<p>Reason why cell phones are not allowed on planes:</p>
<p>Plotters were to carry a “British version of Gatorade,” detonate it with iPod or cell phone, source says (from cnn.com).</p>
<p>Just saw my son off to MN from O’Hare Monday, packing insect repellent. I hope everyone experiences minimal delay and inconvenience.</p>
<p>Effective earlier today for DOMESTIC flights here at home:
In response to the elevated terror threat, the TSA has implemented the following security measures on all flights.</p>
<p>BANNED:
· Liquids or gels of any kind in carry-on luggage. Items must be checked.
· This includes all beverages, shampoo, suntan lotion, creams, tooth paste, hair gel, and other items of similar consistency.</p>
<p>ALLOWED:
· Baby formula, breast milk, or juice if a baby or child is traveling.
· Prescription medicine with a name that matches the passenger’s ticket, and insulin and essential other non-prescription medicines.</p>
<p>Apparently electronic devices may or may not be allowed on depending upon the departure or arrival airport. BUt you may have to pack/check your laptop/cellphone/ipod in some locations even here in the states.</p>
<p>CMG it’s all going to be fine. M15, -6, and the other components of England’s intel service are very, very good - ridiculously good actually - at what they do. It’s just going to be a nightmarish inconvenience, and a major stress factor. I feel for you - but everything is going to be all right, you’ll see.</p>
<p>Travelling without a cellphone will be tough for you and your D, CGM. Hopefully the counselor is not too polite to ask someone if she can borrow theirs! </p>
<p>Cyber hugs to you cgm.</p>
<p>So I just heard about the new TSA policy. I WAS a big proponent on doing whatever is safe, but this is starting to get ridiculous especially with this statement:
Everything in the sterile area should be pre-approved, so what’s the deal. I like having a bottle of water with me at all times because I get dehydrated quickly, but this is no longer possible…</p>
<p>my d just called, she is in Ireland and her uncle got her at the airport, after 9 hours at the airport!!!</p>
<p>usually earlier flights are safer in regards to time etc., but this time her late flight was what allowed her to fly</p>
<p>on little side silver cloud, her luggage was WAY over weight for Ryan Air and we were prepared to pay big bucks for her bags, but because everyone had to check everything, they ignore the overweight bags… saved us probably $100 dollars</p>
<p>ah well, I can breath a sigh of relief until Sunday when she starts traveling again, but at least its out of Dublin, a much easier airport than Heathrow, which in the best of times is chaotic</p>
<p>thanks for all the good thoughts and off to play with d who jsut had surgery…she is well, so no worries just getting cabin fever</p>
<p>Really don’t worry. It is safer to fly now the plot has been foiled, and no-one ever died in a queue at Heathrow. Bomb scare evacuations are not all that unusual in the UK which has always had terrorism. A few years ago the IRA threatened the Grand National (horse race) and about 100,000 people had to be evacuated from the race course. They weren’t allowed to use their cars or public transport because it all had to be searched, so everyone walked to Liverpool and stayed in schools, sports hall and people’s homes. Today’s problems are annoying but minor (considering no terrorist action has occurred) compared to that time. I’ve been evacuated from Manchester once myself and it was annoying because I got lost trying to find the right tram to continue my journey but it’s just one of those things.</p>
<p>You’re not allowed to use phones on planes in the UK ever. They say it could interfere with electrical equipment. I thought that was the same everywhere? Good old fashioned pay-phones are still available at airports.</p>
<p>I am prone to dehydration. Unless I drink water really often I am in bad shape. Do you think if I plead medical hardship they will upgrade me to business class?:). CGM, glad she is safe and sound.</p>
<p>My college roomate works for British Airways…and they all have known about a higher alert level out of Heathrow for a while now…</p>
<p>I wish patience for everyone caught traveling during such an unsettling time. This is horrible for everyone…but as my girlfriend said this morning, they caught the perps before any damage was done. </p>
<p>It is so sad that in 2006, internet and cell phones etc make world travel so accessible for anyone/everyone, and yet, at the same time, terrorists are doing their best to shut down the world thru attacking travel vehicles. </p>
<p>How can we ever fully appreciate one another, around the world, if travel is so threatened?</p>
<p>Your D is in my prayers, CGM. It sounds like everything will be fine, though. Keep us posted:)</p>
<p>So glad you have had some good news, cgm. Thinking of you and your D until she is safely landed at SFO (or whichever 
).</p>
<p>CGM,
I neglected to actually say that my prayers are with you until your daughter is back in your line of sight…peace of mind about loved ones is the most important thing in life…</p>
<p>citygirlsmom wrote: “she is in Ireland and her uncle got her at the airport, after 9 hours at the airport!!!”</p>
<p>I breathe a sigh of relief on your behalf!</p>
<p>I wouldn’t be worried…flights will be resumed soon enough as this is naturally quite a popular route. If you are really concerned I think there are some other europe - US flights.</p>
<p>My daughter is in London and is due to fly back to US on Sunday. Hopefully, there will be shorter lines by then. Her flight is a little after noon, and we are telling her to be at the airport by 8am. The huge fear is being bumped! With all of those people having flights cancelled, that is going to be a big problem for the next few days. The earlier one gets to the airport the better. This is such a busy travel time in the UK, flights are always full or overbooked. </p>
<p>My daughter is fearful of packing her laptop in her luggage. I told her there is nothing she can do, just wrap it well with her clothes. She won’t be able to do any duty free shopping while waiting for her flight. She is also upset about her Ipod. Oh, well, she can watch movies that she hasn’t seen or sleep. I just hope that she won’t be bumped.</p>
<p>silverlady, your daughter should put on disc anything om her computer that she has to have, pictures, reports, etc, just in case</p>
<p>My D flies on Monday through Chicago from Dublin, my fear is she has a 2 1/2 hour connection time and with security in Chicago, it could be close, but she can run fast and cry on cue, so crossing my fingers, at least she is in chicago early enough if she misses her flight, but I think it will be okay, cause I have to think that!!!</p>
<p>good luck to your D, it should be okay by then, and you are right, august is crazy for traveling back then</p>
<p>at Least monday isn’t a bank holiday with even more travelers</p>
<p>Silverlady, if your daughter has a fast internet connection, she could sign up for a free 15 day trial with Carbonite (carbonite.com) and back up everything of importance on her computer. (To speed up the backup she should disable backup for nonessential files and just make sure she’s got the data that is most crucial - otherwise the backup will just take too long.) That way if the computer is lost, the data is available to be easily restored.</p>
<p>Best wishes to CGM, Silverlady and all those with kids flying. My S just made it home from Rome via Heathrow before this story broke, but his luggage did not. They told him when he got to London that his bags would not make the connection to the US and would arrive a day later. I wonder if they were already tightening up the screening process.</p>
<p>CGM - so glad to hear your D made it to Ireland safely! She will remain in my prayers until she gets all the way home.</p>