"Be prepared for new airport reality"

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Be prepared for new airport reality
By Beth J. Harpaz
The Associated Press


NEW YORK - Four-hour lines. No water bottles. Missed flights. Screaming
children.

On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security banned from carry-on
luggage all "beverages, shampoo, suntan lotion, creams, toothpaste, hair gel
and other items of similar consistency." The new rules resulted in long
lines at airports and garbage bins full of discarded cosmetics.

How's a traveler to cope? Here are five strategies from travel experts to
help.

Packing: To avoid losing your checked luggage in the confusion, label your
bags with name, business address and phone on the outside, and an itinerary
and contact information packed inside, on top, said Susan Foster, author of
Smart Packing for Today's Traveler.

Rather than toss banned items, bring a checkable bag big enough to hold
items you can't carry on.

Business travelers "must carry essential tools with them," Foster said, but
be prepared for a sudden ban on all carry-on luggage. Leave room in your
checkable luggage for that stack of reports. Consider faxing, e-mailing or
FedExing copies of important documents ahead to your destination.

Personal care: "Airplane air is as dry as the Sahara," said Linda Wells,
editor-in-chief of Allure magazine, but new rules ban moisturizer and
similar items from carry-ons. So put on heavier-than-usual moisturizer
before you leave home, with a moisturizing self-tanner or tinted moisturizer
on top.

Other cosmetics that will last include waterproof mascara, and lip and cheek
stain.

Apply hair-styling products before you leave for the airport and then
"reactivate" them before you land: Wet your hands at the lavatory sink and
then run your damp fingers through your hair.

Pack shampoos and other lotions so they don't spill, Wells said. You might
want to put them in a sealed plastic bag as well.

Traveling with children: Prepare kids for long lines and stringent security.
"Tell the kids, 'This is what we have to do to make sure everyone is safe,'"
said Eileen Ogintz, a columnist. Her Web site is www.takingthekids.com.

Explain to toddlers "why they need to put their blankie or teddy on the
belt," she said. Give a lollipop or other small reward for cooperation.

Check kids' backpacks for toy guns, plastic swords and the like.

If your kids are flying unaccompanied, make sure they understand the new
rules. Remind them to get something to drink before they get in line and
warn them against making sarcastic comments or jokes about security threats,
Ogintz said.

Teenagers should notify airline staff if flying alone so they get priority
to stay on the flight in case passengers are bumped.

To entertain young children, bring a deck of cards, paper and a pencil. "You
can draw pictures, make designs, play 'hangman,'" Ogintz said.

Cruises: If you miss your cruise because of a delayed flight, "you fly to
the first port of call," said Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor of the Web site
www.CruiseCritic.com.

Contact your cruise company to see whether schedules or policies have been
revised because of the new rules and delays, or whether their staff can help
you rebook.

Insurance: If you bought trip insurance, you might be eligible for
compensation related to delays, said John Ansell, president of the U.S.
Travel Insurance Association.

Comprehensive travel insurance typically covers rebooking flights, hotels if
you are stranded, loss of personal belongings and other problems related to
missed connections and cancellations.

If you want to buy insurance for a future trip, a comprehensive cancellation
policy -- which typically includes medical insurance -- will cost 4 percent
to 7 percent of the total price of your trip, Ansell said.

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