Tips for Speedier Check-In

Did you know there are steps you can take to speed up your flight check-in process on the day of your departure?  By following these few simple steps you can lessen your air travel hassles at any airport!

• Check-in online for your flight before you arrive at the airport.  Airlines allow you to do this up to 24-hours in advance as long as you have your confirmation number and of course your name!
• If you need to check a bag, pay the baggage fee online before you get to the airport.  Many airlines offer the ability to pay your fee by credit card via there website.  This cuts down on the amount of time you spend at the ticket counter dropping off your checked bag with airline personnel.
• Give yourself sufficient amount of time to arrive at the airport pre-flight.  If you wait until the very last minute to depart for the airport, chances are Murphy will rear his ugly head and slow down your journey!  For MDT, we recommend you show up at least 75 minutes prior to your flight departure time.
• Know your flight number and the airline you're flying with before you depart for the airport.  In the event that your flight is delayed, or your flight experiences a gate-change, you'll have the pertinent information to assist in tracking these changes.
• Check your flight status before you depart for the airport!  The best means to do this is directly with your airline via their website, phone or by signing up for flight tracking alerts which can be emailed or text messaged to you directly.
• Pack your carry-on luggage appropriately.  Be sure that you've followed the Transportation Security Administration's guidelines for packing carry-on luggage BEFORE you get to the airport.  Review their website, www.tsa.dhs.gov for the full details.
• Be prepared for the worst, but expect the best.  Air travel is subject to weather, mechanical and other types of delays and cancellations - so be prepared.  And, keep your airlines 800# and ticket counter location close-at-hand in case you get to the airport and find out that you need to re-book your flight.

What tips and tricks for speedier check-in do you use that we've missed?  We'd love to hear what works best for you! 

Ho Ho Holiday Travel Tips!

When preparing to travel, lay out all
your clothes and all your money.

Then take half the clothes and twice the money.
-Susan Heller

For those of you traveling to visit family between now and the end year, we have a few helpful travel tips to fly your way!

The key for a successful and less stressful trip is to be prepared. By following these simple suggestions, traveling to/from Harrisburg International Airport (MDT), or any airport for that matter, will a bit easier and more convenient:

1) Know the security rules before you pack. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has a 3-1-1 campaign to educate travelers on the carry-on baggage restrictions. For specific details, visit www.tsa.dhs.gov before you pack your bags.

2) Call your airline’s toll-free flight tracking phone number for an update on your flight before coming to the airport. Flight status information is also available on your airline’s website.

3) Arrive at a MDT parking lot about 90-minutes before your scheduled departure.

4) Follow the signs and park in the Long Term/Economy lot. Shuttle buses run (24 hours a day) every 8-10 minutes from the numbered shelters in the lot and brings you curbside at the terminal building.

5) When picking up a passenger arriving at MDT, please use our free cell phone lot until your passenger arrives. Federal security mandates prohibit parking along the terminal curbside. Only the active loading and unloading of a vehicle is permitted in front of the terminal building.

6) Regarding the holiday gifts and food you want to travel with: gifts packed in your carry-on and checked luggage should be unwrapped. Don't pack snow globes in your carry-on luggage, please pack them in your checked luggage. Please be sure to review the TSA's policies for how to travel with holiday foods.

For a full run down on our holiday travel tips visit our website.

Finally, we ask that you remember to bring a smile and be patient. Generally the weather looks good nationwide for the upcoming holiday travel week, however delays can happen at any time. The airlines want to get you to your destination safely and on time, while the TSA has a responsibility to make sure that everyone getting on an aircraft is doing so without any prohibited items.

What do you still have questions about that we've not covered? We hope our tips contribute to making your trip to Tulsa to visit Aunt Beatrice and her world famous fruitcake as stress-free as possible! Although, you'll have to buy your own roll of Tums to help digest that fruitcake!

Air Travel, Socially Speaking with @BethBlair

Introducing the 3rd guest post in this new fly HIA blog mini-series, a discussion on how social media has altered the way we travel. Today's guest blogger is Beth Blair writes for Aviation Security International and a travel blog. You can find her personal site and blog at BethBlair.com.

How social media as altered the way we air travel
The social media trend has not only made our world feel smaller, it’s making travel easier. Every day travelers are turning to their favorite social media sites for updates on news, bargains, trends, air delays or other valuable information that may impact their days on the road and in the sky.

This summer I was on a family trip and as I tweeted our adventures, locals offered advice on bakeries, restaurants and coffee shops. This isn’t rare. Twitter has played a major part in social media evolution and for good reason. It’s the fast-food of communication. (link to Benet’s post?) Just as every tropical island and cruise ship has its own ambiance, so do airports. Travelers don’t hesitate to jump on Twitter to ask fellow travelers where to find an airport pub or massage chair. Better yet, I’ve witnessed people meeting in person for the first time while passing through an airport. A few years ago, they would have walked right past each other.

Airlines in SM
It’s been fun watching airlines and other travel industry businesses partake in social media networks and as the months pass they get better and better. Airlines use social media for damage control, flight bargains and assisting with circumstances such as lost luggage. Oftentimes, a passenger may simply send a tweet out of frustration and the airline looks at it as an opportunity to provide outstanding customer service.

Another common trend is employees, especially cabin and cockpit crews, blogging or tweeting about their experiences, pet peeves or offering advice to passengers. As for airline security, TSA (Transportation Security Administration) has been successful at running the passenger-geared TSA Blog that explains procedures and addressed newsworthy events.

The Joy of Blogging
Blogging in general has made quite an impact on the social media scene. From experiences and opinions to controversial news, the various realms of blogs have given travelers the opportunity to research, discover and gather insight on a destination long before they arrive.

On a personal level, my shared blog, TheVacationGals.com was created for us to share our experiences and findings during our travels. We each have unique voices, opinions and backgrounds which make for an interesting mix.

The blog has allowed me to share my experience as a former flight attendant, indulge my interest in travel safety and as a mom I enjoy assisting other parents with their air travel questions. For example, I have been able to voice concerns regarding the dangers of the long-time airline lap-child policy.

While companies are using Facebook and Twitter to start buzz about their products, their blogging customers are sharing their experiences about the products. When it comes to air travel, luggage is always a big conversation piece as are comfort and health products. For parents, topics like strollers, food, entertainment, car seats and the CARES (Child Aviation Restraint System) are at the top of the list.

The proof is in the photos
A photo is worth a thousand words and that certainly seems the case when one photo is placed before thousands of people. Visual stimulation tends to build trust between a poster and a viewer and this is reflected daily in social media. Twitpic and Flickr are just a couple of photo-sharing sites used in social media. Photos of a grotesque hotel room would turn off most future guests whereas a hotel with a gorgeous beach-view would tempt travelers to book a room that day. Today, exposure in social media is better than a brochure.

Of course, not every photo relays the truth behind the story and this can be the case for flying. Earlier this year, a passenger took various photos of a major carrier’s aircraft being “held together” by what looked like duct tape. The photos made its way on to various social media sites. Sure, it looks bad, especially alongside the phrase, “If you can duct it…” However, this is one example where the photo didn’t explain the entire story. The silver adhesive was actually very expensive high-speed tape, a much higher quality of adhesive than duct tape. And it certainly wasn’t bought at Home Depot.

This story should be a remind to all social media users, that while Internet information is easily accessible today and erupting with information, it’s up to the individual to verify all information before coming to a conclusion. Happy traveling and tweeting!

Guest Blog: Issues that international travellers have with US airport security

We have asked a few select guest bloggers to join us on this blog as part of a six week mini series on hot button aviation topics that effect you, the traveler. These guest bloggers will no doubt enrich your travel experience by bringing in their own various perspectives and experiences from different horizons. Today we would like to introduce Darren Cronian as the fourth guest blogger*.

Darren, living in Leeds, Yorkshire, England, writes and rants about the problems that consumers face with travel. He is asked regularly is why he started writing his blog. Is is because In 2005, he visited a high-street travel agency and was not impressed with their customer service and felt that the travel agent had no interest in helping him find a holiday. He arrived home, annoyed, and wanted to rant, so welcome to the Travel Rants blog.

He has learned a lot about the travel industry, and continues to learn. Considering he had no working experience of the industry has been quoted in a number of national newspapers and interviewed on BBC Radio. He was filmed as part of a consumer programme that was aired in December 2009. Read more about Travel Rants in the media His travels include Australia, Malaysia, Norway, and Czech Republic. His favorite travel moments are snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef, and climbing over Sydney Harbour Bridge.

You can connect with Darren on any of the following social media platforms, in addition to his blog. Browse his favourite sites and blogs on StumbleUpon, keep up to date with his travels on Dopplr, chat with him on Twitter, add your travel photos to his Flickr Group, become a fan of Travel Rants on Facebook, and watch his videos on You Tube.

The number of international tourists to the United States totals over 56 million every year, so I suppose you can understand why US airport security is much stricter compared with other countries. The United States though is not seen as a welcoming country to tourists and this does put a lot of people off from visiting.

Grumpy TSA staff

You are flying to the United States for a family holiday to the sunshine state of Florida; all of the family is excited about the prospect of two weeks of sunshine and theme parks but that excitement quickly disappears as soon as you land and make your way through airport security.

Yes, welcome to the USA, where the TSA staff are grumpy, unfriendly and not welcoming. It is a shame that these people are your first experience of this great country. It doesn’t take too much effort to smile and there’s really no reason to be rude when all you want to do is jump in your hire car and find the hotel.

The endless queues

You have flown for seven hours; the kids are bored and just want to start your family holiday. Rather than making the final leg of your journey as stressless as possible you then have to spend ages queuing to get through airport security. You are stressed, frustrated and you cannot see the end of the queue.

Quizzed like a criminal

You finally get to the end of the huge queue to be made to feel like a criminal by rude officials. In the UK we have a saying, that you’re not guilty until proven otherwise. In the United States, as you pass through the security your guilty until proven otherwise. You would have thought that airport profiling would have made security easier, but that’s not the case.

Can you imagine what it is going to be like when full body scanners come into force? I really do not think that this will improve airport security; it longer to get through. Don’t get me wrong, I think it is important that airports treat security seriously, but I do think that some common sense could be introduced.

Electronic System for Travel Authorisation form

The ESTA application takes up to 72 hours to be approved, gives flyers prior approval for entry to the US. This is now mandatory for international travellers who are passport holders in 35 countries with US "visa waiver" status, Britain being one of those countries. Prior to ESTA you had to complete the green I-94 card in-flight, so maybe, hopefully, this will improve the time it takes to get through US airports.

I am interested to read your experiences with US airport security.

*The opinions expressed in this blog are not necessarily those of Harrisburg International Airport.

Security Checkpoint 101

Departing travelers, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) requests that you use the following tips for making your security checkpoint process as efficient and comfortable as possible.

Pack Smart

• Pack your carry-on in organized layers


• If you can put your oversized electronics in your checked baggage, please do so


• Perpare you ONE quart-sized, clear, plastic zip-top bag of liquids before arriving at the airport


• Coats and jackets are recommended to be packed in checked baggage


• Do not wrap gifts


• Undeveloped film should go in your carry-on bag, so that 800-speed or higher can be declared to a TSA officer for hand inspection


• When it doubt, leave it out. Check it or leave it at home.

Dress the Part
The following items may set off the metal detector alarm.

• Keys


• Loose change


• Mobile phones and pagers


• Personal Data Assistants (PDAs)


• Heavy jewelry


• Clothing containing metal buttons, snaps or studs


• Metal hair barrettes or other hair adornments


• Belt buckles


• Under-wire bra


• Body piercings (which may cause you to require additional screening)
  *you may ask to privately remove the piercing to avoid a pat-down search

Head coverings and religious garmets may be worn during screening. If your head covering or clothing (religious or otherwise) is loose fitting/large enough to conceal prohibited items you may be directed to additional screening.

Shoes, need to be removed before you enter the walk-through metal detector.

Have the Following Ready

• Boarding Pass


• Acceptable for of ID
  *Click here to see the full list of acceptable forms of identification.

Hassle-Free Security Tips

• Arrive on time


• Wear slip-on shoes


• Remove pets from their carrying cases
  *Hold them as you pass through the metal detector


• Take children/infants out of their baby carriers/strollers
  *Take them through the metal detector with you


• Think before you speak

The full reporting of this information is available on the TSA's web site. HIA recommends reading through the For Travelers content on the site before departing for the airport. Knowledge is power, so "know before you go"!