Mary Lynn Biggs, 73, of Manchester Township just could not believe it when her travel agent gave her seven pages of information she needed to know before flying to Alabama in July.
Biggs was thankful for the advance warnings, but flabbergasted by the way air travel changed in just the five years since she and her husband, Donald, flew to Alaska.
Sure, the rules are easily accessible online. But Biggs, her husband and many other older people they know don't use the Internet. "The younger people are seeing this, but we're not aware of it," she said.
Thank God for Sandy James. That's Biggs' advisor at Carlson Wagonlit Travel on N. George Street. "Thank heavens for her," she said. "If it weren't for Sandy James, we would have been in duck soup."
Here are the things Biggs didn't know:
*Three ounces of liquid must be in a 3-oz bottle. You can't put 3 ounces of liquid in a larger bottle. "It didn't say that on my papers."
*Your clear plastic bag for the liquids must be a one-quart, zip-top type. No metal zippers. "Sandy told me they'd take my stuff out of there and throw it in the trash!"
*Lithium batteries cannot be loose. They must either be in the package they came in or in the appliance they are powering. "I bet you never thought of that."
*Airlines are strict about keeping the one piece of luggage you check to less than 50 pounds. "What if it's over and you have to take stuff out? What if you don't have someone there with you to take it back out to the car?" Biggs wondered. "An extra bag costs you $25 you know. They didn't used to be so strict."
Biggs lowered her voice and revealed the reason for it all: Gasoline prices. "It all has to do with that," she said. "All this has changed in the last few months."
But the real surprise was this, Biggs said: She couldn't bring any of her sugar-free Jell-O, pudding or yogurt through security to eat on the plane. "I, as an innocent person not knowing this, would have had to throw all my goodies out."
I am still trying to figure out how I got through security with four cream-filled éclairs in a Styrofoam box. If I really wanted to, I could have put something in there that wasn't edible!
In all seriousness, I am glad they take precautions for our safety and will never complain about too much security.