Dress for Success

Dress for Success Once upon a time, a very long time ago, travel by air was reserved for the wealthiest members of society. And traveling by air all those years ago always meant that you should dress to impress. Those days are but a fleeting memory now that the last of the aircraft that attempted to preserve those fine traditions has been retired. Air travel has been reduced to the level of common, everyday mass-transit. Airport security, an oxymoron in and of itself, has been severely challenged by the terrorist acts of 9/11. And my patience has been severely challenged by airport security ever since. But airport security is definitely NOT the place to lose your cool. What you wear, and more importantly - what you don’t wear, to the airport will greatly enhance your chances of passing through security quickly and efficiently. Before you leave home, take a moment of pause to consider what you have on your person, and what you are about to put on your person, that might be a problem at the security checkpoint. Let’s start with your shoes. Boots are a bad idea. You will almost certainly be asked to remove them. And the odds are high that the metal shanks in the soles of your boot will set off the metal detectors. Athletic shoes are always a good choice, both for keeping the metal detectors happy, and for evacuating an aircraft should an emergency in-flight occur. But they also tend to have thick soles and you may be asked to remove them for further screening as you pass through the checkpoint. You can thank the “shoe bomber” for that little courtesy. My favorite shoes for flying these days are my leather boat shoes. They slip on and off easily, contain nothing for the metal detectors to detect, and they have a flat rubber sole. Good enough for emergencies, and great for the security checkpoint. From there, common sense mostly prevails. Leave your loose change in your ashtray, or find a nice fountain to throw it in. Leave your big expensive watch at home, or take it off and put it in your carry on bag. Same thing for any other large jewelry you may be wearing. If you have any exotic piercings, you’ll probably want the remove them before trying to pass through security. In the off chance that they set off the metal detectors, you might find yourself getting more familiar with the folks at the checkpoint than you’d really like to. Lastly, wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing. You’ll be more comfortable in the ever-changing air pressure in the aircraft cabin. Those pressure changes can affect your body in some very unpleasant ways if you aren’t an experienced traveler. Dressing in layers is a good idea as well. You just never know how hot or cold it’s going to be in the aircraft cabin. In the heat of summer, it’s really not uncommon to see extremes of both hot and cold during a single flight. But do consider wearing long slacks. In the event of a spill cause be turbulence (or some other slob), or the unlikely event of an aircraft evacuation, those long slacks will be your new best friend. Lastly, take a deep breath and relax. The inconveniences of cooperating with airport security are considerably less bothersome than mouthing off and getting the very best personal attention that they have to offer. For better or worse, this is what travel has been reduced to. Until something better comes along, we’re all stuck with it. -Halal IT -halalit01