The July 4 holiday weekend is on track to be the busiest travel period since the start of the pandemic.AAA expects 3.5 million people to travel by plane, nearly triple the amount of people who flew this time last year. The 4th of July holiday weekend is on track to be the busiest travel period since the start of the pandemic. But more people traveling through the airport could mean more trouble for already struggling airlines. American and Southwest have had to cancel or delay thousands of flights over the last few weeks.
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Traveling this summer? TSA’s screening tips can help you zip through packed airports
Wear a face mask or you may not be allowed to fly
Even if you’re vaccinated, you’ll still need to wear a mask in airports and on planes, TSA said. All passengers over the age of 2 are required to wear a face mask during the security screening process.
The only time you can take your mask off is if an officer requests that you temporarily lower the mask to confirm your identify.
If you don’t wear a mask, you could get fined, according to the TSA. Officials will recommend a fine of $250 for a first offense and up to $1,500 for repeat offenders.
“Passengers without a mask may be denied entry, boarding, or continued transport,” TSA said in a Jan. 31 news release. “Failure to comply with the mask requirement can result in civil penalties.”
Fully empty your bags before you start packing
If you start packing your bags when they are completely emptied from your last trip, you have less of a chance of bringing something through security that you didn’t mean to have.
If there’s an item that TSA has to inspect inside your bag, it’s going to keep you waiting longer.
TSA officials keep finding prohibited items in passengers’ luggage. At the Dallas Love Field and Dallas Fort Worth International airports, TSA officials have seen an increase in the number of items that aren’t allowed.
Officers found more than 100 stun guns at both airports combined from January to April of this year. TSA officials have also found firearms and flammables in luggage at airports across the country.
If you’re wondering what you can and can’t bring in a carry-on or checked bag, you can check TSA’s “What Can I Bring?” site before packing.
Think about how to avoid physical contact at security
Before you get into the TSA checkpoint line, think about how you could avoid touching additional items.
TSA said that putting any jewelry, keys or other items in your carry-on bag could help save you from dumping items into a bin at the conveyor belt. You should also know which items will need removal and what can stay in a bag.
Having an ID card ready and following the rules for transporting liquids also help make the process more speedy.
You can take up to 3.4 ounces of liquids on board a plane unless it’s hand sanitizer. You’re allowed up to 12 ounces of hand sanitizer in a carry-on bag.
Consider enrolling in TSA PreCheck
If you don’t want the hassle of going through a typical TSA checkpoint at all, you could always enroll in TSA PreCheck.
In April 2021, most passengers with PreCheck waited only five minutes.
With PreCheck, you don’t have to take off your shoes or belts, and you don’t need to remove liquids, food or laptops from your bag. You can apply online for PreCheck and enroll in person.
“Most new enrollees receive their known traveler number within five days, and membership lasts for five years,” TSA said.
What you need to know before you fly this summer
You’ll have company at 35,000 feet
To no one’s surprise, load factors — that is, how full planes are — dropped to 59% in the first 11 months of 2020, down from about 85% in 2019, Bureau of Transportation Statistics say. That means in a 143-seat 737, you would have had about 123 seats filled in 2019 and about 84 in 2020.
“Great!” you say. “Social distancing. Empty middle seats. I get to stretch my legs.”
Dream on. Most airlines no longer keep the middle seat empty. (Delta will retain that space only through the end of April.) COVID-19 and all it implies means airlines are burning cash. To slow the burn, they have cut routes and capacity to increase load factors. The equation is simple: more people, more dough.
Pent-up demand and the possibility of herd immunity by summer means more of us hope to hit the road, according to a Longwoods International survey released Feb. 9.
This survey of traveler sentiment, its 30th in the COVID-19 era, showed that 81% of respondents plan to travel in the next six months, up from 65% in mid-January.
The car trip is still king, said Amir Eylon, president and chief executive of Longwoods.
“Airline travel will rebound at a pace that will depend on the pace of vaccination, which means that it will rebound at a slower pace than auto travel,” he said in an email.
“One would expect airline travel to increase significantly in the third and fourth quarters, barring any unforeseen new challenges to travel.” That might suggest …
Buy now, save for later?
If you are thinking summer or fall for travel, consider booking by the end of March for better fares, said Scott Keyes, founder of Scott’s Cheap Flights, which chases flight deals.
Unlike pre-COVID-19 days when the fee to change a fare often wiped out the value of your ticket, today’s kinder, gentler airlines have dropped the punitive fee on most flights.
By booking now, Keyes said, you lock in the fare and don’t have to worry about taking the financial hit.
Here’s what you do have to worry about, he said: If the cost of your rebooked flight is more than what you originally paid, you must make up the difference.
If the price has dropped? Well, that depends on the airline. United, for instance, will make you pay the difference if your new fare costs more, but if it costs less, you don’t get a refund. Heads, United wins. Tails, United wins.
It’s critical, then, to check the airline’s policies on rebooking. Yes, we know fine print is not fun print, but it’s critical to avoid unpleasant surprises.
What if you decide to brave it and leave the country? Here’s a new twist that may surprise air travelers.
Mind your mask and manners
Airlines began dribbling out requirements for wearing masks on flights as last summer began. Each carrier set the rules, so they differed.
Not anymore. President Joe Biden signed an executive order last month that mandates masks on planes (as well as trains, buses, ships and public transportation). You’ll need to mask up in airports (along with train stations, bus, ship and ferry terminals).
Passengers who don’t comply will face greater penalties than landing on the carrier’s no-fly list. The Transportation Security Administration announced fines for mask miscreants starting at $250 — and topping out at $1,500. And — surprise! — if you’re a super jerk (“aggravating” or “mitigating” factors in government speak), “TSA may seek a sanction amount that falls outside these ranges,” it said in a news release.
The carriers will report the violators to the TSA.
These new mandates are in effect until May 11, but don’t be surprised if they’re extended, which would be good news for summer fliers who will be able to breathe a little easier, figuratively speaking.
