A Briggs Passport & Visa Expeditors

Salt Lake City’s airport is the location of a TSA experiment to speed up security checks and it appears to be working well and may be instituted in other airports.

Travelers in Salt Lake are separated into three groups, depending on the number of carry-on bags, whether they’re with children and other factors.

It is being done to separate those carrying a number of bags and those with children and strollers from those who can move quickly through the lines. The most likely airport to start the new system is the Denver airport.

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Planning a trip? Is your passport up to date? Click here to order a Passport.

There is a huge ice storm in the Mid-west that is causing flight delays and cancellations, 550 of them in O’Hare Airport alone.

If domestic travel is planned, check the weather developments.

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Planning a trip? Is your passport up to date? Click here to order a Passport.

We trust you have heard about the registered traveler program. The idea of this program is that participants pay $99.99 and get limited security clearance — the federal government checks to verify your name is not on any terrorist watch list, and then you get an I.D. card that you use to go to the head of the line at the security checkpoint at participating airports listed below. More airports are considering participating and we expect many more to do so as the program gathers speed.

80,000 travelers have signed up as members. If you travel out of any of the airports below with any regularity, we recommend signing up. The I.D. members are given includes their finger prints and iris scanned onto the card. The only problem with the card is that it is not accepted by the Transportation Security Administration — but it will get you to the head of the line. Members still have to show their driver’s license or passport when going through security checkpoint at airports.

The system is evolving and we expect it to improve its operation and add more airports, but long term we think its main use for members will be to avoid waiting in lines at airport check points. The participating airports and airport terminals at this time include the following:

Air France (operating out of Terminal 1 at JFK);
AirTran Airways (operating out of the Central Terminal at LGA);
Albany International Airport (ALB);
British Airways (operating out of Terminal 7 at JFK);
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG);
Indianapolis International Airport (IND);
Jacksonville International Airport (JAX);
Little Rock National Airport (LIT);
Norman Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC);
Orlando International Airport (MCO);
Reno/Tahoe International Airport (RNO);
San Francisco International Airport (SFO);
Virgin Atlantic (operating out of Terminal B at EWR);
Virgin Atlantic (operating out of Terminal 4 at JFK); and
Westchester County Airport (HPN).

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Planning a trip? Is your passport up to date? Click here to order a Passport.

There was an interesting article on MSNBC’s website in which a former airline public relations executive “confesses” the inside skinny on how airlines make decisions about fares and how they cover their mistakes.

Here is a sampling:

It’s very hard to get a refund on non-refundable tickets unless you have a death or natural disaster.

Be suspicious of fare sales — only a “few people get the cheapest fares.”

The best deals are on the airlines’ websites.

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Planning a trip? Is your passport up to date? Click here to order a visa and check the requirements for entry.

Virtually all airlines are waiving change fees if you want to change a reservation into or out of Southern California because of the vast expanse of wildfires in the area between Malibu and San Diego.

Check with your airlines for details on your flight.

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Planning a trip? Is your passport up to date? Click here to order a visa and check the requirements for entry.

Virtually all airlines are waiving change fees if you want to change a reservation into or out of Southern California because of the vast expanse of wildfires in the area between Malibu and San Diego.

Check with your airlines for details on your flight.

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Planning a trip? Is your passport up to date? Click here to order a visa and check the requirements for entry.