passenger nightmares begin, and apparently is what happened to Levans.

After checking his bags at the airport in Guyana, handlers allegedly removed the lock from one of Levans’ bags—passengers can now lock their luggage if using a Transportation Security Administration-approved lock for which handlers have a master key—placed the cocaine in the suitcase and tied a ribbon on the handle to indicate to handlers in JFK that drugs were inside.

Levans had to endure being arrested and strip searched, was suspended from his job, and went through three months of investigations in both Guyana and the United States before officials determined that his bags had been tampered with.

The good news is that this trafficking trick has been discovered by authorities and been made aware to the traveling public. (The additional good news for Levans is that he was reinstated at his place of employment.) The bad news is that who knows if drug smugglers will continue to use it and unwittingly trap innocent victims.

Do you think knowing about this smuggling plot will cause travelers to reconsider checking their bags for flights? Or is the risk too small?

Photo: WikiCommons

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10 Tips for Holiday Air Travel

With the start of the holiday season a week away, it’s time to review Transportation Security Administration rules and general tips for making 2011 holiday air travel as painless as possible.

Following are 10 best-traveler practices and TSA tips for holiday ticket-holders—particularly for those traveling in coach and who don’t have elite status with any carrier, which is a majority of the flying public. Come to think of it, most of these travel tips are good year-round.

Smartphone users can also get more information by scanning the QR code in the accompanying image. (Additionally noteworthy: While TSA agents at the gate are not always a jolly crew, the administration’s blog writer has a much better sense of humor, and the site’s worth a read for additional info, links and laughs.)

And now for those tips:

1. Shoes stay on! (at least for kids). Children ages 12 and younger no longer need to remove their shoes. Plus, kids are no longer subject to enhanced pat-downs. These new allowances from the TSA may not help a vast majority of the traveling public, but it’s a boon for parents—and passengers standing in line behind them.

2. Wear easy-to-get-on shoes; minimize metal on your body. For the rest of us over the age of 12, please, no boots with 50 buckles or ones that lace all the way above the knee, unless you’re willing to remove them before you get in line and move out of the way after you’ve made it through screening. Causing people to wait while you struggle in and out of difficult footwear is just plain unacceptable, especially after we’re coming up on close to a decade of having to endure this rule. As for the metal element, keep jewelry to a minimum, and if you carry coins, remember to remove them from your pockets before going through the scanner.

3. Double-check your bag for guns and knives. No, we’re not kidding. So far in 2011, more than 1,000 guns have been found in passengers’ bags, according to the TSA. Don’t believe it? Read Joe Sharkey’s spot-on column about it in this week’s New York Times.

4. Do not wrap gifts that might set off security alarms. While wrapped packages get screened like regular baggage, if there is an item inside that TSA finds suspicious, it gets unwrapped. But why risk it? Best to not test the system (and potentially delay those behind in line) and just wrap gifts after arrival.

5. Know before you arrive at the airport whether your tasty treat for the holiday dinner table is allowed through security. Pies, cakes, bread, donuts and even turkeys (raw or cooked) are permitted on board. Sauces, dips, spreads—basically anything that is in liquid or gel form—needs to be put in checked luggage, at least if you have them in containers larger than 3.4 ounces and they can’t all fit into a quart-size plastic bag. Don’t know/remember the 3-1-1 rule? Read here for clarification.

6. Bring snacks. Sure, you can purchase food on board, but lately I’ve noticed planes running out of some supplies even before we’re halfway through a flight. Add potential delays on the tarmac or even at the gate (airport stores often close before late or over-night flights depart), and having snack bars or a bag of almonds or chocolates in your carry-on are great for tempering hunger pains and appeasing cranky travelers with low blood-sugar levels.

7. Bring proper ID, but don’t panic if you forget it. If you have lost or forgotten your ID, you may still be permitted to fly as long as you can help TSA agents verify you are who you say you are by answering a few questions. It happens. Remain calm, provide the information needed, and odds are you’ll likely be able to board. Also, for those who may have missed the change five years ago, passports now are required for all international travel, including Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.

8. Choose your seats beforehand. If you’re particular about where you sit on a plane, as soon as you have a reservation, go online and select your seats for each segment of travel. The earlier you do this, the better chance you have of getting that aisle, window or front-of-plane seat you desire, and of sitting with your travel partners.

9. Check-in online. I know this may seem like a no-brainer to regular travelers, but the holidays bring out the occasional flyer, who may not realize that checking-in before arriving at the airport has advantages beyond skipping the line at the counter, particularly if not checking bags. It’s especially helpful in saving precious minutes should you arrive late, such as when your driver takes you to the wrong airport (as happened to this writer recently).

10. Arrive early, both to the airport and your gate. Plan to arrive even earlier than you think necessary. The airline suggests 90 minutes?  Make it 120. Adding at least 30 minutes to your usual routine can help mitigate unexpected delays. If you don’t travel that often, you may not be aware that at many airports you now have to take your checked luggage to a separate baggage handler after you check-in, which during busy times means another long line in which to wait before even getting to security. Planes are boarding earlier too, so if you need to snag precious overhead bin space, get to the gate at least 45 minutes before departure.

Tip No. 10 could be the most important, as it can set the tone for the rest of your journey. Any other suggestions? Share them in comments. And, of course, enjoy the holidays!

Photo: TSA Blog

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Room 77, the hotel search-by-room site that debuted in February, has added booking and comparison-shopping capabilities along with a free concierge service to its offerings.

Starting today, travelers can use Room 77 to simultaneously shop multiple major online travel agencies (OTAs), compare prices across a variety of room types and book at more than 120,000 hotels worldwide.

The company also enhanced its search pages, adding a useful “fees” link for each hotel that shows users the prices of extras, such as valet parking, self parking, Internet connectivity, cribs and pet fees.

The ability to compare various room types at multiple hotels helps travelers more easily find the best values for their stays. For example, they might see that for $25 a night more, they can get a room with better views in the next higher category. Or, they can determine that a suite at one luxury brand is less than the entry-level room at another nearby luxury property, or compare competing properties for the best deal. Results can be viewed in a list or on a map.

In addition, for three- to five-star properties booked through Room 77, travelers get access to a complimentary Room Concierge, which uses Room 77’s proprietary RoomMatch technology to identify the best rooms for each traveler and works directly with hotels to try to secure them.

“No matter where you book a hotel today, your actual room is still a gamble. Room 77 stacks the odds in the traveler’s favor by combining the power of our room IQ with advanced search technology and unprecedented service to get you the right room at the right hotel for the right price,” said Brad Gerstner, founder of Room 77.

Once a hotel has been selected, the new booking pages list the average nightly rates plus taxes and fees for each room type at the property, along with prices for various room types found at Room 77’s partner sites, some of which include Orbitz, Expedia, Travelocity, Priceline, Hotels.com, CheapTickets.com and Booking.com.

Travelers who choose to book through Room 77 get the added benefit of the Room Concierge, on qualifying properties. Here’s how it works (or you can watch the attached video):

On the booking form, before finalizing the reservation, travelers can select both primary and secondary room preference (quiet, views, size, easy access or connecting rooms), then supplement those attributes with personalized requests, such as specific room numbers, floor preference, cribs, distance to elevator or whatever else they think of.

Room 77 uses its RoomMatch technology and other information to identify the best rooms to match those preferences, appends the requests to the bookings sent to the hotels, then follows up to ensure they were received, and works with the hotels secure the best matches and confirm the room assignments.

Within 48 hours prior to arrival, a guest will receive a message with the status of their room request and, when possible, a confirmation of specific room number. Room 77 also sends additional hotel information, including suggested rooms and additional hotel-specific tips to increase their odds of getting a preferred room at check-in if one isn’t confirmed before arrival.

“It’s really a blend of science and service that defines the process,” said Kevin Fliess, general manager and vice president of product at Room 77. “We’ve analyzed over 750,000 individual hotel rooms and know where the good and bad rooms are in the hotel. We then use that technology and data to generate a very specific room request—then do a little follow up (the service).”

According to statistics from a Room 77 survey:

• 75 percent of travelers who book online report that they have been disappointed in their hotel room, often because of view, noise and location.
• 93 percent of travelers who book hotels using online travel sites believe they get an average or worse room in a hotel due to the fact they use these sites.
• In beta testing, more than 90 percent of travelers who have used Room 77′s Room Concierge service report that they were assigned a room that met or exceeded their expectations.

One thing to note: The search results pages show the lowest day rate available for the length of stay for each hotel. A vast majority are dollar rates, however for a few international hotels, the number may represent a figure in a foreign currency, however when you select the property and get to the booking page, the site automatically does the conversion and all sales are currently made in U.S. dollars.

Photo: Room 77

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