Pre-Flight Checklist

Check with your airline or travel agent

• To determine how early to arrive at the airport. Recommended check-in times differ by airline and airport.

• To determine whether you need a boarding pass and photo identification to enter the passenger checkpoint.

• Inquire about any limits the airline has on the size, weight, or number of checked bags. (There is no single federal standard.) Most domestic carriers today will only allow two checked bags for free. If you have more than two bags per passenger or your bag weighs more than the airline allows, you will be required to pay an excess baggage charge. It is important to check with your airline carrier to be aware of their policies before traveling.

• Inquire about your flight: different airplanes can have different limits. If you are using more than one airline for a trip, check on all of them.

Check with your airport

• To confirm which parking lots are open if you will be parking at the airport. Some lots may be closed for security reasons. Be sure to allow extra time for parking and shuttle transportation.

Before going on vacation

• If you are going on vacation, give a friend or relative a copy of your itinerary and phone numbers where you can be reached in case of an emergency.

• Remember to stop your paper and mail. Let a neighbor know you will be away. Use a timer switch to turn lights on and off in your house.

Check to make sure you:

• Don't check in at the last minute. Even if you make the flight, your bag may not.

• Bring a boarding pass, ticket, or ticket confirmation, such as a printed itinerary, as well as a government-issued photo ID. Children under the age of 18 do not require an ID. At some airports, only boarding passes will be accepted to enter the passenger checkpoint.

• Bring evidence verifying you have a medical implant or other device if it is likely to set off the alarm on the metal detector, bring evidence verifying this condition. Although this is not a requirement, it may help to expedite the screening process.

• Have removed prohibited items such as pocket knives, metal scissors with pointed tips, and tools from your carry-on baggage.

• Make sure that you get a claim check for every bag that you check. Don't throw them away until your bags are returned. Not only will you need them if a claim is necessary, but you may need to show them to security upon leaving the baggage-claim area. Don't leave them in the seat-pocket on the airplane.

• Verify that the agent checking your bags attaches a destination tag to each one. (Remove tags from previous trips to avoid confusion.) Check to see that these tags show the correct three-letter code for your destination airport. Know where your bags are checked to. They may be checked only to one of your intermediate stops rather than your final destination if:

• you must clear Customs short of your final destination, or
• you are taking a connecting flight involving two airlines which don't have an interline agreement.

If you have a choice, select flights, which minimize the potential for baggage disruption. The likelihood of a bag going astray increases as the following numbers get higher:

• nonstop flights
• through flights (one or more stops, but no change of aircraft)
• online connections (change of aircraft but not airlines)
• interline connections (change of aircraft and airlines)

Buy "excess valuation" from the airline if your property is worth more than the airline's liability limit. Some credit card companies and travel agencies offer optional baggage insurance; some others provide it automatically.