Haven't flown in many years - need help!

[luvthatdisney]

Hi guys,

I usually stick to the Budget Board, but we have been given a trip to Los Angeles (we are in North Carolina) to see the X Games. We leave in less than 2 weeks. I know alot of rule have changed since 9/11 and I have seen the lists of items not to bring on the plane, but I have a few other packing questions.

1. My ds and his bf want to take their skateboards and helmets with them. They are kind of leary about letting them be checked. What is the best way to pack these odd shaped things???

2. My dh has a CPAP machine that he has to sleep with (sleep apnea) it does have a carry case and it not real big. Should we let him carry it on board with him. We are renting it so I dont want to lose it or have it get broken. He would not be carrying on anything else.

Also, my ds's bf is very scared of flying and none of the kids have ever flown. What is a good way to calm their fears and get them on the plane? I have flown many times, but not anytime since 9/11 so I do have a little experience to share. These are teenagers not young kids so I dont know how much reasoning is going to work.

Any other tips I need???

 

[siouxi31]

Go to TSA.gov for items that are prohibited to bring on a flight.

I'm sorry but I have no suggestion for calming people on a flight. Maybe some dramamine may help to make them sleepy and not sick?

 

[bicker]

1. You may indeed have trouble here. They may require that anything you carry on fit in the sizer-box, and most (if not all) skateboards are too long. You might be able to jerry-rig them into a regulation carry-on diagonally, but it'll be a mess for everything else in the bag.

2. Do not check essential medical equipment -- always carry it on-board. You can readily live without or replace a skateboard, but finding a CPAP machine on short notice in a remote city will be stressful, if not impossible.

Despite flying over a million miles over five years, I'm an anxious flyer. It's not fear of the unknown, since I have a firm foundation in the science of aeronautics and such. For me, there is really nothing anyone (even my wife) can do to assuage my stress. I simply have to reconcile myself to it -- a time of discomfiture is a small price to pay for what you get to do while you're at your destination. Focusing on all the fun you are going to have/or just had (on the way home) is one approach. I cannot say it is always 100% effective -- I cannot say it is ever 100% effective -- but it is the best I've come up with.

Except for pharmaceuticals. I do need to make an appointment with my physician before our next trip....