Scott Mueller worked as a baggage specialist in the airline industry for nearly 20 years before he could start telling people his real advice on how to get their luggage from point A to point B.
“One of the biggest things, the thing that causes people to go to the hospital, is to never put medication you need in a checked bag,” Mueller said. “Way too often, that bag gets delayed or never arrives ... my airline had to rush more bags to more people than I would’ve liked to see.”
In another time line, one where air travel remained a rare luxury with free drinks and plenty of leg room, Mueller’s new book, “The Empty Carousel: A Consumer’s Guide to Checked and Carry-On Luggage,” would never need to exist.
But anyone who has started planning or even thinking about visiting relatives or taking a short vacation this holiday season should know by now that they live in the real world. Juggling frequent flier miles, multiple airline transfers, the impossible calculus of ticket pricing — a few minutes into it, and it hardly feels like a get-away any more.
But Mueller and other veterans of the industry have heard your questions, and your complaints, many times before, and have some advice to help you get more and stress less about your holiday travel plans. Collected here are a few pieces of their tips and wisdom.
Jeff Stolar, owner of Lewiston’s Gorge Travel, gets the most obvious, but most important, advice out of the way first: Book early, no matter where you’re going or which way you’re traveling.
“So many more people travel over the holiday season now, by air, by train,” he said. “There are very distinct price, or seating, advantages ... I would say (the markup) is a good 30 percent if you wait until just before you leave.”
Along with avoiding prices, flipping a few pages ahead in the calendar can help prevent headaches.
Also, the peak travel season brings peak delays. Leaving yourself only the minimum amount of time between flights, or allowing yourself only the time that your Internet mapping service suggests, is a recipe for stress and a lot of apologies. Fliers should also consider trying to find connections, or even arrivals, at less-busy airports.
The simplest explanation of why passengers don’t always get their luggage on arrival is that there are more people flying now than the airports and airlines were designed to handle, Mueller said. As such, there isn’t a special reason some bags don’t make it onto the right planes — they just never arrive, marked as “bags left off.”
Still, any passenger can reduce their chances of being left off or having their checked bag otherwise misplaced. The first step is putting sturdy name tags — not the flimsy string-and-paper contraptions available at the ticket counter — on every bag.
Next up is making your luggage unique and identifiable. Put a legal-size sheet of paper with your name, phone number and itinerary in a zipper-locked bag and put it on top of your items in the bag, and add a ribbon or colored tape to your bag to make it easy to spot and distinguish at baggage claim.
Mueller also suggested always telling the check-in clerk to check your bags to your final destination. And if you are asked to check a valuable or fragile item once you are already on the plane, ask for the “PNR” — or personal name record — of the flight attendant, pilot and gate agent to avoid problems if you need to claim damage later.
Finally, every airline traveler should check out the Transporation Security Administration’s Web site at least once before departing. Head to www.tsa.gov and click on the “For Travelers” link.
Ron Luczak, owner of Buffalo-based The Travel Team agency, said he advises clients to make sure their cell phone is fully charged, and off when not necessary, to be prepared for delays and closures.
That’s because waiting in line to be re-booked after a cancellation can take longer than a phone call to your travel agent or the airline itself.
Cruises have become an increasingly popular way for extended families to reunite without putting a burden on any one home. Having said that, anyone traveling on a cruise should sign up for their passport, if they don’t have one already, immediately after booking.
As for gifts, Luczak said it’s hardly ever worth the trouble to bring them on a plane, so mailing ahead of time is best. But if you must bring something, don’t wrap it.
If looking at your flight schedule, driving directions or just the calendar leaves you with a sense of dread, try looking at other options for relaxing or seeing relatives.
Jerry Waldkoetter, owner of The Way To Go Tours in North Tonawanda, notes that travel by inter-city motor coach — basically a bus outfitted with a plane’s amenities — can be a relaxing way to check out destinations around the northeast, such as December tours of Victorian homes tours in Maine.
One could always try hosting a holiday for the first time, or simply decide to enjoy their own household and set aside time to make phone calls. If relatives complain, tell them Mueller’s anecdote about lost medications, and remember that there will always be other holidays.
Contact reporter Kevin Purdy at 693-1000 ext. 107.
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