Fly Responsibly
You might be surprised at the number of people who have not been on an airplane in the past few years. Those of us who have flown have, for the most part, learned to take the ever-increasing security measures in stride. Put yourself in the position, however, of someone who has not been on an airplane since 9/11. Imagine how rude an awakening you’d be in for. That’s the position a surprising number of your customers are in.
To start with, traveling by air these days requires a lot more understanding and patience than it once did. A security checkpoint, for example, is no place for one of your group members to be throwing a hissy fit over having to take off his or her shoes. If you want to avoid embarrassment and delay, make certain all your travelers are up to speed on the new realities of air travel.
Baggage Restrictions: First, the obvious: Nothing remotely resembling a weapon in carry-on luggage. For that matter, it may be a good idea to keep anything that looks like a knife out of all your baggage. Trauma shears are a better alternative.
Among the biggest changes in air travel that impacts divers is the reduction of the domestic weight allowance by most carriers from two 70-pound bags to two 50-pound bags. The good news is, most carriers will still allow you to check two 70-pound bags on international flights. The catch is, what if you or your customers have to connect via a domestic flight on another carrier?
Make sure you and your travelers know ahead of time exactly what baggage weight restrictions apply. Get it in writing (such as the information printed on ticket envelopes of pages printed from a carrier’s website). I’ve had instances where I had to show paperwork proving to gate agents that their company would, in fact, allow me to take the bags I had with me.
It’s also a good idea to get customers to weigh their packed bags before taking them to the airport. Doing so can help avoid unpleasant surprises at the ticket counter. Remember that overweight luggage not only incurs additional fees, it may be held back if a flight is heavily booked. An 80-pound gear bag that arrives at the dock a day after your liveaboard leaves isn’t going to do you or your customers much good.
Early Check-In: The days of being able to get to the airport at the last minute are over — especially for international travel. On some carriers, if you arrive at the gate less than an hour before departure, you may discover your reservation has been cancelled — even if it was pre-paid.
Find out how far in advance the airline wants you at the terminal and be there with time to spare. It is better to find yourself waiting at the airport for an additional hour before your flight leaves than to be scrambling around, looking for alternate transportation once you find yourself bumped. Make sure your customers know this.
Security: As you pass through security at most airports these days, you can quickly tell the experienced travelers from the clueless. The latter:
- Does not have passports and other travel documents readily accessible for inspection.
- Is hand carrying too many loose items, in too disorganized a manner, to pass through security quickly.
- Has items in their carry-on luggage that looks suspicious in x-rays.
- Tries to pass through metal detectors with pocket change, cell phones, metal belt buckles and other items which set the detectors off.
- Has not packed their carry-on luggage in such a manner as to make laptops, camcorders, etc., easily removable to go through the x-ray machine separately.
- Wears shoes that do not go off and on easily.
Make sure all your travelers know what to expect at security, so that not only will they avoid delays, they won’t inconvenience others as well.
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