Travel Security:
AIRLINE
Travel Safety Tips

Travel Security for airlines has ever-changing precautions.

Travelers have bought post-9/11 shoes (slip-ons, no metal), bags (bigger, more compartments), even bras (no underwire) to smooth the ride through security. People have stopped wearing knee braces and removed medical devices rather than deal with a strip search at security. Carry the identification card showing the tiny X-ray to prove it really is the knee replacement setting off the sensor. The adjustments are constant.
Excerpted from The New York Times – 11 September 2003

Confusing security: The TSA has been screening every checked bag at U.S. airports, but the way they do so varies from airport to airport. John DiScala, CEO of the JohnnyJet.com travel Web site, says "It's driving me nuts. I'm a travel expert, and I have no idea of what's going on." ... Other travelers try to avoid checking luggage. They send bags ahead via delivery service or limit themselves to carry-ons. For other tips, see www.tsatraveltips.us.
Excerpted from USA TODAY – 25 July 2003

Travel Safety Tips

• Never leave your luggage unattended or accept packages from strangers. Don't exchange items between bags while waiting for customs or security screenings.

• Locks on luggage aren't secure, so don't pack valuables in your checked luggage. Consider using nylon filament tape around your suitcase in case the lock breaks.

• Be alert at security checkpoints. Never put your things on the conveyor belt until you're sure you can immediately pass through to retrieve them. Teams of thieves watch for opportunities there.

• Airport staff will ask you about your luggage. Know what you are carrying and be ready to describe any electronics.

• Make sure your luggage is tagged properly so it will reach its final destination. See FlyAOW.com for a list of current airport codes. Also have your name, state, country, and phone number prominently secured on the outside (and inside) of each piece of luggage. But do NOT include your home address; some baggage handlers note the address on luggage going to distant locales, then send friends to rob that home. It happens. Why risk it?

• Better yet, ship your luggage ahead: worldwide door-to-door courier services such as UPS and FedEx charging fees as low as US$40 save you an average total of 2.5 hours hassling at airport baggage check-in and baggage claims. You’ll also avoid the common problems of lost luggage and the many thieving airline baggage employees who pick luggage locks and zippers undetected. It's quite common.

AIRPLANE TRAVEL SECURITY

DETROIT – Christmas Day – They heard a pop like fireworks. They saw a glow of flame and smoke. And that was enough for passengers on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 to pounce. Dutch tourist Jasper Schuringa jumped to extinguish a fire ignited by a Nigerian man, Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab. Schuringa didn’t wait for a crewmember or an air marshal to act. ... Aviation safety experts once would have called Schuringa's actions a mistake and cautioned passengers against fighting back during crises in the air. That was before the Sept. 11 attacks and the passengers on United Flight 93, who learned while aloft about the hijacked jets that earlier that day destroyed the World Trade Center. ... They revolted against the terrorists who had hijacked their flight and died when their plane crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pa. But they succeeded in keeping the jet from destroying another building that day, and their story became legend. ... Schuringa joins the passengers on United 93 and others who have leapt into action since 9/11. Soon afterward, passengers and crewmembers flying from Paris to Miami overpowered Briton Richard Reid as he tried to ignite explosives hidden in his shoes. ... Passengers aren't only responding to obvious acts of terror. In April 2008, passengers stopped a drunken man after he attacked a crewmember on a trip to Los Angeles. In June 2009, two off-duty officers handcuffed a traveler who attacked a crewmember on a flight to Los Angeles. ... Aggressive intervention has become the new societal norm.
Excerpted from Yahoo News – 26 December 2009

If hijackers are wielding sharp-edged weapons, a passenger can grab a seat cushion as a shield or wrap a jacket around his arm and hand to deflect a blade. If you merely defend, you're likely to lose. You must attack the criminal and help the flight attendants. Even small movements like throwing objects or hot liquids at a hijacker could save lives. Use anything from belts used as whips to serving carts to ram him. Overwhelm him with the sheer number of passengers. See Survival Options - Hostage-Taking and Fighting Options - Weapons for Improvised Weapons.

TRAVEL SECURITY
The Best Portable Burglar Alarm Equipment and Personal Safety Devices

Vacation Safety Tips for wherever you go:

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