BOSTON — Will you be one of millions of Americans who will be traveling by air this holiday season?
If you are, Dan Velez, TSA spokesman for New England, has some tips for you.
Velez spoke with Boston 25′s Gene Lavanchy on Tuesday morning to discuss the annual holiday rush to get to the airport, with some travelers anticipating long lines.
Velez offered the following bits of advice to help make it a smoother experience at the airport:
Wrapped gifts: Velez advised travelers to keep gifts unwrapped until after they get through security screenings. “We do try to discourage folks from wrapping their gifts completely because sometimes, if it goes through the X-ray, we’re not sure exactly what’s inside,” he said. “Unfortunately we have to unwrap gifts.” While TSA security officers “love to unwrap” gifts, he added, “they don’t want to unwrap your gift.” The best thing to do is to wrap it on the other side of security or put it in a gift bag, something “where we don’t actually have to ruin the hard work you put into wrapping a gift,” he said.
Electronic gifts: Velez says for electronic-type gifts, you can now leave those inside of your carry on bag. “You no longer have to take them out of the bag and put them into a bin. Most of our security screening lines have computed tomography so we allow passengers to keep those electronics in their carry on bags,” he said. However, “you might go through a line where we don’t have the computer tomography or CT machines, so just make sure that you’re listening to the officer when you’re going through the line.”
Food items: A lot of travelers want to bring traditional food items, such as your loved one’s holiday foods, on board. But be cautious. Liquids and aerosols have to be 3.4 ounces or less to be in your carry on bag. “A good rule of thumb to remember is if you can spill it, spread it, spray it, pump it or pour it, and it’s over 3.4 ounces, you need to put that in your checked bag,” Velez advised. “Anything less than 3.4 ounces can easily go in your carry on bag.”
Carry-on bags vs. checked bags: More travelers are bring carry-on bags to flights, said Velez. But sometimes, if you’re one of the last people to board the airplane, there’s no room for your bag and you have to check it in. “We do recommend that if you’re going to be traveling with an abundance of items, like no people normally do during the holidays, that you do check a bag,” Velez advised. “Hopefully you’re a frequent flyer with some of the airlines and sometimes you get a free bag.”
Get to the airport early, and be kind to security: Thousands of people going through airport security on any given day during the busy holiday season and this can be stressful for travelers, and also, for security agents. “We do appreciate kindness as much as possible, especially during the holidays,” Velez said. Transportation security officers, or TSOs, have a very hard job and “it can be quite daunting at times, so please make sure that you’re patient,” he said.
Velez advised getting to the airport at least two hours before your flight. “That way you have time to park your car, check your bag, get through security screening,” he said.
Arriving early “will relieve the stress for you and it’ll also relieve the stress on our officers,” Velez said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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