Instant Updates Help Holiday Travelers Avoid Delays

Thanksgiving was a breeze! After a summer plagued by cancelled flights and long flight delays, airlines and airports are patting themselves on the back for a job well done last weekend. The heavily traveled Thanksgiving weekend caused barely a blip on the radar screen. For most airline travelers, it was smooth sailing as an estimated 4.7 million Americans breezed in and out of the nation's airports on one of the year's busiest travel weekends.

The holidays, particularly Thanksgiving through New Years, are often travel nightmares. Unpredictable weather in one part of the country can start a domino effect of delayed and cancelled flights across the country. Fortunately, last weekend saw mild weather throughout most of the country. Another issue can be the greater number of inexperienced travelers, many families with children, who flood airports during the holidays, often causing delays at check-in counters and security checkpoints. This year, that wasn't a problem.

We can only hope that Christmas travel will be as problem-free as Thanksgiving. Barring a catastrophic weather system, air travelers have a good chance of reaching their holiday destinations in plenty of time to collect their loot from Santa. This year, several online travel sites are offering special up-to-the-minute reports designed to help travelers avoid potential delays.

• Yahoo! allows travelers with web-enabled cell phones to type in any airline and flight number to get the latest info on arrival times, gate numbers, flight delays, etc. Visit http://www.m.yahoo.com/. Text 92466 (Yahoo) with the airline and flight number and you'll get the same info back via text message.


• Orbitz provides flight status, airport travel conditions and Transportation Security Administration bulletins. You can also get real-time tips from fellow travelers on everything from which security line is moving fastest at O'Hare to the best place to catch a cab at LaGuardia. Visit http://www.updates.orbitz.com/. For mobile customers, access mobile.orbitz.com.


• On its blog, Travelocity will provide hourly updates on conditions and traffic at the nation's busiest airports on peak travel days. Visit http://www.windowseat.travelocity.com/.

Take the stress out of your holidays and let Timeshare Giant book your holiday travel. Click the link to visit Timeshare Giant's Travel Store.

Holiday Travel Tips for Speeding Through Security Checks

The holidays are stressful enough without worrying about whether you'll be delayed at the security checkpoint as you dash to catch your flight. The Thanksgiving weekend, which is one of the busiest times at U.S. airports, promises to add to the frustrations of holiday travelers. Homeland security regulations may have changed since the last time your travelled so I thought I'd offer a few tips to help you pass through airline security checkpoints undelayed.

• Have your boarding pass and photo ID in your hand ready to present to the security officer.


• Wear slip-on shoes that are easy to take off and put on. All passengers are required to remove their shoes at security checkpoints.


• Remember the 3-1-1- rule. Carry-on liquids must be carried in containers no larger than 3.4 ounces and all must fit inside 1 clear 1-quart bag.


• Small belt buckles and rings are usually OK, but don't wear any large metal items that could set off the metal detector. Don't wear your favorite Texas rodeo belt with the big, metal medallion. Leave the metal-studded jacket and boots at home. Put the bangle bracelets in your checked bags. Take off your watch and rings and put them in the pass-through basket.


• Don't overfill carry-on bags. Security screeners must be able to identify all packed items during x-ray.


• Take off and collect all loose metal items well before you reach the front of the screening line so you can drop them in the pass-through basket quickly (or even better, pop them into a clear zip bag and place it inside your carryon bag), including: cell phone, pager, loose change, watch, jewelry.

Items currently allowed include: beverages purchased after screening, 3-ounce containers of pudding or yogurt, tools shorter than 7 inches, knitting needles and crochet hooks, metal scissors shorter than 4 inches, mail files, safety razors, walking canes, umbrellas, one book of safety matches, baby formula, Transformer toys.

Items not allowed include: beverages purchased before screening or larger than 3 ounces, box cutters, gel candles, gel shoe inserts, show globes, spray paint, torch lighters, lighter fluid, tools longer than 7 inches, meat cleavers, drills and bits, golf clubs, ski poles, sabers.

For a complete list of items you can and cannot take through security checkpoints, visit www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel. Click the link to prohibited items. Have a safe trip and a happy holiday. For more travel tips, guides, books, luggage, useful travel aids, etc., visit the Timeshare Giant Store.

'Good Faith' Law Makes Holiday Travel Safer

The holiday season is fast approaching and more timeshare owners will take to the skies to reach their favorite vacation destinations. We should all be aware of a new homeland security law that can help us keep each other safe. Under a new federal law, if you see someone acting suspiciously on your flight, you can report your concerns to the crew without fear of being sued, even if your fears turn out to be ungrounded.

Passed by Congress on July 27, the little-noticed good faith law was enacted as part of the sweeping homeland security bill that implemented recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. Under the new law, any citizen who witnesses a fellow passenger behaving in a suspicious manner -- acting nervously, looking around furtively, conferring in a language they don't understand, acting in any way that makes them feel afraid -- can blow the whistle and report their fears to the crew. The measure gives immunity to passengers on planes, trains, buses and cruise ships.

The law was written in broad terms to encourage the public to be proactive about homeland security by shielding the average citizen from possible legal liability if he or she reports suspicious behavior. The law also protects officials who, in good faith, take reasonable action in responding to potentially terrorist activity. While the law does not protect people who knowingly make false statements, the American Civil Liberties Union has expressed concern that it may lead to greater racial and religious profiling.

The need for the law arose out of the 2006 incident in which six Muslim clerics were removed from a US Airways flight after fellow passengers became nervous by their prayers in the terminal, seating patterns, requests for seatbelt extenders and other unusual behaviors. As a result of the incident, the clerics filed a lawsuit against the airport, airline and unnamed passengers. The good faith law was made retroactive to September 1, 2006 to protect those passengers and negate the lawsuit against them. The suit against the airport and airline is still in court, but the lawsuit against John Doe passengers has been dropped.

Much of the fear generated by 9/11 has dissipated and we feel much safer as a nation now than we did just a few years ago. But protecting our country is a constant and ongoing responsibility that we all share. Timeshare owners who travel often are among those who can help serve as the eyes and ears of our country's security forces. If you see someone acting oddly or suspiciously while you're traveling, report it at once to the crew, or to ground personnel if you're still in the airport or station. With the enactment of the good faith law, you can now act without fear.

Keep Your Credit Card Handy, Airlines Going Cashless

"Don't leave home without it!" "It's everywhere you want to be!"

These popular tag lines from credit card commercials apply to air travelers more than ever these days. We're quickly becoming a cashless society and airlines are lining up to get onboard. Some U.S. airlines already ban cash in the cabins for drinks and other purchases; others are set to follow suit. When you travel to your timeshare, you'll soon need a debit or credit card to make those in-flight purchases that make the trip more pleasant.

Through the end of the month, American Airlines, which accepts both cash and cards, is test marketing card-only flights on service from San Francisco. JetBlue Airways recently announced implementation of a card-only policy starting November 1.

AirTran was the first to go cashless in 2004. Since then air carriers Aloha, Frontier, Midwest and Hawaiian have followed suit. Many more airlines have added the card-purchase option to their in-flight services, allowing passengers to pay with either a debit/credit card or cash. Alaska Airlines is the latest to add the dual service.

"I think it's the wave of the future," said Alaska Airlines spokeswoman Caroline Boren. "We're increasingly living in a cashless society."

Delta Air Lines offers dual purchase services and Northwest expects to add the plastic option in early 2008. Both say the future may see them going cashless. There haven't been many holdbacks to the trend. Even Southwest Airlines, one of the larger cash-only airlines, says they're looking into it, though they have no plans to change their cash-only policy.

Other airline travel news:

• Round-trip fares go up. The nation's five largest airline carriers have again raised round-trip fares $10 in response to escalating fuel costs. American Airlines, the world's largest carrier, led the way with Delta Air Lines, Continental Airlines, Northwest Airlines, US Airways Group, and most recently United Airlines joining in. This is the seventh ticket price increase made by America's major carriers this year. All have been attributed to the rising price of jet fuel which has climbed 36% since the end of 2006. Just one more reason to love vacationing in my timeshare. With the money I save on lodging, I can afford to pay a little more on transportation.
• Flight delay solutions discussed. Major U.S. airlines will meet with federal Department of Transportation and FAA officials next week to discuss the traffic congestion problems that caused annoying delays at airports across the country this summer. Participants hope to come up with a voluntary solution to decrease congestion at the nation's major airports, particularly the three airports that feed New York City: JFK, LaGuardia and Newark (NJ). A DOT spokesman said if the airlines cannot come up with a solution, the government could consider imposing scheduling restrictions to avoid a repeat of this summer's chaos.