Help with airline regulations please

[torinsmom]

I am going my first flight in several years and need some help. I am going to Minneapolis with a 35 minute layover in Chicago. I am worried about my luggage getting left behind, so I'd rather do carryon only. This is what I have questions about. I did look on Southwest's website, but it is very confusing.

Is my laptop counted as my carryon or it one of the allowable "personal" items, like a purse? I can stuff my purse into my real carryon if it will count as that and I am only allowed one.

For the liquid regulation, is toothpaste considered this? Would I need to get a travel size of toothpaste, shampoo, etc. in order to put it in my carryon? What about lotion and vaseline? Makeup?

Do they still prohibit fingernail clippers in carryons?

TIA, I guess this will be practice for our Disney trip this summer.

 

[Traveliz]

I would be more concerned about getting your carryon down and out of the plane and you onto the next plane with a 35 minute layover. I have more confidence your bag will make on its own. When I have a short layover like that I never deal with having to wait on stuff from overhead. It will definitely slow you down.

I know many will disagree but even with the bag fees I prefer to check for a bunch of different reasons.

Liz

 

[HeatherH]

You can take your carry-on and EITHER your laptop or purse...not both. If you can stuff your purse into your carry-on, that's fine. You might want to go with a small purse and just use a tote bag or backpack for BOTH your purse and laptop in one bag.

Toothpaste is considered a liquid for the TSA rules, and yes, must be 3 oz. or less and fit in your one-quart bag. Make-up is okay unless it is LIQUID...that goes in the one-quart bag. Powder eye shadow, lip liner, etc....is fine not being in the bag. And honestly, I don't put mascara in there either, even though it is technically a liquid.

Lotion, vaseline and shampoo are all under the rules of liquids and gels.

If you want to carry on, you may want to consider getting some of the toiletries at your destination. There is just no way to take a bunch of stuff in a one-quart bag.

Good luck!

 

[torinsmom]

Well, its an early morning flight and both flights are through Southwest, so I am hoping I can make it. Every flight I checked from RDU to MSP had a layover of less than 45 minutes I will definitely not check my laptop, so I'll have to deal with getting a carryon off the plane either way.

If I pay for early check in, does that get me on the plane quicker? I guess I should try to get an aisle seat near the front, so I can get off as quickly as possible.

I guess if I miss my connection, I will wait for another flight. I don't need to be in Minneapolis until the next morning anyway.

 

[ncmickeyluvr]

The tsa website..... www.tsa.gov .... is the best place to check out. It breaks down what you can/ cannot have in your carryon and it what amounts. Nail clippers is not listed under prohibited items....unless I missed it. Everything liquid/ gel must be under 3oz and in a single zip top bag. That does include makeup and toothpaste.

you should be fine with a small suitcase and a laptop bag....but I've never flown that airline.

 

[torinsmom]

You can take your carry-on and EITHER your laptop or purse...not both. If you can stuff your purse into your carry-on, that's fine. You might want to go with a small purse and just use a tote bag or backpack for BOTH your purse and laptop in one bag.

Toothpaste is considered a liquid for the TSA rules, and yes, must be 3 oz. or less and fit in your one-quart bag. Make-up is okay unless it is LIQUID...that goes in the one-quart bag. Powder eye shadow, lip liner, etc....is fine not being in the bag. And honestly, I don't put mascara in there either, even though it is technically a liquid.

Lotion, vaseline and shampoo are all under the rules of liquids and gels.

If you want to carry on, you may want to consider getting some of the toiletries at your destination. There is just no way to take a bunch of stuff in a one-quart bag.

Good luck!

It's only a 3 day trip, so I'll probably be okay. I'll take a bottle of my Disney conditioning shampoo, some of the vaseline in the squeeze tube, trial size toothpaste and my liquid foundation. I think those should all fit. My other makeup is not liquid.

I may stick my laptop, purse and a book in an over the shoulder bag I have. Gotta see if I can borrow a regulation carry on from my sister who flies a lot. I think mine are too big with the newer limits.

 

[NotUrsula]

What I do while traversing airports is slip my laptop (marked with a business card, of course) into the outer pocket of my 20" rollaboard. This makes it easy to slip it out for security, but I don't have to carry the weight the whole time.

I carry the laptop and a small purse onto the plane in my soft leather shoulder tote, which is about 18" x 12" x 8". When not in use, the laptop stays in a simple soft neoprene sleeve inside that.

 

[NHdisneylover]

In spite of all the horror stories you hear, it is actually pretty rare for your luggage to miss the plane (and even more so for it to go missing completly), especially on standard set of flights that the airline handles daily. I agree with the PP that with a tight conenction, and not being accustomed to air travel (and thus the airport layout for yoru connection), you will be better off checking your bags (except a small, under the seat carry on with your laptop in it) so you can move faster in the airport. Odds are very high your bags will make it with you. Also, being an early morning flight, IF they do not that leaves all day for them to catch up to you and be delivered at your destination.

Sitting near the front and on the aisle will likely help a bit. Boarding early will be most helpful in so far as it should increase your chances of getting to place the carry on in the overhead bin near you, rather than having to find space further back on the plane. Please remember that often many people have equally tight connections so you need to remain courteous gtting off of the plane (not saying YOU would not be, it just seems we often have someone trying to push past everyone because "their" connection is so tight--frequently they end up on the same connecting flight as us and a good number of other fellow passengers who managed without running everyone down in the process).
If you insist on lugging everything on though then the advice you got was correct:

You get ONE 1 quart plastic ziploc baggie to have with liquids/gels in it. All liquids and gels must be in contaners labled with their size and be 3.4 ounces or less. Toothpaste needs to be in it as does shampoo, etc. Powdered make up does not but liquid foundations, mascara, lip gloss in a tube, etc does. Anything that would not hold a shape ir no longer in its packaging would be considered a liquid or a gel.

 

[bicker]

Also note that under certain circumstances, airlines can limit carry-ons to just one item (instead of one item plus a personal item), so be prepared to check either the carry-on or the personal item (i.e., have essential medication in one or the other, not both).

 

[MichelleinMaine]

Depending on the plane you are on, you may need to gate check a larger carryon (eg like a small rolling suitcase.) As someone else said, you then have to wait for that to get taken off the plane at the gate, eating into your layover time. (Keep in mind you need to be at the gate 20 minutes prior to departure, too.)

An additional SNAFU for Minneapolis, apparently they don't "do" gate checked bags in the normal sense. We flew in last week and I offered to gate check mine Detroit>MSP as the plane was very full. Got to MSP, and found out they checked it through to baggage. I thought it was a quirky thing, and DH's aunt says that is what they always do. ???

I think it would be easier all around to just check the one bag.

 

[DMRick]

(Keep in mind you need to be at the gate 20 minutes prior to departure, too.)

We've been lucky and never had to be at the gate 20 minutes prior to departure, if going on the same airline. They have also waited for us, if we were going on the same airline and only been 5-15 minutes late. Maybe that is unusal? Usually it's Continental when we come in from NY to NJ for an overseas flight (they don't wait past that 15 minutes, however, which is why we have spent more time in NJ than we've wanted to) or SW, when we fly from Alb into BWI..there we get off, and go inside and get right on the Florida flight. We are seldom there more than a few minutes before our next flight out.
Our luggage has always made it, which amazes me.

 

[torinsmom]

I signed up for early checkin, so I should definitely be in the A boarding group now. Hopefully I can get near the front. Wonder if I can call the day before my flight and find out my arrival/departure gate for that leg? That would help with locating the gate when I get to Chicago. I am assuming all Southwest flights will be together(although there are probably a lot of them)

My sister has had her baggage lost numerous times when she had connections and once she didn't have it back until she got home. I'd rather have to catch a later connection than deal with that.

I don't think I'll have to deal with no room on my first flight, as I will be getting on early in the process. With the second leg, I may have to gate check it. At least I will know it will be on the plane though.

Marsha

 

[golfgal]

Southwest doesn't charge for checked baggage--I would go that route personally. The other issue you have to deal with is weather. If there is a slight delay on either side you will miss your connecting flight. There are a lot of flights back and forth between Minneapolis and Chicago-just not on Southwest. Keep in mind that if your bag is lost it is a really good excuse to go shopping at the Mall of America .

I have never lost a bag or had one delayed, my Grandpa always had his go missing . You never know.

When are you coming to Minneapolis?

 

[torinsmom]

Well, one thing that may help is that I am flying into Chicago Midway and not OHare. From their website, SOuthwest uses gates A1-A19, so chances are I can walk to my next gate in about 5 minutes once I get off my plane.

I am going to Minneapolis next Friday, 2/12 through Monday, 2/15. Going to St Catherines University to do the on campus part of an online Masters Degree program. We are staying at the Hilton that is really close to MOA, and we will definitely be visiting!

I am hoping that the snowy weather we had in NC this past weekend is it for awhile. If two flakes of snow fall, my flight will be cancelled. Mine is one of the first flights of the day--7:15am, so that flight shouldn't be delayed. Chicago is another story. I guess that one could be delayed due to weather. It's still pretty early--9:00am--so shouldn't be too delayed otherwise. I won't mind if its delayed and I don't have to run to the next gate.

On the way back, I am actually hoping a flight is overbooked. I will be GLAD to give them my seat and stand fly by for some cold hard cash and/or a ticket for a future flight. We will be flying to Orlando this summer and I would love to save that $.

Marsha