Are Restrictions on Liquids Coming to an End?
Tired of the 3-1-1 rule? Frustrated by paper boarding passes? Relief may be around the corner.
The Transportation Security Administration announced in its blog on Friday its plans to ultimately do away with the restrictions on liquids in carry-on luggage. With new X-ray machines, it hopes to eliminate the size limits on liquids in carry-ons by the fall of 2009, though passengers will still have to take their liquids out of their bags to have them scanned separately. By the end of 2010, all liquid restrictions will be history. The technology's still in the works for all this, but the agency seems to have a pretty clear timetable.
As for paperless boarding passes, they're here -- at National Airport, plus nine other airports around the country. (Here's the full list: Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), Logan International Airport (BOS), Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), San Antonio International Airport (SAT), Indianapolis International Airport (IND), LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in New York, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), and Cleveland Hopkins Airport (CLE).)
How does it work? Passengers with Web-enabled phones or PDAs can download their boarding passes to their devices, then show their phone or PDA to the gate agent upon boarding. The agent scans the cell phone for the flier's boarding barcode -- no paper required.
I know I'll be relieved to not have to go through the packing gymnastics required by the 3-1-1 rule, but at the same time, I enjoy the discipline and creativity required to pack all the lotions, gels and sprays I need when I travel.
As for paperless boarding passes, my cell phone's not fancy enough to download anything, but I might appreciate the new technology at some point. I'll be the first to admit to the occasional pre-flight freak-out when I wasn't able to find a computer to print out my boarding pass before leaving for the airport.
What about you? Are you anxious for the 3-1-1 restrictions to be lifted? And next time you fly out of DCA (or any of the above airports), will you take advantage of the paperless boarding option, or will you stick to paper?
By Christina Talcott |
October 28, 2008; 7:45 AM ET
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Christina Talcott
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View or post comments
Posted by: ah___ | October 28, 2008 10:19 AM
What's frustrating about 3-1-1 is that they could cancel the program tomorrow, with no alternative technology in place, and we would suffer no diminution in our air transport security whatsoever.
As for paperless boarding passes, I don't want to get stuck behind the road warrior who has his pass on his phone (only) when the gate agent's last barcode scanner breaks. I might use my phone as a way to have a backup pass, but I think I'll stick to paper.
Posted by: northgs | October 28, 2008 10:35 AM
I hope the Obama administration dumps most of these requirement and allows up to travel unimcumbered of all these silly rules that don't protect us evil. I also think they don't need to wait years to cancel this program, it is nonsense and always has been. What about overseas travel will those rules also be applied? As far as the paperless advantage there is none with overseas travel, until they get that process up and running, I will go with the paper ticket. This world just can't seem to get organized on what is easy and what makes sense. We need some universal standards for ticketing and baggage security. Good Luck.
Posted by: barbudbar | October 30, 2008 10:37 AM
The comments to this entry are closed.
Yes . . . . 3 oz. bottles of things are annoying. There's not enough variety (e.g., shaving cream, toothpaste). I do have small bottles of shampoo, but it's a bit harder to get toothpaste into a small tube.