Christopher Elliot noted on his blog that “Baggage complaints are soaring in the aftermath of the gel and liquid semi-ban, and one airline, British Airways, has even said its earnings will be affected by the combustible-liquid threat”

This does not surprise me at all, though I suspect that the affected earnings may have to do more with the additional cost of handling the baggage complaints, than the increased security. Here is my own experience…
 
I have recently returned from a vacation where my (and my girlfriend’s) luggage was lost on the way to Scotland by British Airways. We were not the only ones on our flight with this experience- in fact there was a line-up of people who were missing bags. Incredibly, my sister, who was also traveling on British Airways on different dates, also had her baggage lost. But in her case it was on her return flight to Canada. I have had airlines lose my luggage before, but in my previous experiences it has taken the airlines one or two days to get the luggage back to me. In this case it took four days; which is not a fun way to start a vacation.
 
The worst part about arriving somewhere with no luggage is that you have no toiletries or change of clothes, and the ban on gels and liquids just aggravates the situation as it has forced you to check-in pretty much everything. So the day after arriving, instead of getting to play tourist, we went shopping- wasting one of our seven days in Scotland at the local mall.
 
Having returned home from our holiday, we now have go through the fun process of claiming money back from British Airways. Even though it is clear that they lost our bags and that we only claimed 150 British pounds between 2 of us(not an unreasonable amount considering that 2 people did not get bags for 4 days); British Airways is telling us that it takes 6-8 weeks to process the claim.

So, I don’t know how much additional money the security threats cost the airlines, but certainly the cost of finding the luggage, delivering it to its destination, and compensating clients, who have had their trips affected by lost luggage, must be a substantial sum.

Here are a couple of pointers about luggage:
1- Tag your luggage properly. This means to have a tag around the handle of your luggage and also your name and address inside the bag- just incase the baggage handling tag gets ripped off- I usually leave a business card in one of the pockets which includes my cell phone number. 
2- Keep your receipts, if your luggage gets lost and you do have to buy clothes, toiletries, or anything else make sure to keep the receipts, because when you go to claim money back the airlines will ask for them.
3- Pack anything valuable in plastic bags- when my sister got her luggage back finally after three days, the suitcase, and all of the contents, were completely soaked. She had some photographs which would have been ruined had they not been wrapped in plastic.

Here are a couple of ideas that a friend of mine gave me for saving time at airports. I knew he was a good person to ask because he hates waiting in line: 

1.    If you happen to travel through the same airport often,get a few copies of the customs forms and fill them out in advance, in order not to delay your lineup.

2.    If you have a way to fast-track customs, do so. In Canada we haveCanpass which will make your trip through Canadian customs much faster, as you get to bypass the regular lineup. There is another program called Nexus, which is currently being trialled at Vancouver airport. Nexus is a joint program between Canadian and US customs authorities to allow travellers from either country to fast-track.

3.    If you are flying on a short trip, do not check any luggage.

My friend uses Canpass and loves it. He says that he now avoids the big lineup at customs, and that he does not get stopped any more than usual. I am going to try it out and let you know what I think…

One of the most common problems you will face while traveling across times zones is jet-lag. Because your body is not accustomed to the new time you will feel tired and worn down for a couple days. If you are traveling to a different time zone, here are a couple of tips that can help to ease the suffering of jet-lag…..

1.    Try and get your body on to the new time one or 2 days before your travel. I typically go to bed around midnight. As I am five hours behind U.K. time, when I travel to the UK, I try to go to bed at 7 p.m. for one or two nights before I set off, and start my day at three or four a.m. This way, my body has already started to adjust to the new time by the time I get to my destination. Similarly, while I am in the U.K.; before I begin my return to Canada, I try to stay up until 4 or 5 a.m., so that my body is already starting to adjust back to the right time by the time I get back home.  

2.    Try anti jet-lag pills- you can find these in many pharmacies and in airports, though they cost more at the airport. I have found them to be quite effective. 

3.    Take advantage of early check-in. nowadays most airlines will let you check in to your flight online 24hrs before you fly. This can get you a better seat and will speed up your process at the airport. Better seat= more comfortable travel= more rest= less jetlag.

4.    Before you check-in early, in order to help you evaluate which seats are better than others, have a look at http://www.seatguru.com/.

Additional ways to find miles and points

Here is an idea for all of you collectors of airmiles or points. I am a big believer in getting as many points as possible, as long as it does not interfere with your normal spending pattern.

The idea is- when you about to buy something, there is a quick and easy way to check that you are getting as many points as you can-

1. By checking the website of the points or miles program and
2. Another way is by checking at the website of the place you are going to buy from.

Here is an example of each of these that I use:

For the first one, I love books and I read a lot. I usually buy my books online (either at Amazon or at Chapters/Indigo) because of their selection and price. As I am also an Airmiles collector, from visiting the Airmiles.ca website I have found that I can go to http://www.airmilesshops.ca/, go in to the Amazonwebsite from there, and collect additional Airmiles on the same books at the same prices that I would be buying them at anyway. This also works for dell.ca and a bunch of other online retailers. 
 
Here is an example of the second kind. Many people like the fact that Airmiles can be collected in stores like grocery stores, pharmacies. However, to be aware of all of the opportunities, you should check the website of your favorite store. I happen to shop at a grocery store called IGA for most of my groceries because a) it’s near to where I live, and b) I can collect Airmiles. It is well known that you can collect Airmiles there as the cashier will always ask fir your card, however, it is not very well known that lGA has an online flyer every week at www.iga.net that can give you extra Airmiles if you print out a coupon online and use it at the store. It may not always be useful as the coupon requires the purchase of a specific item or of a certain amount of groceries, but if you are going to go there anyhow it is worth it to look before you go.

The check only takes a couple of minutes… why not do it?

If you are going to be renting cars for any of your travels- here are some tips to keep in mind:

1.    Check all available rental companies from your pickup location- especially if you are renting at an airport or other place with multiple rental companies- there can be quite a difference in price between companies. During my last trip to scotland I save 100 pounds (200 dollars) on the same sized car by choosing enterprise over avis (who I usually rent from). An easy way to do this comarison is on sites such as expedia.

2.    If you are unfamiliar with the area, rent a car with gps- and use it. This will help you immensely in finding where you want to go. If you have not used this technology before, you type in the address of your destination and a small computer will give you step by step directions of how to get there. The best feature of using GPS is the fact that if you happen to miss a turn that the computer recommends, it will automatically recalculate another route to our destination.

3.    Rent a car using a credit card which will cover your collision insurance. This will save you a lot of money as insurance can easily double the price of your car rental. Bring proof of collision insurance with you. As there are many different credit cards with many different options , and as not all companies are familiar with credit card options, bring proof of this collision insurance with you, or be prepared for the rental agent to call up your credit card company.

4.    Before you leave on your trip, check if you will need an international driver’s license. Depending on the place you will rent your car, this may be required. They are usually easy to pick up in your home town and are not expensive.

5.    When the rental agent asks you if you will bring the car back with a full tank, get them to explain what they charge for gas. Some rental companies charge the regular gas price to bring the tank back to the same gas level you started with and others will chrge you for a full tank whether you bring it back empty or half full. If you are lucky enough to be renting with the first type of company you will not need to worry about filling up the tank before you return the car. If you have the second type- better to bring it back full. The rental agent will usually tell you what makes more sense

Airports used to be a relaxed place to spend some time before you travel or while you transit…. but due to recent events they are fast becoming some of the most miserable places to spend a few precious hours of your life…. Here are six tips to help you take the stress out of airports.

1.    Firstly, take advantage of early check-in. nowadays most airlines will let you check in to your flight online 24hrs before you fly. This can get you a better seat and will speed up your process at the airport.

2.    Check in everything that you can unless you really need the item during the flight – I have seen so many people carrying large bags all around airport, what for? Airports are big places which typically require a lot of walking- you will often have to carry you bag for a while, so make it as light as possible. Ideally in many cases I don’t have any carry-on bags at all. Whenever you are passing through an airport, try to wear a coat with pockets, you can carry small things in it (I usually have a book), and it will also make your life a lot easier passing through the security check.

3.    When you pass through the security screening, you then only have to take your items from your pants pockets and put them into your coat. Do not forget to take your watch off as that may also set off the metal detector. I constantly see people waiting in line for 10 minutes in order to start emptying their pockets when they arrive at the front and they are surprised when they have to pass back through the detector three or four times because they forget to take everything out.

4.    Another tip about the security screening- try to wear the right type of shoes- this usually means shoes with soles that have been glued- not nailed, or shoes that do not have large metal lace hooks- both of which can set off the metal detector. Many airports now ask everybody to remove their shoes.

5.    If you have lounge access- use it. As a minimum you can use the lounge to get free bottles of water. If you do not have lounge access try to find a comfortable corner of the airport to relax. I have a Priority Pass, which gives me lounge access in almost any airport. As a frequent traveler it has been very worthwhile.

6.    Lastly, remember that you do not need to be the first one on the plane… as long are in the waiting area at the right time, the plane is not going to leave without you – if the airline cannot find you they actually have to unpack your luggage from the plane. They do not want to do this so they give people a good chance to arrive before they would not let you on. It never ceases to amaze me that many people will wait in line eagerly to get to their seat as soon as possible- then have to wait for everybody else.

I hope these few ideas help your next airport visit.