Air travel for dummies

[tjkraz]

OK, I used to travel all the time for business purposes, but not so much anymore. Since things have changed a bit since 9/11, I need some help:

1. My airline allows you to print your boarding pass at home 24 hours in advance. Assuming that I do this and don't have any luggage to check, can I just proceed to security and then my gate upon arrival? No need to go to the airline ticket counter, right?

2. What are the limits for carryon luggage? Is it still two pieces per passenger? I will probably have a smallish rolling case (not one of those monsters) and a laptop case.

3. I know I've read that Disney resorts will print your boarding pass for you. Has this changed since DME started? Assume I won't be using DME. Where can I go the morning of my departure to print a boarding pass? (I'm staying at SSR.)

Thanks!

[PoohsPal]

1. Yes.

2. I think so, but I swear ATL had a sign that said 1 plus one "purse-sized"

3. I would assume the concierge could do this, but not sure on this one.

[bavaria]

1. My airline allows you to print your boarding pass at home 24 hours in advance. Assuming that I do this and don't have any luggage to check, can I just proceed to security and then my gate upon arrival? No need to go to the airline ticket counter, right?

correct - just head over to security. If you did have luggage, you would still need to stop at the luggage drop off - most airlines have taht as part of the self check in counter but some have a special area

2. What are the limits for carryon luggage? Is it still two pieces per passenger? I will probably have a smallish rolling case (not one of those monsters) and a laptop case. yes, two and please no monsters ;) I really wish that there would be more crackdowns on carry on luggage. I can't believe what some people try and get away with! or the people who get angry with the FA because they boarded last and their two rollaboards and a guitar won't fit anywhere! But note that charters and some main line carriers do have stricter limits - Air Canada often weighs and tags carry on's to ensure that they meet their approval

3. I know I've read that Disney resorts will print your boarding pass for you. Has this changed since DME started? Assume I won't be using DME. Where can I go the morning of my departure to print a boarding pass? (I'm staying at SSR.)

There is an airline check in desk located at the very front of the check in area near bell services

[lovinlilo]

Also, please note that a purse will be counted as one of your two carry-ons. I travel for business often and put my purse in my carry-on and my wallet with my laptop. I always see woman arguing with security over their purse and two carry-ons and trying to say their purse doesn't count.

[tjkraz]

Thanks. No purses here! :)

yes, two and please no monsters ;) I really wish that there would be more crackdowns on carry on luggage. I can't believe what some people try and get away with! or the people who get angry with the FA because they boarded last and their two rollaboards and a guitar won't fit anywhere!

Yup, I know what you mean. One of my pet peeves is people who are sitting in the back of the plane who dump their stuff in the FIRST empty overhead they find, planning to just grab it on the way out. Gee, that is just soooooo helpful for the folks sitting under those bins who then end up with their stuff 15 rows back and have to wait for everyone else to de-plane to start searching for their bag. :thumbsway

Our trip is for 3 nights in mid-May. All I'll need is a few pairs of shorts and t-shirts plus my toiletries. DS has one of those little kid-sized rolling bags that should be fine for his stuff.

Thanks for the help!

[Rozzie]

I really love the ease of the SSR (or any participating resort for that matter) airline check in. Get your boarding passes, they take the luggage (just make sure you grab what you might need, especially for a full day), and pronto, you just walk to security upon arrival.:)

[mushu]

1. My airline allows you to print your boarding pass at home 24 hours in advance. Assuming that I do this and don't have any luggage to check, can I just proceed to security and then my gate upon arrival? No need to go to the airline ticket counter, right?

Yes you can

2. What are the limits for carryon luggage? Is it still two pieces per passenger? I will probably have a smallish rolling case (not one of those monsters) and a laptop case.

Yes 2 per person

3. I know I've read that Disney resorts will print your boarding pass for you. Has this changed since DME started? Assume I won't be using DME. Where can I go the morning of my departure to print a boarding pass? (I'm staying at SSR.)

No change they will print them for you.

[cruise-o-matic]

We didn't use DME in December, but we did use the Airline checkin at the resort.

We typically fly the little Delta jets....well for now that is....so when we leave GSO, we just roll our bags to the plane. Even the typical carryons are too big, so they "pink tag" it and put it in the cargo hold. Then when you land, they pull the pink tagged bags and you pick them up on the tarmac. Then you just roll your bags and bypass baggage claim.

On the way back, we checked our bags at the airline check in and had our boarding passes printed. So we put our smaller carryon stuff in the rental car and drove to MGM. Watched the parade, walked out the gates and drove back to Thrifty. The check in and shuttle service were pretty smooth. Plus we didn't have to hassle with our luggage. If I'm correct, our flight left about 6:25.

[Niki]

Sorry Guys, I am confused.:hammer: Is DME available for DVC members and family? I am taking my niece and her family in December, but we will be arriving the night before they do. I want to play golf that morning, so I can spend time with the family later that day. I'm a bad auntie and don't want to pick them up from the airport. Can she use DME? Help.

[tjkraz]

Niki:

Yes, DVC members also have free access to DME. You should have no problem signing your guests up for the transportation.

There is a form on the members-only website that can be submitted to sign up for DME. However, given the somewhat unique nature of your situation, I'd just give DVC a call and have them take down the info.

Ideally you'll want them to take down your friend's home address so that the luggage tags and paperwork can be sent directly there. They claim that you should have the paperwork in your hands around 3 weeks before departure. But if the paperwork is sent to your address and it happens to be running late, you could get into a pinch trying to get those documents over to your friends at the last minute.

[onecdn]

I would call MS to confirm this and be absolutely certain. I have read somewhere about similar situations, where DH arrives later than the rest of the family, and yes they can use DME. Your entire party can use DME for the length of stay. So if someone had to leave earlier than others, they can return to the airport via DME as well.

[Niki]

tjkraz: Thanks for clearing that up and the timing advise. That clears up my dilemma about golf v. being nice. Love my niece, but I am a golf nut. :worship: Just can't pass up the DVC Golf Membership.

[mousehouse]

Now, that we may be mouseowners, i want to start learning about solutions for yearly travel.
Normally, we would take St Louis to MCO(via air)
I had reservations before my DVC thru Disney and it was about $200 pp for a direct flight, everything online was showing much more.

Are there ways to save money? Like AAA does it have flight discounts?
I don't like the priceline concept, how "safe" are things like expedia etc.. I have used that for hotels before with no problem, but missing a flight to Disney would be HORRIBLE!!!
What do others do to save money..buy early, buy late? I assume DVC members can book thru Disney for flights?

Shame the drive from MO is so far..could do things that way, but who wants to "waste" days on the road?

[matysgranma]

Regarding the subject of printing boarding passes, yes, the hotels will gladly print them as will all the parks. Southwest allows you to print your boarding pass 24 hours prior to flight departure and I knew I wouldn't be at the hotel at that time, so I brought my flight info with me and guest relations printed my passes.

[bavaria]

Now, that we may be mouseowners, i want to start learning about solutions for yearly travel.
Normally, we would take St Louis to MCO(via air)
I had reservations before my DVC thru Disney and it was about $200 pp for a direct flight, everything online was showing much more.

Are there ways to save money? Like AAA does it have flight discounts?
I don't like the priceline concept, how "safe" are things like expedia etc.. I have used that for hotels before with no problem, but missing a flight to Disney would be HORRIBLE!!!
What do others do to save money..buy early, buy late? I assume DVC members can book thru Disney for flights?

Shame the drive from MO is so far..could do things that way, but who wants to "waste" days on the road?

OK, here goes.... I always recommend sigining up for Travelocity's 'farewatcher' which advises you if fares go up/down for your chosen city pairs. You can also see the lowest fare on their site and which days it's available on which airlines. If you do this for a few weeks, you will learn the 'ideal' price for a flight from your city.

You may also want to check out kayak.com which includes non-legacy carriers, if they serve your city.

Also if SW serves your city, sign up for the 'ding specials'. (Someone else will need to explain that, I am not a SW girl)

As to 'buy early, buy late' - I recommend 'buy whenever a fare comes up which seems like a 'good' fare for your route'. If you have done some research on the above sites, you should be able to tell a 'good' fare. For example, I've been waiting to book a ticket to PHL these past weeks for dates in May. The quote was always about $800+ from my city, but I know that a 'good' fare for me is around $500. Sure enough, United came out with a $534 fare a few days ago and I booked it.

As to the security of using Travelocity, Expedia I have no issues - just if you need to change your flight etc the airline will refer you back to the website's customer service, as they are your 'travel agent'.

AAA doesn't really do airline discounts. My sister uses them every year for her Europe trips and the prices are no better than what is on line - in fact, my 80 yo grandmother gets better fares searchign the web and booking them herself.

Priceline used to have a different airline model in which you coulnd't choose times at all. For instance, I once booked a weekend trip which had me leaving Seattle at 7pm on Saturday, and returning from Orlando at 8am Sunday morning!! Some trip! The model has now changed and I believe that it is more like a standard website in that you can choose times etc.

Hope that helps - I fly every two weeks or so, so if you need info, I'll try and help on what I can - plus we have lots of gurus here on SW and other US carriers.

[mousehouse]

The flight tips were great!

I have signed myself up and will keep an eye on things. i have time while I wait on Disney to waive rofr

[RweTHEREyet]

Why have I never ever noticed airline check-in areas at the resorts. I have stayed at WDW resorts many, many, many times and never noticed these anywhere. Do all DVC resorts have them?

We travel SW most of the time to Orlando and check in via laptop, but have no printer, so we go thru the line at the ticket counter. I guess we would still have to go thru the line as we have luggage to check. So, after all is said and done, I am not sure that using the airline check-in counter would save me any time.

[bavaria]

There are airline check in counters near bell services at all the resorts. Since I fly intl I can't use them so I can't comment on luggage.

But note that at MCO there is a central area near check in with check in kiosks for most airlines.

Also check if your airline has a check in kiosk. I am always surpirsed at how many ppl don't use the check in kiosk at United but queue to chekc in with a 'human' - in 99% of the cases they can use the kiosk but don't seem to know that, and stand in line instead.

[RweTHEREyet]

If I am checking bags on SW, I would still have to check-in with a human to get my bags weighed and tagged, right? Or do I have a way to bypass this step?

Wouldn't it be helpful if the airlines had staff directing people at the check-in counter as to where to go depending on what they need to get done, rather than just one line.

[PoohsPal]

If SW is a participating airline, they will check your luggage at the resort too.

[matysgranma]

If I am checking bags on SW, I would still have to check-in with a human to get my bags weighed and tagged, right? Or do I have a way to bypass this step?

Wouldn't it be helpful if the airlines had staff directing people at the check-in counter as to where to go depending on what they need to get done, rather than just one line.
SW is not one of the participating airlines for resort check-in. So I suggest you get your boarding pass printed up 24 hours prior to your departure. Either the hotel or any of the theme parks will do that for you. When you get to the airport, there will be two lines, one for checking in (for those who do NOT have a boarding pass) and one for checking in luggage (those who already have, like you, a printed boarding pass). It's a touch screen procedure, very easy to follow. I have only had about a 5 minute wait every time I've used that check-in line.

[RweTHEREyet]

Well, aren't you guys just the most helpful folks. :loveisint Here I thought I was a seasoned traveler, and you guys proved I don't know nothin'. Thanks for the responses. This is great info.

[RweTHEREyet]

SW is not one of the participating airlines for resort check-in. So I suggest you get your boarding pass printed up 24 hours prior to your departure. Either the hotel or any of the theme parks will do that for you. When you get to the airport, there will be two lines, one for checking in (for those who do NOT have a boarding pass) and one for checking in luggage (those who already have, like you, a printed boarding pass). It's a touch screen procedure, very easy to follow. I have only had about a 5 minute wait every time I've used that check-in line.

One last question. When I go to the kiosk and do the touch-screen thing, it will print out tags and stuff for my bags, and then I to and take my bags to the security/scanner people?

[matysgranma]

One last question. When I go to the kiosk and do the touch-screen thing, it will print out tags and stuff for my bags, and then I to and take my bags to the security/scanner people?
Actually, an attendant will be there, who will print out the tags and attach them to your bags. You will then proceed to the left behind you with your bags and go to the screeners. FYI, I never leave the screeners until I see my bags being put on the conveyor belt after the screening.

[RweTHEREyet]

Thanks, Pam, I agree with you, I like to watch my bags start on their journey, too.