• Searching for Travel
• Frequent Flyer Program
• LGBT Travel Information
• Schedule Changes

• Check Flight Status
• Boarding Passes
• Carry-On
• Packing

• Airport Parking
• Airport Security
• Check-In
• Boarding

• Travel Insurance
• News & Advice
• Other Helpful Tips

General:

Searching for Travel:

Don't procrastinate, book early. Always look in advance. Airlines tend to charge more money as the date of departure arrives. Typical advance purchase fares are 3, 7, 14, or 21 days. The cheapest days to travel are usually Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday because statistically less people travel on those days.

LGBT Travel Information:

Attitudes and tolerance toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons vary from country to country, just as they vary among U.S. cities and states. ?Most LGBT travelers encounter no problems while overseas, but it helps to be prepared and research your destination before you go. Read more information from the Travel.State.Gov website.

Frequent Flyer Programs:

Below is a list of alliance programs that travelers should be aware of to ensure they get the most out of their frequent flyer programs. Airlines have built compatible air miles and code-sharing programs allowing travelers more flexibility with their frequent flyer program.

Oneworld Alliance

Oneworld travels to 600 destinations in 135 countries and has a combined fleet of approximately 2,000

• Aer Lingus
• American Airlines
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific
• Finnair
• Iberia Airlines
• LAN Chile
• Qantas

Star Alliance

The Star Alliance travels to 795 destinations in 139 countries and has a combined fleet of more than 2,000 aircraft with 20 member airlines:

• Air Canada
• Air New Zealand
• ANA - All Nippon Airways
• Andria
• Asiana Airlines
• Austrian Airlines
• Blue 1
• BMI British Midland
• Coatia Airlines
• LOT Polish Airlines
• Lufthansa
• German Airlines
• SAS - Scandinavian Airlines
• Singapore Airlines
• Spanair
• Swiss
• TAP Air Portugal
• Thai Airways
• United Airlines
• US Airways
• Varig Brazilian Airlines

SkyTeam

SkyTeam offers 658 destinations in 133 countries and has a combined fleet of more than 2,000 aircraft with 9 member airlines:

• Aeromexico
• Air France
• KLM
• Alitalia
• Continental Airlines
• CSA Czech Airlines
• Delta Air Lines
• Korean Air
• Northwest

Schedule Changes:

Schedule changes are very common in the airline industry. An airline imposed schedule change can occur for a number of reasons. It could be due to a flight delay, bad weather, the airline arbitrarily making changes to their flight times, or even canceling service to a specific city. Schedule changes are automatically dumped out by the airlines throughout the day, and are frequently updated and sent to customers instantly. However, it is always a good idea to reconfirm your flight 24 hours prior to its departure. This will ensure any notification of a change in schedule. When airlines make major changes to their schedules, it can wreak havoc on carefully tuned travel plans.  If your flight encounters a schedule change, there are few options you have. If it’s a minor change, like 5-20 minutes, most travelers hardly recognize it. In extreme cases, if an airline cancels your flight and cannot reschedule you or cannot provide a sufficient alternative within 5 hours of your original flight time, then you can request a refund due to schedule change. If you have any questions, please contact us at 1-800-273-3124 for more information.

Check Flight Status:

You can check your flight status with Google.com by typing in your airline and flight number.

Example: American Airlines 123 or AA123

Another way of checking your flight status is by checking the airlines web site directly.

Boarding Passes:

There are four ways to obtain a boarding pass:

• Go to your airline's ticket counter at the airport
• Use curbside check-in
• Use your airline's self-service ticket kiosk in the airport lobby
• Print the boarding pass from your airline's website

Carry-On:

3-1-1 for carry-ons = 3 ounce bottle or less (by volume) ; 1 quart-sized, clear, plastic, zip-top bag; 1 bag per passenger placed in screening bin. One-quart bag per person limits the total liquid volume each traveler can bring. 3 oz. container size is a security measure.

Packing:

Pack light. Avoid Baggage fees and having to check bags by packing light. Try to keep it to the main items and avoid bring all the extra stuff you never end up wearing or using.

Make sure to “tag Eyour luggage. If a bag gets lost or miss-placed, the first thing anyone looks for is a luggage tag to identify the traveler’s information. Common items put on a luggage tag are: traveler name(s), address, and contact phone number.

Airport Parking:

Traffic at airports can be annoying. With random vehicle searches for visitors parking for an extended period, reserving parking ahead of time can save money and time.  There are a bunch of airport parking web sites that offer discounts like airportparkingreservations.com. Airport parking can get costly depending on how long you’re parking your vehicle. Having a friend or family member drop you off is the easiest approach.

Airport Security:

Have your license and ticket in your hand or readily available.

Before getting to the bins, be prepared to put everything in the bin then onto the belt to pass through security.

Pull out anything and everything from your pockets, jackets, etc. Make sure your carry-on bags will fit through the security x-ray machine.

Put your shoes, jacket, glasses and whatever else you have into a bin and send it through the x-ray machine.

Any laptops must be pulled out and sent through the x-ray machine separately. The bag you have your laptop in should go through first, allowing you to put your laptop away quickly once its passed through.

Around the holidays this can be the most annoying thing. There are tons of travelers who are not aware of the security regulations for traveling. Allow extra time to be safe as lines tend to be very long.

Check in:

Always remember to check in early. Allow enough time to pass through security. You can also check in for your flights online prior to departure. Save time and money by paying for your checked bags in advance.

Boarding:

Board the Plane Early. Overhead space is limited. Boarding is usually awarded to those who check in early.

International:

When traveling internationally, there are a lot of things to take into account. We have listed a few helpful tips, as well as resources for more information.

Travel Insurance:

Travel Insurance is a great idea for whenever traveling outside your own country. With travel insurance, there are a lot of factors to weigh in. Are you traveling alone? Will your trip be more adventurous and active? Will you be traveling somewhere where medical treatment is needed? These are just some of the things that travelers ponder when leaving for another country. Be cautious! We recommend a wonder web site in www.travelguard.com for any assistance with Travel Insurance.

Check the latest travel news and advice on your destination:

• Check if you’ll require visas for the country or countries you are visiting or traveling to. Be aware that a visa does not guarantee entry.
• Make copies of your passport details, insurance policy, traveler’s checks, visas and credit card numbers. Carry one copy in a separate place to the originals and leave a copy with someone at home.
• Obey the law. Consular assistance cannot override local laws, even where local laws appear harsh or unjust by your own standards.

Other Helpful Tips:

• Check with your health provider for information on recommended vaccinations or other precautions and find out about overseas laws on travelling with medicines.
• Make sure your passport has at least six months validity and carry additional copies of your passport photo with you in case you need a replacement passport while overseas.