First Flight

[elite marksman]

I'm going to be on my first flight with an airline in a week. I'm leaving Phlilly Intl. with Lufthansa for Frankfurt-Main, and then a puddle-jumper to Bremen. Anything I should know? What to pack/what not to pack? (exclude the obvious)

[Woodlouse2002]

Leave your bomb at home.

[Mictheslik]

Thought he said exclude the obvious

That's a long flight, I would recommend packing food......nice food.

.Mic

[Woodlouse2002]

Thought he said exclude the obvious


.Mic

If it's his first time then it might not be obvious.

[expat]

I'm going to be on my first flight with an airline in a week. I'm leaving Phlilly Intl. with Lufthansa for Frankfurt-Main, and then a puddle-jumper to Bremen. Anything I should know? What to pack/what not to pack? (exclude the obvious)

The great thing about flying in Europe, if it all goes wrong whilst you are in a "puddle jumper", you are never more than  10 minutes from an airport.


Matt

PS I would forget the Puddle jumper and hire a nice big BMW or Mercedes and experience the Autobahn. If the roads are clear, you could do Frankfurt to Bremen in about 3 1/2 hours

[Willit Run]

Enjoy your trip!!

  Take lots of photos.  

  What day and time is your departure from Germany to the States and what is your return flight number.  I'll track you back and see if I can get a shot of your aircraft as it flys over Cherry Hill. Lufthansa is always flying over my house and if I have the info I might be able to catch it!!

[beaky]

"...one .45-caliber automatic, two boxes ammunition, four days' concentrated emergency rations, one drug issue containing antibiotics, morphine, vitamin pills, pep pills, tranquilizing pills, one miniature combination (German) phrase book and Bible, one hundred dollars in (deutschmarks), one hundred dollars in gold, five packs of chewing gum, one issue prophylactics, three lipsticks, three pairs of nylon stockings..."

Slim Pickens in Dr Strangeglove...

[RitterKreuz]

In your personal posession and in your carry on i would recommend you leave anything that could be viewed as a weapon at home. (sharp objects, pepper spray, stun guns, colt 45 simi automatic pistols etc.)

moving through security is faster if you can keep the detecter from buzzing when you walk through it. so...

Wear shoes and socks - not sandles. this way your not standing there bare footed on the cold dirty terminal floor. Put the shoes through the x-ray machine.

avoid wearing a belt, or clothing with metal parts, and pack anything metal in a side pocket of your checked bag before you even get to the security point. (keys, watch, cell phone etc) this way you dont have to stand there in line sorting through it all and removing it - just put it in the bag and put the bag through the x-ray machine and go through security faster this way.  when you get into the terminal and find a break you can take that stuff back out of your bag. this just keeps the line moving and gets you in faster.

the biggest hold up is people getting in the line to go through security and having to sort through all their belongings. If they approach the line prepared to pass through security it sholdnt take 5 to 10 seconds per person.

it would seem obvious what not to pack - but there have been 5 arrests that im aware of at my airport so far this year because someone forgot they had a pistol in their carry on bag.

[flyboy 28]

No nail clippers. When my mom and dad went to St. Maarten, my dad got his toenail clipper confiscated.

I could imagine him at 30,000 feet;

"Oooooooooh, I'm gonna get rid of all your cuticals! Don't think I don't know how to use this!"

[RitterKreuz]

yeah the nail clippers thing is pretty friggin stupid. I could understand if one were to try and use the nail file portion as a stabbing weapon but stil thats dumb... if you were a passenger on an airliner and al zarqawi stands up to hijack the plane with a nail file are you going to sit down like "Ohhhh we better do what he says he has a nail file?"

HECK NO! you and about 6 other dudes are going to go kick his arse!

another thing is the locks on baggage. TSA has the right to destroy those locks to get into your baggage to conduct searches.

i always laugh when i see the display of prohibited items. Inside the glass case sits "Prohibited items that were actually confiscated in our security lines" among the items.

hand guns, fireworks, an axe, a chain saw, matches and a can of gasoline, bullets of various sizes, nail clippers, a machedi, the list goes on - its like how would you like to be the guy who sat the chain saw on the x-ray machine conveyor belt while everyone was looking at you like  ::)

[beefhole]

"...one .45-caliber automatic, two boxes ammunition, four days' concentrated emergency rations, one drug issue containing antibiotics, morphine, vitamin pills, pep pills, tranquilizing pills, one miniature combination (German) phrase book and Bible, one hundred dollars in (deutschmarks), one hundred dollars in gold, five packs of chewing gum, one issue prophylactics, three lipsticks, three pairs of nylon stockings..."

"Fella could have himself a great day in Vegas with this stuff!"

[EirePlane]

keep any coins in a small bag like the ones you get in the bank...saves time at the metal detector

keep anything that even resembles a weapon in your luggage.

no knives or guns or ammo. Even without a gun you can still be arrested for carrying bullets.

don't even joke about having a bomb or drugs or anything like that on you. you will be surrounded by armed police etc etc

im not sure about on the continent but that's how strict they are at UK customs

P.S. don't bring any actual drugs or guns either  ;)

Hope this helps
and hope you enjoy your holiday

[Triple_7]

If you always carry a pocket knife...especialy a nice expensive Buck...that you might not realize just out of habbit is in your pocket....make sure you take it out and put it in your luggage or take it out to the car BEFORE going through security :-[  Its not a big deal...but you wont be getting it back, even if your friend who isnt flying is standing right there and could take it out for you >:(  That was the fastest 100+ bucks ive ever lost >:(  Custom knife

Also...not sure why and dont think it was really legal on their part to take it.  But the last time I flew a sheath to one of my fixed blade knives was taken from me (all leather, fit inside my boot, was still in my boot)   There was no knife on me, that was in my checked luggage.  Apparently those arnt allowed eather...personaly I felt it was a load of BS and that SOB just wanted it :-/  What harm is a peice of hard leather going to do, leave a welt on some poor sap :-/

But overall security is pretty easy...just leave the obvious in the checked.  Also if you have a laptop dont pack it on the bottom of your carry on.  Leave it on top since they will take it and run some kind of quick test.  If you have a FILM camera pack them in your carry on...theres something about the x-rays on checked luggage that will ruin the film...same with VHS and video camera tapes as well

No aerosol of any kind in your carry on.  Also recamend putting any bottles glass and plastic in a ziplock bag.  Shampoo is not something fun to find when you unpack.  Also any items that cant stand water you will want to put in bags as well...I even pack all cloths in bags.  Sometimes your bag might find water on its trip.  Wet cloths and whatnot are not that fun to discover eather  

I think thats about all I can think of...for now.

[expat]

Nor sure if you guys are joking about leaving the guns at home, after all, we have a lot of American members, but even try to bring a gun into European that is not licensed in another European country and even that is dam hard, you will be on the first aircraft home via a prison cell or two. Example, I can take my rifle or shotgun to England from Germany with a pile of papers an inch thick and prior permission from the Chief Constable of the county I am going to. Take my 9 mm or my 357 with me. Do not pass go, do not collect $200 go directly to jail for 5 years (legal minimum for a handgun without aggravating circumstances)

Matt

PS don't forget, just because your constitution protects your rights "back home", "back home" is 6000 miles away. German police do not have a sense of humour about ANYTHING!

[beaky]

Another must is slip-on shoes (without metal shanks). Keeps things moving. Also nice when it's time to kick off your shoes for a long time in an FAA-approved passenger tortur device, aka the "coach class seat".
And as they pass the wand over you,always be sure to ask: "Where can I get one of these mats with the footprints on them? It'd be a perfect welcome mat".
I always do, and they still won't tell me...  :D