Frequent Traveler: The new definition of 'normal' in air travel

Frequent Traveler: The new definition of 'normal' in air travel
By Roger Collis
Copyright by The International Herald Tribune
Published: January 11, 2007


The primal event of 2006 that will continue to shape the lives of air travelers in the coming year was the Aug. 10 terror alert, when British authorities said they had thwarted an alleged plot to blow up planes bound for the United States. Chaos and confusion about new draconian cabin-baggage rules, especially limits on the nature and amount of liquids one is allowed to take on board, continues to blight the lives of travelers, subject to new delays and hassles. Many readers have reported that carry-on rules for liquids seem to be interpreted differently by security agents at different airports around the world, especially when it comes to duty-free items, such as liquor or perfume. They are perplexed and angry when these items, purchased after security checks, or on the plane, have been seized at a connecting airport.

European Union rules allow passengers departing from or traveling between or within the 25 member countries (as well as Iceland, Norway and Switzerland) to buy duty-free items after security at an EU airport. The items must then be carried in a "tamper evident" bag with a readable receipt.

The advice is: If you are traveling from a country outside the EU, transiting through Europe, and want to take a bottle of duty-free liquor or perfume, over 100 milliliters, on to your final destination, buy it at a duty-free shop beyond check-in at the EU transit airport, and not at your point of departure or on board the plane if you are traveling on a non-EU airline.

Chaos and misunderstanding will reign until some kind of global solution is found. The International Civil Aviation Organization (www.icao.int) has called on governments around the world to "harmonize rules on the carriage of liquids and gels in hand baggage not later than March 1, 2007."

Meanwhile, travelers may findanswers from: the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (www.tsa.gov); the Pacific Asia Travel Association (www.pata.org); the British Department for Transport (www.dft.gov.uk); or BAA (the British airport

Nine billion airline passengers worldwide by 2025? Yes, according to the Global Traffic Forecast 2006-2025, released this month by Airports Council International, more than double the 4.2 billion passengers carried in 2006.

The ACI forecast is based on an average traffic growth of 4 percent a year. Over the next decade, North America is predicted to remain the world's largest passenger market, but its dominance is likely to be challenged by Asia, which is likely to see annual growth of 9 percent per year until 2009, and will, by 2025, become the world's largest air travel market.

To help cope with the growing hordes, airlines now allow passengers to check-in online, choose their seats, print their own boarding cards, and go straight to the gate, checking bags at a "fast baggage drop." Radio Frequency Identification, or RFID, tags containing biometric data may help speed people through airport security checks, avoiding the hassles of standing in line.

Look out for more all-business- class airlines with business jets, or reconfigured airliners, especially on trans-Atlantic routes following the success of Eos, which offers an all- first-class service with "lie-flat" beds on 48-seat Boeing 757s between London and New York at business-class fares; and MAXjet between London and New York, Washington and Las Vegas, with 102-seat Boeing 767- 200ERs. Silverjet flies between London Luton and Newark with 100-seat Boeing 767s, featuring lie-flat beds.

We can also expect to see more long-haul, low-cost airlines similar to Zoom Airlines, which flies from eight Canadian cities to London Gatwick, Glasgow, Manchester, Cardiff and Belfast in Britain, and to Paris. Air Sahara, based in New Delhi, operates a network of services within the subcontinent and between Delhi and London, and Delhi and Singapore. Oasis Hong Kong Airlines offers budget flights between London Gatwick and Hong Kong.

Two leading low-cost carriers in the Far East, AirAsia and Fly Asian Express are reported to be joining the Virgin group and EasyJet to set up a global alliance offering low-cost flights between Kuala Lumpur and Manchester, London Stansted and London Luton in Britain, Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, Amritsar in India and Hangzhou and Tianjin in China. It would compete with the three alliances — Star Alliance, Oneworld and Skyteam — formed by the major full-service carriers.