Travel Page

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Travel Tips

Got Your ID?
You may be subject to physical or electronic searches during your trip. Airport security may have random luggage searches before you depart and when you arrive at your destination. If you refuse to provide identification or refuse the searches, you could be denied boarding or removed from a flight at any point. The airline is then obligated to refund your ticket, even non-refundable tickets.

Delays/Cancellations
Before you leave for the airport, you should call the airline and check to see if your flight is leaving as scheduled. There will be many delays, so use available resources for checking flight schedules, calling the airline directly, or checking online at the airline's Web site. Airlines are not required to compensate passengers for delayed or canceled flights. Each carrier differs in its policy, and there are no federal requirements. Most will book you on the next available flight. If your plane is delayed, the airline may pay for meals or a phone call, so ask.

Delayed/Lost Luggage
If your bags are delayed, airlines usually agree to pay "reasonable" expenses until they're found. The amount is subject to negotiation, and you may have to fight for it. If your bags are not found, you must file a claim, which takes some time to process. It is normal to wait six weeks to three months for reimbursement; although some airlines are much more efficient than others.

Check-In Times
For domestic flights, you should be at the airport at least two hours before your flight is scheduled to leave. International flights require a three-hour check-in before leaving. Curbside and off-airport check-ins are no longer available in the United States. Only ticketed passengers will be allowed beyond security checkpoints.

No knives or "knife-like" items are allowed on flights. Even if you have already checked in for your flight, an airline can cancel your reservation if you are not at the departure gate on time. Even if you have an advance boarding pass, or have an advance seat assignment, your seat may be given to another passenger. If you do not check your baggage in sufficient time for it to be loaded on your flight, the airline is not responsible for any delay in the delivery of your baggage to your destination.

Some will offer no amenities if the delay is caused by bad weather, or other conditions beyond their control. Compensation is required by law only if you are "bumped" from a flight that is oversold (discussed below). Although it is not required by law, many airlines are beginning to inform passengers to the causes for delays in their flights, through their own programs.

Overbooking/Bumping
Overbooking is legal, and most airlines do it. They are, however, required to ask people to volunteer to be bumped. If you are bumped involuntarily, you must be given a written statement describing your rights and explaining how the carrier decides who gets on an oversold flight and who doesn't, and you may keep your ticket and use it on another flight.

If you choose to make your own arrangements, you can request an "involuntary refund" for the ticket. You are also entitled to compensation, with a few exceptions. For example, if the airline arranges substitute transportation that is scheduled to get you to your final destination (including later connections) within one hour of your original scheduled arrival time, you get nothing.

When Continental lost my bags, I had a check in five weeks. If your bags are delayed, lost, or damaged on a domestic trip, the airline can invoke a ceiling of $1,250 per passenger. On international trips, the liability limit is limited to $9.07 per pound ($20 per kilo) by the Warsaw Convention, unless you pay for extra liability. Beware of deadlines! If you miss the check-in deadline, the carrier is not responsible for your bag if it is delayed or lost.

To find out how a particular airline or airport fares in these and other performance-related areas, read the Air Travel Consumer Report, put out by the Department of Transportation.

Good Luck with Your Travels!