It's been nearly a decade since my last commercial flight and I'm out to Pittsburgh tomorrow.
The flight has been booked but not yet confirmed through the airline. Indications are that I can show up with the printed ticket and ID and board the flight. Is that so?
I intend to use carry-on luggage using a soft-sided briefcase and another bag that is approx 10x13x24 in dimension. Does that fit current limitations for American Airlines?
What else is good to know in advance?
Thanks!
In reply to oldsaw:
Wear shoes that are easy to take on and off quickly and prepare to be violated in ways you never imagined....
I'd also forego big belt buckles....
I wish I could go nearly a decade between flights. Good for you.
3 ounces or less for anything that is a liquid or gel in your carry on and have them in a 1 quart zip lock bag packed where you can easily pull it out at the checkpoint.
Do my bag dimensions fit current limits? Packing will have to creative because I'm going from nice temps to frigid ones.
I'm considering wearing clogs until I'm through security and then changing into a pair of boots.
AA's carry on "regulations"
The maximum dimensions cannot exceed any of the following measurements: 22" long x 14" wide x 9" tall
IDK if there is any leniency to that though
Make sure your shoes don't have metal emblems on the bottom...found out that one the hard way.
It will be close, but you should be ok.
Yes for the boarding pass, and you need ID for security.
The bags for the liquids are important. Plus if you have a laptop it will need a bin for itself.
One thing I like to do, empty my pockets into the jacke with zipper pockets. easier to put on and get past the group faster.
We fly all the time, and think the 'haters' put too much on the hassle. Yes, it's a hassle. But it's easy to deal with.
Fwiw, flying a lot means that the $85 to be TSA pre is worth it.
One more thing, be the jerk that is in the front of the line.
It's not a bad offense, and you get overhead space near your seat.
Take the train! 
alfadriver wrote: One more thing, be the jerk that is in the front of the line. It's not a bad offense, and you get overhead space near your seat.
Yup. I got bumped off a flight late last year because they needed more capacity for fuel, so the last 8 people in line got a "sorry, you will not be going home today" from the gate agent - even though we were holding boarding passes with seat numbers on them. I was being polite and letting others go first because I didn't need to put anything in the overhead. Learned my lesson, I'm now going to be the guy who's pushing old ladies out of the way.
Basically, leave your humanity behind. Everyone else has, and the airlines have taught us all that.
Oldsaw, you asked about being able to walk up to the gate with a printed ticket. If you're talking about basically your reservation, no. You'll need to check in. You can do that online via the airline's website starting 24 hours before the flight.
alfadriver wrote: It will be close, but you should be ok. Yes for the boarding pass, and you need ID for security. The bags for the liquids are important. Plus if you have a laptop it will need a bin for itself. One thing I like to do, empty my pockets into the jacke with zipper pockets. easier to put on and get past the group faster. We fly all the time, and think the 'haters' put too much on the hassle. Yes, it's a hassle. But it's easy to deal with. Fwiw, flying a lot means that the $85 to be TSA pre is worth it.
Eric, I'm presuming with the "it'll be close" reference you mean the bag dimensions. Liquids aren't really needed as everything necessary will be available at the destination; anything that might go will be in a zippered, outside pocket for easy access at security. I'm going to put pocket items into a zippered bag and put that into a zippered compartment on the briefcase.
Thanks, everyone!
In reply to oldsaw:
Yes, the bag. It will be tight, but will fit.
It sucks to have to be so selfish, but this is one time you need to.
I've actually taken the opposite approach a few times when it comes to carry on bags. The past few flights they've asked for volunteers to do let them gate check your bags for free because they knew the overhead bins would fill up on a full flight. Since I had a laptop bag with me also, I pulled out everything that I couldn't afford to lose, and let them have my carry on. Saved me having to lug it around Atlanta on my layover and just picked it up w/ normal baggage claim when I got to my final stop.
Don't wear any shoes you just wore to fertilize the lawn.
Welcome to Pittsburgh. It's going to be grey, it's going to be cold, and it's going to last you the rest of your life! What brings you to town (pronounced tahn)?
My advice is to not linger while getting your stuff from the grey bins after passing security. Get the heck out of there because sometimes the TSA likes to snag people for random "searches" after you've already passed through. Oh, and hold on tight when you ride the tram towards the exit. You WILL get put on your ass when that thing takes off.
Keith Tanner wrote: Oldsaw, you asked about being able to walk up to the gate with a printed ticket. If you're talking about basically your reservation, no. You'll need to check in. You can do that online via the airline's website starting 24 hours before the flight.
Thanks, Keith.
The flight departs tomorrow afternoon and was just booked this morning. It'll be close on time but I'm hoping AA sends the confirmation email in a timely fashion. I've got a 30-40min drive to the airport's long-term parking and whatever time it takes for the shuttle to reach the terminal. It may be more expedient to just go straight to check-in and get my tickets there.
Emergency trips suck....
Trust me...Air travel has changed. It is no longer safety driving it, the reality is that the "Safety" industry, in collusion with the "Safety Bureaucracy" has taken on a life of its own with the sole purpose of lining each others pockets and justifying their existence.
It's like there is a committee that meets each month and ask the question "What can we get the sheeple to do and pay for this month?"
500 miles or less is a drive.
oldsaw wrote: Emergency trips suck....
That they do.
Am in Puerto Rico for an emergency trip. Got the tickets Tuesday to fly Friday.
Goes with the roaches rant.
if you don't turn getting bumped off of a flight into enough points to fly anywhere in the lower 48, roundtrip, you're doing it wrong. When that announcement goes out I play lets make a deal. I fly enough domestically with a single carrier that they don't want to risk losing my business, which I'm sure helps my cause.
SreaminE said: Welcome to Pittsburgh. It's going to be grey, it's going to be cold, and it's going to last you the rest of your life!
I'll be there to get picked-up at the airport by family and driven two hours north to where its' even greyer and colder.
alfadriver wrote:oldsaw wrote: Emergency trips suck....That they do. Am in Puerto Rico for an emergency trip. Got the tickets Tuesday to fly Friday. Goes with the roaches rant.
Sorry if it is family bad news, but I have a hard time passing up any opportunity to go to PR in winter.
Accumulating sky-miles is for armatures.
Pick a connecting flight that has a short layover at the end of the aircrafts’ daily run (St Paul to Sky Harbor gets in ~9:40 PM and Sky Harbor to Bob Hope departs at ~10:05 PM).
That’s free travel voucher gold right there
Ok, now I know why the entire plane lines up and tries to board when they say "now boarding first class and chairman gold".
Unless you bought a first class ticket, you will in boarding group 4 or 5 or someother high number. This means unless your flight is not very full (unlikely) that you will not get any overhead bin storage. I would take only a small backpack that fits under the seat in front of me or plan on taking them up on their offer at the gate to check your bag through free of charge. If you end up gate checking your bag, then realize you'll have to pick it up in the jetway not at baggage claim.
The other tip I have for you is when you check in online, choose an exit row seat if you meet the requirements. The seats are worse but it seems you may get to board in an earlier group like group 1 and thus have bin spaces to choose from when you get on.
T.J. wrote: Unless you bought a first class ticket, you will in boarding group 4 or 5 or someother high number. This means unless your flight is not very full (unlikely) that you will not get any overhead bin storage. I would take only a small backpack that fits under the seat in front of me or plan on taking them up on their offer at the gate to check your bag through free of charge. If you end up gate checking your bag, then realize you'll have to pick it up in the jetway not at baggage claim.
No first class tickets, I'm afraid.
If a carry-on bag is checked at the gate does that mean it's one of the last to go into the hold and the first to come out? Or vice versa?
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