6 January 2009 E-MAIL SEARCH Home Page Newsroom From the Top Business Buzz Marketing Mix Financial Focus Management Matters PR Points Web Wisdom Industry Reports Business Glossary Resources U.S. Gov. Resources      The New Travel Equation   This month marks two years since the events now referred to as 9/11. The events have left an indelible imprint on the world in general, and the United States in particular. Here I look at the effect of 9/11 on air travel in the United States. See the View from the States archive for Mark Dollinger's view on aspects of doing business in the United States. Quite naturally, a significant number of changes over the past two years have centered on air travel, and more specifically, airports. The U.S. government set up sweeping changes to make airports (and by extension, air travel) safer. Implementation of some of these changes has been more successful than others. While the changes are supposed to be for every airport around the United States, in reality there is great variance in how things are handled. What I describe here only touches on some of the most obvious changes. Travel stories these days usually include airport tales as well, since the real trip begins even before the plane takes off. Check-in. While the most convenient way to check-in is to use the self-service check-in kiosks available in most airports, be prepared. You may use these only if you are flying on an e-ticket. You may use the kiosks even if you are checking bags (remember that all baggage is x-rayed). If you must check-in at the ticket counter, be prepared for lengthy waits at the busy airports (30–45 minutes or more). One way to decrease the wait is to establish an "elite" or "preferred" status with an airline (or traveling with someone that has the status). Most airlines maintain separate lines for their preferred fliers. A word about curbside check-in. Most airports allow curbside check-in if you are flying within the United States on an e-ticket. Curbside check-in can save you a lot of time in busy airports — particularly if you do not have elite status with the airline. The rules about whether you need to wait with your bags or not varies from airport to airport — and if your bags have been "randomly" selected for more intense inspection. Most airlines now enforce weight limits and sizes, however, the limits vary from airline to airline. A two-bag limit for checked bags is usually enforced with fees assessed for additional bags. (Preferred customers are sometimes allowed to check oversize or overweight bags without additional fees.) As for carry-ons, typically you are allowed two, but they must fit in the overhead storage or under the seat in front of you. Security checks. Most screening is performed as you enter the secure side of the terminal, near the gate in smaller airports or at the start of the concourse in larger ones. These waits vary tremendously. In a smaller airport, such as Kansas City, the wait for the security check may average just 10 to 15 minutes. In bustling airports like Los Angeles, Chicago, or Atlanta, it is not uncommon for the security check lines to take up to 45 minutes. Laptops. Most security checks at U.S. airports still require that laptops be removed from their cases and run through the x-ray machine separately. Sometimes you are asked to step out of line so the laptop can be examined by hand. On occasion, you may even be asked to turn on the laptop. Shoes. Many security checks at airports now include removing your shoes and running them through the x-ray machine, too. So, I offer two pieces of advice: (1) wear shoes you can take off and put on easily, and (2) wear clean socks! Profiling. The official position of the United States is that profiling by race or ethnicity is illegal. However, they can and do profile by destination. Traveling to or from certain countries — including Israel — seems to raise a red flag. Every time I have flown to Israel, I receive a secondary security check and usually a bag check. When I travel with our Israeli clients, they are almost always selected for what they are told is a "random" security check. At the departure gate. Most airports no longer conduct additional body and bag checks at the gate (but, again, this varies greatly from airport to airport). In addition, some airports do not require an ID before boarding, but others, Los Angeles, for example, still do check IDs at the gate. Meeting someone at the airport. These meetings must occur on the non-secure side of the airport. (The only exception is if you reserved a meeting room at one of the airline clubs or have a boarding pass for that terminal for that day.) If someone is picking you up in a car, it is usually easier for the person to park and meet you in the baggage claim area. At almost every airport, police no longer allow anyone to wait in their car at the curb for more than a minute or two. The "Timeline" Travel these days boils down to one issue: time. It just takes more time to get through the check-in, security maze. As most airlines recommend, arrive at least 90 minutes prior to a U.S. domestic flight. Add additional time for the following: You are flying on a one-way ticket. At some airlines, multiple visit USA (VUSA) tickets seem like one-way tickets! You are traveling on a non-U.S. passport. You need to check-in at the ticket counter. You are flying internationally. You are traveling with a machine prototype. Whenever possible, I recommend that you send any materials for your market trip well ahead of the trip. The reason for this is that customs checks are much more frequent. Once customs chooses to check a shipment, they completely control the timeline. A shipment can be stuck at customs for days to weeks depending on the workload at the particular location. Last but not least, a factor beyond your control:a the weather (on both ends of your flight). Bad weather delays everything from check-in and security to flight schedules. The Take-Away Travel Lessons Air travel in the United States has changed in ways that make it far more time consuming. Rules are changing constantly, so if you are unsure about some aspect of your travel, ask. Plan ahead — whether it's applying for a visa (see Lee Cohen's article, Vis-?-vis visas) or sending material prior to your trip. And the most important travel lesson: be patient. If you have any marketing questions that you would like me to address in a future column, or have a comment about this column, drop me a line. Mark Dollinger President Trendlines America ©2002–2008 Trendlines International Ltd. All rights reserved. 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