Holiday Travel Tips From US Airwaystitle
TEMPE, Ariz., Nov. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- US Airways wishes all of
our customers a safe and enjoyable holiday season. To make travel as smooth
as possible this time of year, US Airways would like to remind our passengers
of some key travel tips, including using usairways.com and americawest.com to
stay prepared and informed with online check-in, weather reports, and flight
status.
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Following are some recommendations to help smooth travel during the
holidays:
* Check in before going to the airport. Flight Check-In at usairways.com
(for US Airways-operated flights) and americawest.com (for America
West-operated flights) allows customers to check in up to 24 hours
before and until 90 minutes prior to departure. You can also select
seats and print boarding passes from your home or office computer. If
youre checking baggage, see a curbside attendant or a customer service
agent at the Self-Service Check-In kiosks or at the ticket counter. No
additional check-in is necessary; with your boarding pass in hand, you
may proceed through security and directly to your gate.
* Visit TSATravelTips.us for the most up-to-date security screening and
general travel information, including prohibited items and where to
find TSA-approved locks to secure checked baggage.
* Leave early for the airport. US Airways is expecting a high volume of
passengers this holiday season, particularly on the Wednesday, Saturday
and Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend. The sheer number of holiday
travelers can cause longer-than-normal lines.
* Limit the amount of metal on your person before leaving home. Pocket
change, belt buckles and chunky jewelry commonly set off metal
detectors. Some shoes have reinforced metal toes or metal supports in
the heels that may also trigger metal detectors.
* Pack food items with special care. Like other items, food is subject
to inspection, whether in checked or carry-on luggage. Food should be
transported in transparent containers or in a container sealed by the
manufacturer. And dont forget -- tin foil is metal!
* Avoid wrapping gifts before traveling. When possible, transport gifts
in their original, unopened packaging, and pack the wrapping paper
along with the gifts to expedite security screening.
* Pack small items and toiletries in see-through plastic bags. This may
speed up security inspections by enabling the screener to inspect these
items without opening the bags.
* Be aware of excess, oversize and overweight baggage rules, as you may
be packing for a long vacation or carrying gifts or leftovers. US
Airways customers can check up to two pieces of luggage without charge.
Each bag in excess of two will incur an $80 fee, with a maximum of nine
checked bags. Any checked bags weighing in excess of 50 pounds will
incur a $50 fee, and bags between 71 and 100 pounds will be subject to
an $80 fee. US Airways will not accept checked luggage weighing more
than 100 pounds. With the exception of sporting equipment and special
assistance devices, baggage checked on US Airways must have total
dimensions less than 62 inches (157 cm) within the free baggage
allowance. Oversized luggage is subject to an $80 fee. US Airways
will not accept checked baggage with any single dimension exceeding
80 inches (203 cm).
* Be sure that US Airways has all of your contact information for the
duration of your travel, so that we can contact you if there is a
flight irregularity. Take the time to replace outdated luggage tags,
and include contact information -- and ideally, your itinerary --
inside your bags as well, in case the outside tag is separated from the
suitcase.
US Airways and America Wests recent merger creates the fifth largest
domestic airline employing nearly 35,000 aviation professionals. US Airways,
US Airways Shuttle and US Airways Express operate approximately 4,000 flights
per day and serve more than 225 communities in the U.S., Canada, Europe, the
Caribbean and Latin America. (LCCG)
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