Travels and Vacations

When it comes to air travel and clothing, we are all different.  There are some travelers who are dressed in business suits, others in traditional jeans, and others who wear something as comfortable as possible, such as their pajamas or sweat pants.  With the recent increase in airport security and the recent change in air travel rules, there are many individuals who wonder if the clothing they wear to the airport is important.  If you are one of those individuals, you can rest assure because, in most cases, it is not.

It seems as if ever since airplanes became the popular way to travel, a focus has been placed on comfort. Regardless of whether or not you will be taking a long flight, you will want to be comfortable. There is nothing worse than wearing an itchy sweater or tight pair of pants up in the air. Unless you bring a chance of clothes with you and place them in your carryon bag, you are out of luck. That is why it is important that you think of what you will be wearing before you leave for the airport.  Even if you are traveling for business, you should be able to change in to your business clothes as soon as you arrive at your destination, even in the airport bathrooms.

When it comes to comfort, as previously mentioned, many air travelers make the decision to wear sweat pants and a comfortable top.  In addition to being comfortable, you will find, in most cases, that these types of clothes are the best for airport security, especially when entering airport screening checkpoints. This is because most sweat pants are not made with any metal items.  Essentially, this means that you should be able to enter the security checkpoint and leave it quicker than most other travelers, such as the travelers who are decked out in accessories.

When it comes to clothing accessories, you will find that a number of different items set off airport metal detectors. That is why most airport security officers request that you remove all of your jewelry.  Once your jewelry is removed, you will need to place it in a small bin, which will be scanned right along with your carryon luggage.  Whether you have rings or a necklace, you are advised to remove them, if you can.  For your convenience, you can leave your earrings on.  If by chance, you earrings set the metal detectors off, you will likely be pulled a side and airport security should easily be able to tell whether or not your earring were what set off the alarms.

In addition to jewelry, you will find that your belt may even set off an airport’s metal detector. For that reason, a large number of airports have requested that you remove your belts before entering the metal detectors.  Since a large number of travelers wear belts, this is done to help speed up the process of checking each and every passenger. If you do not enjoy removing some of your jewelry or removing your belt, it is advised that you leave those items at home.

Recently, a number of new air travel rules have been implemented. One of those rules requires that all passengers remove their shoes.  Your shoes, once removed, will be scanned by an x-ray machine, right along with the rest of your carryon luggage.  In recent years, only random passengers were asked to remove their shoes, but now everyone is. For that reason, you will to wear simple shoes that you can easily remove and put back on.

Another air travel rule, recently implemented, is the ban of liquids.  This means that adults are no longer allowed to bring a drink onboard, even bottle water.  It also means that you are prohibited from placing liquid beauty supplies in your carryon luggage.  One concern, made by many women is the allowance of gel or water filled bras. Currently, you are allowed to wear these types of bras onboard an airplane.  Honestly, unless you mention it to airport security, there is a good chance that they would never even know.

Since there are really no rules or restrictions on the clothing that you can wear while flying the great skies, you need to choose for yourself. Whether you want to be fashionable or comfortable, it is all up to you.

Seems travelers love to hate the screeners at the airport. Keep in mind, the front line personnel that you see as you make your way toward the gate are just the worker bees. They’re not Congress and they’re not the big wig decision makers. If at times they seem like robots, deviating very little from their spcheel, it’s because they have procedures that they must follow and deviating from the standard operation procedure is not an option.

There are a number of things you can do yourself to speed things along. Listed below are the top ten tips to help your visit to the airport security checkpoint hassle-free.

1. Have your boarding pass and government issued photo ID readily available. Some airports have someone checking your boarding pass and ID as you first approach your concourse, then shortly thereafter there is another employee asking for the same thing. Actually they may be asking for the same thing, but these employees, often one a federal employee and one a private company employee, while looking at the same thing, aren’t looking for the same thing. Each person has a different role to fill. If you have to dig in your purse or wallet for these items, that will increase the wait time. Ensure your boarding pass is pulled out of the airline envelope.

2. Wear tennis shoes or known airport friendly footwear so you’ll avoid setting off the alarm on the walk through metal detector. Often the screeners will encourage you to take your shoes off before passing through the metal detector. What many passengers fail to recognize is that many, many shoe manufacturers place steel shanks (supports) in the souls of the shoes. Just because you don’t see metal, doesn’t mean they are metal-free.

3. Laptop computers and video cameras that use cassette tapes, not digital cameras, need to come out of their carrying case prior to passing through the x-ray machine. Have these items out of the case before you reach the table to divest your items.

4. Only undeveloped film with a speed of 800 or higher should be hand checked. All other disposable cameras, film of 100, 200 or 400 speed and digital cameras are safe to pass through the x-ray. Know your film speed before reaching the x-ray machine.

5. If you have an inkling that your belt buckle or larger metal watch may set off the metal detector, remove them while you’re waiting in line and have them ready to place into a bin.

6. Don’t wear pants or suspenders that contain a lot of metal. If you can’t remove the metal prior to passing through the metal detector, you’ll be sent for additional screening, thus increasing your wait time.

7. Most smell jewelry such as rings, necklaces and earrings will not set off the alarm. Don’t bother wasting time removing them.

8. Yes your fanny pack, hidden money belt and wallet on a string around your neck must pass through the x-ray, have it ready to place into a bin.

9. Leave all tools, Swiss army knives, pointed end scissors, and bladed corkscrews in your checked bag. You may not bring them onboard the aircraft in your carry-on bags. If your bag must be searched to find these items, it’s definitely going to increase your wait time.

10. Strollers and pet carriers need to pass through the x-ray machine. Remove your children and pets from this equipment prior to reaching the x-ray.

If you’re standing in line merely waiting for your turn to walk through, use this time to your advantage. If everyone were already ready to walk though the metal detector BEFORE it was actually their turn, the wait times would be greatly decreased.

Next time you fly, instead of grumbling about the procedures that neither you nor the front line screeners can change, try having some fun, being prepared and perhaps even thanking the screeners for doing their part of keeping the aircrafts safe.