Business Travel Tips

According to a survey conducted by The Ponemon Institut, over 10,000 laptops are lost or stolen each week at U.S. airports, with half them containing confidential corporate information.

The study was released last month as Dell, which sponsored it, introduced its new laptop data protection services for business travelers. Security industry executive Richard Stiennon, suggested advice on how to avoid laptop loss at the airport security checkpoint.

1. First, you should keep your laptop separated from the person behind you and in front of you. In order to do it, place your laptop in the first bin at the checkpoint with laptop bag placed in front of it. Put a second bin with your shoes, belt, wallet, etc. right behind your laptop. Your carry-on bag should go last. The first thing you should do on the other side is put your laptop in its briefcase.
2. Mark your laptop with a sticker.
3. If you lose your laptop contact the TSA immediately. Call the airport.

British Airways announced that it agreed to purchase French all business class airline L’Avion which flies between Paris and New York City’s Newark airport.

BA said it will integrate L’Avion with its new subsidiary OpenSkies which launched in June daily flights between Paris Orly Airport and New York JFK.

The deal — 54 million pounds (68 million euros, 107 million dollars), will allow OpenSkies to expand its service to Newark offering up to three daily flights between Paris Orly and the New York area.
(source)

Last June 21, in the U.S., Transportation Security Administration (TSA) introduced its ID requirements for flyers.
TSA provided stats related to ID requirements over the period: Saturday, June 21-Wednesday, June 25:

- Total flyers: Approximately 10 million
- Flyers without ID: 1705 (.000017 of total flyers);
- Flyers denied access: 59 (.000005 of total passengers);
- Average wait time for identity verification or decision: 6.9 minutes.
(source)

In the effort to clear some of the misconceptions of the new requirements, TSA, in the case of forgetting to bring your id with you, says: “If you simply state you forgot your ID, we will work with you to verify your ID, you may undergo some additional screening and will be permitted to fly. On the other hand, if you do not cooperate and state that you’re not willing to show us your ID, you will not be permitted to fly.”

The stats show that of the 1705 flyers have shown up to security checkpoints without ID just 59 have not been allowed to fly.

Southwest Airlines is now taking reservations through early January.

The airline also announced that despite the industry downturns it will discontinue just two nonstop markets, Oakland-Tucson, and Kansas City-Sacramento (source).

Southwest says it will retain service in all of its other markets and add six new nonstop markets, concentrated on Denver and Florida.

In order to know flight frequencies in each of Southwest’s markets and the changes coming up for November, click here.

Last week, Delta Air Lines, in partnership with Transportation Security Administration (TSA), began testing paperless mobile check-in for domestic travel from New York-LaGuardia (LGA) to any U. S. airport.

Checking in online from the comfort of home or office has become quite popular, but Delta’s paperless mobile check-in means that, the check-in process can take place from anywhere, at any time within 24 hours of flight departure.

If the test will be successfully completed in LaGuardia, Delta will leverage paperless check-in across its domestic system, to and from any U. S. airport. (source)