Its that time of year again, when corporate travelers run for cover and want to hide under their undersized seats. Yes, its Spring Break!
Spring Break week varies from region to region around the country, resulting in hundreds of thousands of people flocking to a quick vacation in Cancun, a cruise out of Florida or just somewhere fun and warm. Families and older teenagers leaving home for their first parent free vacation are everywhere, going to or coming from their holiday break. Flights are full of people who don’t fly very often, navigating their way thru the security lines with their baby carriages, large carry-ons, and crying babies. Then there is the unlucky Corporate Traveler who has no choice but to travel in this timeframe.
Here are some pointers to making your business trip a bit easier:
- Get to the airport earlier than usual as you know you will not be flying thru security lines easily. When arriving at security, scout the lines that have no families in them – some airports actually have lines just for business travelers.
- If you don’t have the status for free Premium seating (or a Corporate Frosch agent who may be able to arrange it complimentary), purchase the premium seat: you won’t regret it.
- Never check luggage (which you should not be doing anyway if you are a true Road Warrior).
- Surrender to the fact it may be a long travel day, and don’t stress out about it.
Another way to expedite your way thru the airport is TSA Pre✓™ , a program that is in some markets presently and will be broadly available later this year. Essentially you are pre-screened by the TSA by registering and meeting the requirements ahead of time, and you then receive a PASS ID number which is provided to the airlines along with your regular TSA information (birthday and legal name) each time you purchase a ticket. The PASS ID is then embedded in your boarding pass bar code, allowing you to fly thru the Expedited Screen Lanes at participating airports. For more information on this, visit the TSA website.
By Debra Burman-Gisby