Community Corner

Don't Be Like Alec Baldwin: Holiday Travel Survival Guide

Holiday Travel can be a real pain - just ask Alec Baldwin, who was kicked off a flight today. Here are a few travel tips to get you through the season.

It’s the busiest travel season of the year, and we all have our tricks and games to make it through the uncomfortable tedium of crowded planes and airports.

Apparently even celebrities aren’t immune to the ordeal.

Alec Baldwin was tossed from an American Airlines flight waiting to take off from Los Angeles International Airport today, with the ``30 Rock'' actor saying he was booted for playing a word game on his iPad.

Find out what's happening in Los Alamitos-Seal Beachwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

``Flight attendant on American reamed me out 4 playing WORDS W FRIENDS
while we sat at the gate, not moving,'' Baldwin wrote on his Twitter page
shortly after 2 p.m.

Baldwin's spokesman, Matthew Hiltzik, confirmed the airplane-ejection, saying the actor was indeed playing the word game on an electronic device, earning him a boot from the aircraft. ``He loves WWF so much that he was willing to leave a plane for it, but he has already boarded another AA flight,'' Hiltzik said.

Find out what's happening in Los Alamitos-Seal Beachwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

If you can’t play electronic games, what can you do to survive the holiday travel?

Here are a few Survival Tips for Holiday Travel:

Baggage Fees

Most airlines these days charge for checked bags – often upwards of $50. To avoid having to check an extra bag for gifts, consider shopping online, so that your gifts can skip the flight and ship directly to the recipient.

Otherwise, Southwest, JetBlue and Virgin America are the major airlines that don’t charge for checked luggage. Southwest is tops with its policy of allowing passengers two free checked bags as long as they weigh less than 50 pounds. JetBlue allows one free checked bag and charges $30 for the second. Virgin America allows one free checked bag.

If you are traveling with children, most airlines recommend umbrella strollers that can easily be folded and stored. However, most strollers can be checked at the gate and delivered at the aircraft door upon arrival.

If you are traveling with skis or snowboards, some airlines will let you pre-register the equipment online, and you may be able to get charges waived for oversized pieces.

Airlines are reminding customers to pack all their valuables, electronics, documents, medication, car keys, and money in their in carry-on bags instead of checked bags. To speed up the security process, don’t wrap gifts. They may end up being unwrapped by security anyway.

Booking Flights

If you haven’t already booked your flight, you’ve missed most of the deals. Don’t worry. Just stay the course and keep procrastinating. Many airlines offer last minute deals as the holidays approach. It just takes nerves of steel to book a last minute flight. The good news is that flyers willing to fly on the actual holiday can get pretty good deals. LastMinute.com currently lists a nonstop $360 Christmas Eve Flight from LAX to New York.

Check-In

If the Grinch doesn’t steal Christmas, those holiday airport lines sure threaten to. Mobile check-ins are the way to go. Many airlines will let you check in from your computer or smart phone up to 24 hours in advance. If you don’t have luggage to check, make your phone your electronic boarding pass and sail right up to the security gate.

Here is a list of Iphone airline travel Apps and the top ten airline Apps for Droids

On Board Survival Kit

Hand sanitizer – it’s flu season and you’re trapped in a closed plane. Water to stay hydrated, a small bottle of lotion to keep your skin hydrated, and…What’s in your onboard survival kit besides Words With Friends?


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here