Packing SmartWritten by Laura Quarantiello
Editors: The following article is offered for free use, provided The Resource Box is included.PACKING SMART By Laura Quarantiello © Tiare Publications Group 343 words It's one of most embarrassing things that can happen to you in a security line at airport: a hand search of your luggage. Security officers may have seen something suspicious on screening machine, or you may have been chosen for a random search; either way, your personal items are about to be removed from your luggage and displayed for everyone in immediate vicinity to see. While there's really no way to avoid random luggage searches, there are ways to make your luggage less suspicious and easier for security to check. - Use heavy-duty plastic bags to pack personal items such as shampoo, toothpaste and other personals. See-through Baggies help security check your packed items quicker without having to remove everything. - Pack small items and plastic Baggies on top of clothes so they can be seen and evaluated quickly. - Avoid packing radios, compact disc players, pagers, or laptop computers, especially in carry-on luggage. These often set off screening machines and may cause a hand search of luggage. If you bring electronics with you, keep them separate from your luggage until you pass through security, and be prepared to demonstrate that they work.
| | How Safe Is Flying Today?Written by Laura Quarantiello
Editor: The following article is offered for your free use provided The Resource Box is included. HOW SAFE IS FLYING TODAY? By Laura Quarantiello © Tiare Publications Group 440 wordsMore than a year after September 11th attacks, many travelers are still wary of boarding commercial aircraft for fear of further terrorist activity. Though government has taken steps to increase air travel safety - including creating of Transportation Security Administration (TSA), placing sky marshals aboard aircraft, and requiring that all airport security in this country be handled by federal employees - they have stopped short of deeming air travel safe, saying that they cannot offer public a blanket guarantee of protection. So how safe is flying today? Should you be concerned next time you step aboard a commercial airliner? Safety at United States airports is better than it ever has been. Only ticketed passengers are now allowed past security checkpoints and all passengers are required to show a government-issued identification card (such as a driver's license or military ID) at ticket counter, security checkpoint, and boarding gate. More passengers and their carry-on luggage are being searched and screened before boarding. Carry-on bags have been limited to one piece plus one personal item per passenger and no knives, box cutters, or other sharp objects are allowed. More explosives detection machines are in place to check luggage and government is moving toward having all bags screened by end of year. A program known as CAPPS (Computer Assisted Prescreening System) is being used at many airports to identify suspicious passengers who are then taken aside and thoroughly searched. There is no question that new security measures have raised safety level. Everyone from skycaps to security officers to flight attendants is now more aware of potential for trouble and are on alert both for suspicious passengers and questionable items in baggage. It is this level of awareness, more than anything else, that makes flying one of safest means of travel there is.
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