Lighters Won't Fly at Nebraska Airports
Leave the lighters at home.
Lighters quickly became the No. 1 surrendered item at federal security checkpoints after they were banned from flights last spring by congressional mandate.
About 100 lighters are surrendered each week at Omaha's Eppley Airfield, Michael Kudlacz, Nebraska security director for the federal Transportation Security Administration, said at a Monday afternoon press conference about holiday travel.
Travelers are allowed to take up to four books of safety matches in carry-on bags. No matches are allowed in checked bags.
Kudlacz and Carrie Harmon, TSA's public affairs manager for the Rocky Mountain Region, held the press conference to pass on tips as the holiday travel season begins this week.
Travel is up and is predicted to reach record levels during the holidays, Harmon said.
More than 60,000 travelers are expected to pass through Eppley Airfield. Travelers should arrive at least 90 minutes before a flight, she said, but no more than two hours ahead.
"Sometimes it causes more problems to get there too early," she said.
Overtime was authorized for screeners during the holidays to help deal with the expected crush, Kudlacz said. But travelers need to do their part, too.
"We want to remind the flying public what they can do to help themselves," he said.
A TSA holiday checklist to remind travelers of prohibited items and how to prepare to go through security checkpoints is available at airline ticket counters and through www.tsa.gov.
Harmon offered a few tips for making flying easier:
--Take along a zip-lock plastic bag to hold pocket change, cell phones and other small items that easily could be lost while going through security.
--Place identification on luggage and laptop computers.
--Use only TSA-approved locks to avoid have locks broken open for security checks.
And, Kudlacz said, remember what to leave at home.
"Get rid of those lighters."
-----
To see more of the Omaha World-Herald, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.omaha.com. Copyright (c) 2005, Omaha World-Herald, Neb.
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.
For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail [email protected].
Copyright 2005 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy
News stories provided by third parties are not edited by "Site Publication" staff. For suggestions and comments, please click the Contact link at the bottom of this page.