Posted on: Sunday, October 10, 2004

SAVVY TRAVELER

By Irene Croft Jr.

As of Jan. 1, 2003, the federal Transportation Security Administration has been required by law to screen all checked baggage as well as carry-ons at all 429 commercial U.S. airports. This agency screens more than 1.4 million bags a day.

Checked bags are screened either by an explosive detection system or by an explosive trace detection device. Depending upon the airport's configuration, you may or may not be able to observe this procedure. The same goes for checked bags selected for physical inspection: It may happen behind the scenes.

If a bag is opened, a Notification of Baggage Inspection is left inside by the screener. The note says, in part: "During the inspection, your bag and its contents may have been searched for prohibited items. At the completion of the inspection, the contents were returned to your bag, which was resealed." It further states that if your bag was locked and the screener had to break the lock, TSA is not responsible for damage. The note also includes TSA's Web address, e-mail address and phone number.

Once the screening is completed, the bags are routed to the airline's baggage-handling system.

Although heightened security measures have been in place since 2001, tens of thousands of travelers are still confused about airport procedures and restrictions. My mantra to the flying public is know what to expect, and know your rights.

First, I suggest buying those new Travel Sentry combination luggage locks that are approved by the TSA and can be opened during inspections by a master key. All screeners supposedly are instructed in the use of this lock, so breaking or damaging locks can be avoided. Retailing from $8 to $10 at discount stores and online vendors, these locks, with a distinctive red and white diamond-shaped logo, provide security and peace of mind to the passenger while allowing on-site inspections.

Second, do not pack valuables — cameras, jewelry, passport, cash — in your checked luggage when it is likely to be inspected out of your sight by a stranger. Also pack essentials, such as prescription medicines and glasses, in your carry-on.

Ask your carrier how early you should arrive at the airport for check-in. Your luggage may be inspected at any time and place in the airport before it leaves your custody. At the counter, you'll be asked for a photo identification card or passport if you are 18 or older. Your checked luggage may be placed on a conveyor belt at the counter, or you may be asked to take your bags to another inspection site.

During the personal-security inspection phase, travelers are expected to remove electronic and metal objects from their bodies and pockets (coins, keys, pagers, phones, rings, earrings, metal barrettes, watches, jewelry, pens). Savvy passengers seal these in a plastic bag and tuck the bag into their carry-on before sending it through the X-ray machine.

Place purse, shoes, jacket and laptop computer in a basket on the moving belt, then walk through the metal detector when signalled. Be ready by having your shoes unlaced — or, better yet, wear slip-ons. You won't be allowed to wear even rubber slippers through the metal detector.

As an extra protection against possibly ill-informed screeners questioning an allowable item, I carry with me on all trips a copy of the TSA's Permitted and Prohibited Items list that I downloaded from the agency's Web site. This works beautifully within U.S. borders to keep the feds on their toes, but the list has been rejected by Canadian, French and Danish inspectors who on three separate occasions, despite my objections, confiscated a pair of expensive blunt-nosed scissors from my cosmetic bag.

While the TSA will make allowances for people who don't want to pass through a metal detector for medical, religious or cultural reasons, no one can avoid an inspection. You may ask for a pat-down inspection as an alternative and you may ask the same-gender screener to make this personal search in a private area. Passengers wearing a head covering may be asked to remove it during the screening process, but they may request that that happen out of public view. People refusing any type of screening will not be permitted to board flights.

Passengers have a right to maintain visual contact with their belongings once these have passed through the X-ray machine. If you are selected for a personal inspection, request that your carry-on and other articles remain in your view.

TSA screeners are ordered to assist any passenger with a disability who requests assistance. The TSA instituted a training program designed by groups representing the disabled to establish guidelines that all screeners must follow. No longer are blind passengers separated from their guide dogs.

To facilitate the inspection process, TSA offers these comments and suggestions to air travelers:

• Double-check the contents of your pockets and bags, especially carry-ons, to ensure you don't have prohibited items, such as box cutters, knives, scissors, pepper spray, or explosive and flammable materials, tucked away.

• Such sports items as baseball bats, golf clubs, hockey sticks and fishing gear must be checked. Scuba tanks are not permitted on commercial airliners. Clean golf bags carefully because fertilizers used on many courses can set off explosive-trace detection equipment.

• Parents or other relatives can get permission from the airlines to accompany children to and from the gates. Children under 18 are not required to have identification card. (However, especially if you are taking advantage of special child fares or planning to seat an infant in your lap, it's best to carry a copy of the child's birth certificate, for proof of age and that you are their legal guardian.) Children and infants, too, must be screened, along with all their belongings.

• Request a hand inspection for undeveloped film packed in your carry-on. Checked baggage screening equipment may damage or destroy undeveloped film; do not pack film in checked baggage.

• If you wish to reduce handling of your items by a stranger, pack them in clear plastic bags in your checked luggage for screeners to examine.

• Wrap gifts upon arrival at your destination, as screeners may unwrap them.

Give TSA its due. The agency has a very thorough consumer-friendly Web site that provides security recommendations and answers to most questions, including what you can and cannot carry on a plane. Check it out at www.tsa.gov or www.tsatraveltips.us. Or phone (866) 289-9673; however, you will not speak with anyone, only hear a recorded message that promises to return your call but doesn't, in my experience. If you have a complaint, use the claim form (SF95) available on the TSA web site.

Irene Croft Jr. of Kona is a veteran globe-trotter. Though not a travel agent, she orchestrates worldwide trips to raise money for nonprofit organizations. Her column is published every other week.