Press Room

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   

Contact:  Raymond M. Flynt, President

                Travelers Aid International

                (202) 546-1127

                info@travelersaid.org

PASSENGERS CAN CONTACT TRAVELERS AID INTERNATIONAL BEFORE DEPARTING TO GET ANSWERS TO THEIR TRAVEL QUESTIONS

December 9, 2008 - Washington, DC

Holiday airline travel, while expected to be off 10 percent this year, still poses potential headaches and stress for airline travelers. “With airlines cutting seat capacity, we can expect more crowded flights,” says Ray Flynt, President / CEO of Travelers Aid International. “Coupled with unpopular bag check fees and predictions for an above-average snowy winter, travelers will need more help than ever.” Travelers Aid’s answer: PREPARE AHEAD.

Travelers Aid, a nonprofit charitable organization, also wants the traveling public to know that its national network has “help desks” at 26 North American airports, 6 train stations and 10 bus terminals, to answer travelers’ questions, provide directions, and assist travelers in trouble. With fewer resources being devoted to customer service by the transportation industry, Travelers Aid expects to help tens of thousands of passengers this holiday travel season. During 2007, Travelers Aid assisted 6.5 million passengers in transportation centers.

Travelers can call Travelers Aid help desks AHEAD OF TIME to get the information they need in order to ensure a smooth trip, such as walking distances between gates, wheelchair availability, and protective travel services for the elderly or unaccompanied minors. Local contact information is listed at www.travelersaid.org.

Travelers Aid also offers a handy communications feature called “E-HELP” on the home page of its Web site www.travelersaid.org which allows distressed travelers to type in a description of their problem and receive a prompt, individualized e-mail response from a member of the group’s trained staff.

"Furthermore,” says Flynt, "even with the best of planning, problems can develop beyond the traveler’s control. That’s where Travelers Aid steps in – with high-touch customer service during the traveler’s journey. Travelers Aid and its 2,200 volunteers stand ready to help.” Services available range from reuniting families who have become separated, to providing emergency food or shelter to stranded passengers, and even emotional counseling.

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TRAVELERS AID LOCATIONS IN NORTH AMERICAN TRANSPORTATION CENTERS

AIRPORTS

Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson

Chicago O’Hare

Dallas/Fort Worth

Denver International

Detroit Metropolitan Airport DTW

Houston (Hobby)

Houston (Bush Intercontinental)

Jacksonville

Las Vegas McCarran

Los Angeles (LAX)

Milwaukee

New York City (JFK)

Newark Liberty

Newport News/Williamsburg

Oklahoma City

Ontario (CA)

Orlando

Phoenix Sky Harbor

Pittsburgh

San Diego

San Francisco

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Tampa

Toronto, Canada

Washington Dulles

Washington Reagan National

Boston, MA

Los Angeles, CA

Philadelphia, PA

San Diego, CA

Toronto, Canada

Washington, DC 

Atlanta, GA

Charlotte, NC

Montgomery, AL

New Orleans, LA

Oakland, CA

Philadelphia, PA

Pittsburgh, PA

St. Louis, MO

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Washington, DC (nearby)

About Travelers Aid

Travelers Aid, the oldest, non-sectarian social welfare organization in the United States, has become known as the “Number One name in airport customer assistance.” In 2007, TA assisted 6.5 million individuals at transportation centers and provided casework services to an additional 200,000 individuals in crisis. While each of its 51 member agency shares the core service of helping stranded travelers, many Travelers Aid agencies provide shelter for the homeless, transitional housing, job training, counseling, local transportation assistance and other programs to help people in their communities who encounter crises as they journey through life.

Travelers Aid International

1612 K Street NW, Suite 206, Washington DC  20006

P. (202) 546-1127   F. (202) 546-9112

www.travelersaid.org

"A Helping Hand Along the Way"

___________________                                                               

Martha A. Morris

Director of Development & Communications

1612 K Street NW

Ste. 206

Washington DC 20006

p. 202-546-0599

f. 202-546-9112

www.travelersaid.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Henry Guthard, Director of Development

               Travelers Aid Society of Metropolitan Detroit

               (313) 962-6740

               henry@tasmd.org

IMPORTANT TIPS FOR AIR TRAVEL DURING THE HOLIDAYS

December 8, 2008 - Detroit, MI     

Air travel congestion and delays can be expected to be especially heavy during the holiday travel season this year. Despite a difficult economy the airlines industry anticipates that millions of passengers will again  be traveling nationwide.

Tips have been submitted by Travelers Aid International managers from airports throughout the U.S. to help air passengers complete their travels more efficiently and smoothly. When making your plans be sure to check www.travelersaid.org.

We are pleased to put these tips together for the traveling public:

PLANNING

The secret to successful travel is planning, planning, planning. Planning starts at home with research before you leave.

• Fly early in the day. It’s often cheaper, easier to get a seat, and if there are delays you will probably still get out the same day. Even better: Fly on the actual holiday.
• Go to the www.tsa.gov web site and understand the security regulations.
• Other valuable sites are www.flightarrivals.com as well as www.flightstats.com. 
• Review the web sites of the airports you will be traveling through to check on the location of gates and the amount of walking you will need to do. In Detroit you can check out www.metroairport.com.
• Give copies of your itinerary to: 1) person to be called in the event of emergency; 2) someone you can call if you forget the details; and 3) the people picking you up at your destination
• Call the airline to confirm your flight status and permissible size of carry on luggage
• If you are sending an unaccompanied minor on a flight, arrange for ‘unaccompanied minor handling’ with the airline and pay the fee. It is well worth it.
• Travelers in wheelchairs: Do not presume that the airline or the airport can readily assist you unless you have made prior arrangements with the airline.

DRESSING AND PACKING

• You may bring only one carry-on and one personal item, such as a purse, laptop computer or briefcase
• Pack undeveloped film and cameras with film in them in your carry-on baggage only
• Wear slip-on shoes
• Don’t wear heavy belt buckles or chunky jewelry
• Don’t pack your laptop computer in your checked luggage. Cargo holds can be punishing and crack cases or damage screens.
• If you lock your checked bag, use a TSA-approved lock with the red diamond symbol. Better: do not lock your bag.
• Pack your clothes in large zip-lock bags to simplify a possible hand search of your luggage
• Label your bags – checked and carry-on -- with your name, address and phone number, both inside and out
• Place books and shoes in different areas of your luggage. Having them condensed all in one place can set off the screening machine alarms.
• Put a number in your cell phone called “Home” or “Emergency contact.” If you lose your phone, this is the first logical place people will look for a number to call.

CARRY-ON ALLOWED ITEMS

• Prescriptions in their original containers. It is recommended that patient names on the labels match the boarding pass. If it does not, be prepared to explain why.
• Non-prescription medications necessary for the duration of the trip
• Baby formula and baby food – but only if the baby is traveling with you! Limited to the amount needed to reach your destination.
• Laptops, cell phones, electronic games
• Matches (safety matches only). No lighters in carry-on bag or on your person.
• Solid lip balm or solid lipstick. No liquid or gel lip gloss.
• Bring an extra zip-lock bag (or two) and place your change, keys and cell phone in them at the security checkpoint

PARKING AT THE AIRPORT

• Before leaving for the airport, call the airport (not the airline) if it has a “parking hotline” to check the availability of parking
• Write down your parking location and take it with you. Turn your lights off.

MEETING PASSENGERS AT THE AIRPORT

• Some airports now have “cell phone lots” where you can wait for an arriving passenger, so they can call you when they arrive
• Make sure you have the airline name, flight number and connecting city of your arriving party. If their flight is delayed or missed, it will be virtually impossible to track them down without this information.
• Designate a specific spot to meet your party. You cannot go to the gate.
• If you are meeting a child, disabled or elderly passenger, you may be able to go to the gate, but you will have to go to the airline’s check-in counter to get permission first

SECURITY SCREENING

• LIQUIDS: 3-ounce bottles in one one-quart clear, plastic zip-top bag.
  • Nothing else will be accepted! Pack this bag before you leave home – security staff will not supply them to you!
  • At the checkpoint, have your bag ready to place in the bin or on conveyor belt
• You must declare larger-size liquids, such as baby formula. Be ready when you get to the security checkpoint.
• Take off your jacket and sweater and place them in your carry-on before you get to the checkpoint.
• Have your boarding pass and your photo ID ready
• Take your laptop computer out of the case and expect to turn it on. Do not pack it deep in your carry-on.
• Bringing a prohibited item to security – even accidentally – is illegal!
• Reclaim your items as quickly as possible after they have been x-rayed
• After clearing security, you may bring beverages and other items purchased in the secure boarding area and take them on-board your flight.
• Holidays are major theft periods. Do not wander away from your bags. When you are standing at the baggage claim carousel, hand your bags to a friend or relative or hold onto them while you are waiting.

INTERNATIONAL

TRAVEL TIPS

• Check U.S. State Department consul information at www.travel.state.gov
• Write your name, address, phone number and emergency contacts in pencil on page 5 of your passport
• Make copies of your drivers license, passport, birth certificates and other travel documents and carry them in different parts of your bags
• Put your name and phone number on your cameras, small electronics, etc.
• Travel with extra zip-lock bags
• Confirm luggage size and weight restrictions with your airline before packing. Some carriers are refusing luggage over 50 pounds. Do not assume you can check extra or overweight bags.
• If you are flying on a charter, find out the actual carrier’s name for check-in counter and gate. Same for “code share” flights.

AND FINALLY,

ARRIVE EARLY, NO LESS THAN:

90 minutes prior to departure

2 hours for international flights -- no matter what your travel agent says!

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