TSA announces Family Lanes at all airports

Just in time for the busy holiday travel season - the Transporation Security Administration has announced the installation of Family Lanes at all U.S. airports. The lanes allow families and individuals unfamiliar with air travel procedures and travelers with special needs to go through security at their own pace. This is especially helpful for families carrying formula, or individuals carrying medically necessary liquids, aerosols and gels in excess of three ounces.

For more information go to the TSA website.

Preparing your child for a plane trip

Help your trip go smoother by talking to your children about your upcoming trip. Even two year olds need to know what is going on. If this is your child's first time flying rent a library book about airplanes and airports and read it with your child. Better yet, purchase the Shae By Air DVD Toolkit
- and watch the DVD with your child. This DVD was made especially for toddlers and walks them through the entire process of packing, airport security, the boarding process, sitting in their seats and what to expect during the flight.

Make sure you explain the various security procedures. My daughter was only two when we traveled from Minnesota to Atlanta Georgia. On the return flight home our entire family was randomly chosen for search and she was absolutely terrified when we were all separated and searched. We made it through okay by my constantly talking to her throughout the process even though I was not allowed to go to her and touch her or help her out. Still, it would have helped a lot if we had practiced the procedure at home a few times before we left on the trip.

In fact, it will help if you role play the entire flight process. Pretend to drive to the airport, check your baggage, take off your shoes and put them on a pretend "moving belt", then line up your kitchen chairs in the living room and play boarding the airplane, buckling your seatbelts and then bouncing around on the airplane. Someone can even play steward and serve beverages! What a fun way to spend some time together and education the kids all at the same time.

Here are some good books to try reading with your child:

Airline seat assignments

Traveling as a family can be challenging, but even more so if you all arrive at the airport, survive the check in procedure and the bag search, only to find out you are not all seated together. Don't assume because you are flying as a family that you will be all seated near each other.

If you are buying your tickets from a travel agent make sure they do your seat assignments for you. If you purchase your tickets on-line or directly from the airport and they do not do the assignments at the time of buying the tickets, make sure you log into the airline website and do your seat assignments well in advance.

At the website SeatGuru you can find out the details about the aircraft you are flying on, including the seat width, legroom, and so forth. This site also contains contact information for the airlines.

According to the book Jet With Kids, by Anya Clowers, "There are only a certain number of seats that reservation and travel agents are able to book. The rest are blocked out for airport assignment on the day of departure or for online check-in 24 hours prior to the flight. However, unless you are booking at the last minute, it is usually possible for you to get something reserved, and seat selection can make a huge difference in your flight."

One myth is that if you are traveling with a small child the bulkhead seats are the best place to sit. This is not true. According the Clowers, "The added legroom gives a child the feeling of open space and the illusion that they can roam around. If you take the middle seat of another row and your child is in the window seat next to you, this area creates a "box" for your child to play in. They can play with the window shade, on the tray table, look out the window, and generally feel more secure since it is somewhat of a private area."

Plus all of your luggage will be in the overhead compartment as there is no storage under the seat. The tray tables are located in the armrest and can easily pinch fingers. So you may wish to reconsider this seating area.

I used the bulkhead seat once when traveling with my son and it really did not work out as he ended up out of his seat and playing on the floor, eventually falling asleep on the floor, which was not a very safe alternative when I look back on the situation. Being in tighter quarters and kept buckled into a seat is really the safest place for any child.