Detroit Metro Connections
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February 20 - March 4, 2004

Plan ahead for a smooth departure

Since many pleasure travelers take to the skies this time of year, the Wayne County Airport Authority is offering the following travel tips and reminders for passengers that have not visited the airport recently:

Confirm FlightS: Before leaving home, passengers should check with their airline reservation centers on the Web or through their airline toll free phone lines to confirm flight schedules. Airline “800” numbers and Web site links are available on Metro Airport’s Web site at www.metroairport.com.

ARRIVE EARLY: Check-in and security procedures may cause delays at the airline ticket counters and passenger screening checkpoints. Plan on arriving at Metro at least two to three hours before scheduled departure times. This should allow ample time for parking, check-in and passenger screening.

Tune to 920 AM: Motorists within three to four miles of Detroit Metro Airport can tune their radio dials to 920 AM for general airport information.

Parking Tips: Airport management is recommending that travelers call the airport’s 24-hour parking hotline, (800) 642-1978, to determine parking status. The hotline is staffed round-the-clock by parking employees with up-to-the minute parking information at the airport.

Meeters AND Greeters: Since only ticketed passengers are permitted beyond passenger screening checkpoints, meeters and greeters are encouraged to determine a meeting place beforehand. A suggested meeting place is the airline luggage claim areas.

Curbfront Greeting BAN: Due to federal regulations, motorists are not allowed to idle at terminal curb fronts. Terminal curb fronts are open, but are reserved for active loading and unloading of passengers only. Unattended vehicles at the curb fronts are prohibited, and may be ticketed and towed.

Curbside check-IN: Curbside check-in is operating for most airline carriers.

Passenger screening: Passengers may experience longer lines at the security checkpoints due to enhanced screening procedures and higher volume of travelers at peak times. These lines vary according to the time of day. However, airport management is still advising passengers to allow extra time: two hours for domestic flights and three hours for international flights.

Passengers must also obtain their boarding passes, prior to entering the passenger screening checkpoints. E-ticket vouchers, receipts, and itineraries are no longer accepted for entry. Passengers with e-tickets can obtain their boarding pass at the airline ticket counters, curbside check-in booths, or e-ticket kiosks offered by some carriers.

The Transportation Security Administration has limited passengers to one carry-on item, plus a purse or briefcase. By minimizing carry-on luggage, travelers can reduce their time spent at passenger screening checkpoints and boarding aircraft.

Items that can be construed as weapons such as scissors, knives or small pocketknives, razor blades and needles are prohibited beyond passenger screening checkpoints and may cause further delays. Travelers with supplies for medical conditions should be prepared to justify need for such items with a prescription and/or letter from their physician. For more details regarding prohibited items and safety tips, visit the TSA Web site at www.tsa.gov or www.tsatraveltips.us, or your individual airline carrier’s Web site.

To speed-up the screening process, passengers are encouraged to:

• Place all metal items in a carry-on bag while waiting in line
• Take laptop computers out of their case
• Take off their coats

Travelers also are encouraged to think about what they wear to the airport. Reduce the amount of metal objects worn on the body such as jewelry to avoid setting off alarms. Since many shoes contain metal shanks, passengers are also encouraged to remove their shoes when passing through security.

Luggage: Luggage ID tags should be filled out, both on the inside and outside of bags, before arrival to the airport. Passengers are allowed one carry-on bag, plus a purse or briefcase. Remember to pack valuables such as jewelry, cameras, undeveloped film, medication, passports, and money in carry-on luggage. All luggage is subject to search.

Luggage should be unlocked: If a checked bag sets off alarms it will be necessary for TSA screeners to open the bag for inspection and a lock may be broken. There are now products on the market that have uniform locking systems that allow TSA to do required inspections of locked bags. Passengers may want to consider using plastic zip/cable ties, which can be easily removed in the event inspection is required.

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