It helps to plan ahead when you’re about to board a plane so you won’t be caught up with tight security issues. Security lines are unavoidable in most airports, and if you intend to get through it fast without holding a line, making things easier for yourself and other passengers, you need to be prepared and know how does the airport security work so you’ll be able to have an easier way to clear security at the airport. These simple guidelines should help:-
It’s good in most cases to have your pocket full, but when in airport security lines, this will cause a delay on your part. So if you have any loose change in your pockets, you should take them out beforehand. That goes the same thing for cell phones and wallets which should be places on the small bins the airport security provides. If you can, carry a small bag so you can place watches, belt buckles bracelets or any other type of jewellery inside before you reach the end of the line so you’ll save some time, since this will surely trigger the alarm scan.
If you’re bringing along light entertainment, a book perhaps, and maybe some light snacks, organize and tidy them up so there’s no mess that will be made in your bags.
In some airports, you are also required to take your shoes off. This might be obvious to some, but it helps to remind you that certain types of shoes can easily be worn on and off. Heavy boots or shoes with laces or zippers will make it harder to take off, thus taking up more of your time. If you have these on anyway, untie or unzip them right before you get in front of the line, as long as you don’t forget to put them back on properly later on (Or you might embarrassingly trip and fall!)
With the TSA’s rules, you must put your liquids, creams or gels in a one quart sized plastic, clear and ziplock type bag. Keep in mind that these items need to be less than 3 ounces or 100ml or less. Don’t spill any liquids in your bags for your sake. Other items which might be medicinal in nature needs to be notified to a screening officer, and in most cases if the items are allowed it’s not counted out of your plastic bag allowance.
Most people don’t give the following much thought, but you can actually have a ‘system’ where you’ll be able to put yourself back together and in orderly fashion if you put the items in the bins that goes through the screening belt it a certain order.
The things that you wear should go in first. Items like your jacket or coat and shoes, along with thing you carry like small bag for example. Since these get through the x-ray out first, you can save time and start putting them on while other belongings are being screened.
Any laptop case or bag that you’re carrying can be put in the bin ahead of the laptop itself. So that you’ll have it ready to slip in the laptop back in after screening.
After reading this, you might still wonder if it’s such a big deal to be prepared when it comes to airport screening checkpoints. The reality is that airports’ reports claim that most lines are held up and cause long lines are the result of people trying to put themselves together after the screening. You would be doing yourself and your fellow travellers a favour by keeping the above tips in mind.
You might not notice it, but who knows; you might even get a friendly nod or smile from the screening guards in acknowledgment of your travel etiquette. They might even consider you an expert in travel regardless of whether you’re a seasoned traveller or not.
