Checking In

More arrests of suspected terrorists in London over the weekend are likely to delay any relaxation of travel security measures put in place last month. British police arrested 14 people in raids Saturday and said they suspected the men had been involved in training and recruiting for terror attacks. They said the arrests were not connected to last month's plot to bomb U.S.-bound passenger flights.

Still, it sounds like travelers can expect tougher security to stay in place, and that the time-saving steps they are taking now will become business travel as usual.

One reader came up with a worthwhile suggestion for saving time and hassle that I haven't seen anywhere else since the Transportation Security Administration banned liquids and gels and resurrected shoe screening. Tom Conway, an IT architect for IBM who travels extensively for work, said he always checks in online the day before a flight. "This saves tons of time at the airport, and it's easy,'' he writes. "I really don't understand why more people don't take advantage of this service.''

Passengers on codeshare flights, where a flight listed under one code is sold and flown on different airlines, can't always check in online.  It's also not available for many international flights.

But other than that, online check-in seems pretty straightforward (here's a link to a detailed article about it from The Independent Traveler.) And the benefits are many. Not only does it speed the boarding process, but it lets you show up 30 minutes before departure in most cases. Here's how Conway explains it: Checking in online allows you to completely bypass the front counters and head straight for the security check point — that is if you don't have luggage to check. Most business travelers have already replaced banned items with alternatives and are still flying with carry-on only.

If you do need to check a bag, you can still check in online, but you have to stop at the skycap or at the front counter to check the bag. At the security checkpoint, you show your photo ID and the boarding pass you printed at home, and that's all you need.  At the gate, just show the boarding pass and get on the plane.  

Most airlines allow you to check in from their Web sites as much as 24 hours before the flight, and as little as an hour and a half ahead of time. You log in, using credentials specified by the airline (some use your record locator, some use your frequent flier number, some use your credit card information), select your seat from a graphic of the airplane, and sometimes even get offered to upgrade for a fee or for miles. Then you print and you're good to go.

The boarding pass you print usually has a barcode on it that is scanned by the agent at the gate. "This actually speeds up the boarding process slightly, and reduces the chance of erroneously getting on the wrong flight,'' says Conway.

Since online check-in is relatively new, some airlines are still offering incentives to use it. United Airlines gives away 500 miles each time travelers use EasyCheck-in Online. Give it a shot and let me know how it works out.

Write to: Barbara Correa at bboydstoncorrea@yahoo.com