Air Travel – Should You Care About the Clothing You Wear?
This is an article that talks about several aspects of how to pick your clothing when you are going to travel by airplane.
We all have different preferences regarding air travel and clothing. While some prefer to wear business suits, others will swear by jeans, and others will prefer to go even more informal and comfortable, wearing something as simple as sweat pants. However, airport security is getting tighter and air travel rules have been changing a lot in the past few years. You might be wondering about the importance of your clothing at the airport. Well, for most cases it is not.
Usually, a heavy emphasis is placed on comfort. We were always told to avoid ichy or tight clothing, especially on long flights. Not only that, but also bringing a change of clothes in the carry-on baggage, which can also help in the case of missing the checked luggage. Thinking beforehand about your clothes is important, even if you are traveling for business — always remember the possibility of changing clothes in airport bathrooms.
Comfort, many times, is related to sweat pants and a comfortable top, or a t-shirt. What you may not have thought is that these clothes are also very good in terms of airport security as well, especially at the security checkpoints. The reason why is that most sweat pants do not have any metal items. In other words, in average you enter and leave these screening checkpoints faster than most travelers, because they will have metal accessories on.
As for clothing accessories, you will notice that a variety of items will set off metal detectors at airports, which is why security staff will often ask you to take off your jewelry. Once it is removed and places in a plastic bin, it will be scanned along with your carry-on luggage. This is the usual procedure for rings or necklaces, but earrings are usually kept on. Belts with metal buckets very often set off airport metal detectors, which is why you usually need to remove the belt at the airport. For that reason, a large number of airports have requested that you remove your belts before entering the metal detectors. If you feel uncomfortable removing your jewelry or belt, you should not wear these items at all.
You will also have to remove your shoes and have them scanned by an x-ray machine, along with your carry-on luggage. It used to be a random procedure, but now all passengers need to follow it. Because of that, I advise you to wear something that you can take off and put back on easily.
Regarding liquids, the only liquids permitted on board are toiletries up to 100ml per bottle. If you are bringing a bigger bottle, even if it is empty, you will be asked to dispose of it. Most manufacturers, though, are already producing bottles that are equivalent to, or smaller than 100ml of volume.
There are no rules about how you should look like. Finding a proper balance between comfort and style is completely up to you.
Air Travel – The New First Class Dining Experience
With first-class air travel reaching enormous amounts in regards to cost, what are the airlines doing for their first-class passengers in exchange for such hefty dues? For one, they are upping the ante when it comes to the onboard first-class dinging experience. As we all know, airfare has sky rocketed recently as the average first-class round trip flight is around $13,000. Yes, a much more comfy seat and more leg room may be worth the price, but airlines are beginning to do away with those pre-determined menus and beginning to go so far as to hiring their very own on-board chefs.
Yes, you heard it correctly. With several airlines, your very own first-class chef is available on your flight. Of course, much of this sort of activity is being done on more foreign flights, but it seems to be quite a popular trend these days. The number one and number two rated best on-board meals currently go to Gulf Air and Cathay Pacific (Gulf Air being the airline with the personal chef aboard, of course.) While this all may be a bit ‘overdone’, like a fresh egg made to order at Cathay Pacific, it really only costs the airlines about $30-50 per traveler. This all seems like a pretty good deal for the airline, as well as the traveler. That is, if this is what they expect out of a $13,000 flight. But it does not end here.
Airlines, such as Singapore Airlines is providing first-class travelers heir choice of beverage, including champagne including Dom Perignon upon boarding the flight. This pleasant experience in accented with a lovely serving of world famous caviar with travelers’ meals. While all of this seems a bit overdone, one may begin to wonder if it is really a bit over the top. In the United States, many of us have not experienced such pleasantries on our flights. We are pretty lucky if we get a free box of snacks, like Southwest Airlines has been so kind as to provide on several flights. Are airlines going to be jockeying for such positions in the future in the US as they have been on foreign airlines? If so, then how far? Today it sounds as if our airlines are really having some trouble dealing with things such as oil prices and rising costs in order to do business.
It is actually a very interesting point in time in regards to the airlines as competition is heating up as well as airfare prices. How high will they go? Who knows? What I wonder about is if the first-class upgrades will really propel the airlines into better profits, ultimately cost them more money, or if they actually have more money than we think? All I know is this is getting very interesting; however, not interesting enough to raise prices for airfare even more just to suit the personal chefs on board. So, what will happen next with the airlines seems to be headed towards raising the bar in terms of quality of experience. But, how will this affect everyone? Hopefully, it will allow airlines to pick themselves up across the board and provide a pleasant flying experience for everyone in the air.
Tripods, Monopods, and Air Travel
The rules and regulations of air travel have changed dramatically in the past ten years and even if you are a seasonal traveler, you might find yourself in a bit of predicament due to the latest safety regulations. If you are also a photographer, then your main task when traveling by plane is to pack and transport your equipment without getting it damaged or stolen.
Keep in mind that even though there are national regulations that are strictly followed by all airline companies, the specific carrier can impose its own rules that place further restrictions on how much carry-on baggage you can take with you on the plane or what objects can be placed in that baggage. The tripods are usually permitted in the carry-on bags, while monopods might or might not be permitted, depending on which company you use. It is always advisable to call the airline help desk and ask about their rules before you start packing.
Another factor to take into account is the possibility to have your tripod or monopod lost or damaged when it is packed in your checked-in baggage. Keep in mind that thefts do occur even when flying from one developed country to another and typically the airlines will cover your losses only up to a specified amount. If you are forced to carry expensive equipment in your check-in baggage, consider insuring it – check with the airline what insurance plans and baggage delay and loss protection they offer.
If you are allowed to take tripods and monopods in your carry-on bags, make sure that when folded they are within the allowed dimensions; some airports might allow you to take a bag that is slightly bigger or slightly heavier than the allowed maximum dimensions and weight, but it is wiser to stay within the limits if you want to avoid paying extra charges.
Most air carriers permit taking one carry-on bag plus your personal bag, but yet again make sure that you are informed about the particular airline’s rules. When packing your check-in baggage, together with your tripod or monopod, tag your bag on the outside and the inside as well and taking a photo of your baggage will help you easily track your bags at the claims desk if they happen to get lost.