Thursday, August 10, 2006

Important new security measures at airports

Limits on Carry-On Baggage

Travel Policy For US Carry-On Baggage
Effective immediately, all liquids are prohibited from being carried on flights within the United States. Please do not bring these items with you. These include shampoo, conditioner, other styling products; toothpaste; contact lens or eye solutions; or bottled water. IF YOU ARE IN DOUBT, ERR ON THE SIDE OF CAUTION

Travel Policy For UK Carry-On Bagggage It's important to remember that the most restrictive policies only apply to flights from the U.K. to the United States.

Effective immediately all cabin baggage must be processed as checked baggage and carried in the hold of all passenger aircraft departing from or connecting through airports in the United Kingdom (UK). This policy also applies to any aircraft departing the United States traveling to the UK.

The following measures apply to all passengers starting their journey at a UK airport and to those transferring between flights at a UK airport and from anywhere connecting in the US to the UK.

Nothing may be carried in passengers' pockets. Passengers may only take the following items through the airport security checkpoint, in a single (ideally transparent) plastic carrier bag:

pocket size wallets and pocket size purses plus contents (money, credit cards, identity cards, etc. but not handbags)
travel documents essential for the journey (passports and travel tickets)
prescription medicines and medical items sufficient and essential for the flight (a diabetic kit for example), except in liquid form unless verified as authentic.
spectacles and sunglasses, without cases
contact lens holders, without bottles of solution
for those travelling with an infant: baby food, milk (the contents of each bottle must be tasted by the accompanying passenger) and sanitary items sufficient and essential for the flight (wipes, creams, disposal bags)
female sanitary items sufficient and essential for the flight, if unboxed
tissues (unboxed) and/or handkerchiefs
keys (but no electrical key fobs)
There will be no liquids or gels allowed to/from the UK. Duty free from the UK will not be allowed, however, duty free onboard will continue.

All UK transiting passengers will be required to check any carry-ons they bring to the airport regardless of origination. For passengers who have already left the US and will be connecting in the UK, they will not be allowed to use the transit area in the UK airports and will be routed back to the ticket counters to check their carry-on luggage.

For the customers affected by this new policy, we will waive excess baggage fees for customers who arrive at the airport for connections in the UK or who are departing from the UK and must now check their carry-on baggage.

Additionally, we will offer the following options for customers with tickets issued no later than August 9, 2006 for travel to/from/through the UK - no fee will apply for all changes made before September 1, 2006:

If you choose not to travel, we will allow for a refund (in the form of a travel voucher for non-refundable tickets)
You may change your origination travel date to travel as late as September 1, 2006
You may change your destination OR cancel your reservation, however, fees will apply if your reservation has not been changed/your ticket has been reissued by September 1, 2006
If you are traveling on an AAdvantage award, we will refund the miles to the applicable account with no reinstatement fee, OR allow for a change of destination in correct redemption inventory
For complete details and assistance with changing your travel plans, contact our Reservations personnel at 1-800-433-7300 within the United States or Canada. If you are calling from outside the United States or Canada, please check our Worldwide Reservations Numbers page for Reservations contact information.

Policy For Travel To/From Beirut, Damascus Or Tel Aviv
American Airlines is allowing customers to change their travel plans if their itinerary includes flights on American Airlines connecting to or from Beirut, Lebanon (BEY), Damascus, Syria (DAM) or Tel Aviv, Israel (TLV). With this policy, you may change your travel date up to 14 days later than originally ticketed.

For complete details and assistance with changing your travel plans, contact Reservations at 1-800-433-7300. For Reservations contacts outside the United States, please see our Worldwide Reservations Phone Numbers page.

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Current Travel Notices
The following locations may experience irregular operations due to circumstances described below. Please check www.aa.com/gates for updated information. Also, please check our Suggested Arrival Times page to allow enough time to arrive at the airport before your departure.

Boston, MA (BOS) - Please allow at least an additional 30 minutes travel time to the airport as the I-90 tunnel to Logan Airport is currently closed. Please visit www.masspike.com for updates and alternate routing.


Chicago Midway, IL (MDW) - Please allow extra travel time when departing from Chicago Midway Airport, as construction in the area near the airport may cause delays in reaching the airport.


Dayton, Ohio (DAY) - Please allow extra travel time when departing from Dayton International Airport, as construction on highways leading to the airport may cause delays in reaching the airport.


Delhi, India (DEL) - Checkin time must be 3.5 hours in advance of departure time due to airport congestion and security checks.


New York Kennedy, NY (JFK) - Please allow extra travel time when departing from JFK, as parking in front of terminals 8 and 9 is closed, and terminal construction at the airport may cause road delays.


Tegucigalpa, Honduras (TGU) - Due to construction in the parking area for Toncontin International Airport, please allow additional time when departing from this location.

SIMILAR RESTRICTIONS APPLY FOR OTHER CARRIERS. PLEASE BE AWARE, ALLOW EXTRA TIME IF YOU ARE TRAVELING, AND PLEASE, EVEN IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH THE REASONS FOR THE RESTRICTIONS, FOLLOW THEM FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

No thanks. I'd rather sit in a closet, frozen in an anxiety attack.

DivaJood said...

Helen, that's what people are supposed to do in lieu of voting. Hide in the closet...

dawn said...

If I had to get on a plane right now I would but I don't. These bastards can't win. If this is what we need to do to keep safe then so be it

DivaJood said...

Dawn, everybody needs a vacation! BTW Kvatch has a great solution, which I have just linked to above.