As Legion Family members, we have many opportunities throughout the year to travel to our meetings and events. The more we become involved with Legion activities, the more we can travel.
California is a big state. With over 400 posts spread from Redding and Sacramento in the north to San Diego in the south, air travel to them is sometimes a better option than driving.
Here are some tips to help make your Legion air travel easier and more affordable:
Airline Reward Programs
Consider enrolling in one or more of the airlines’ rewards programs so you can begin earning miles or points toward savings on air travel. There are several ways to earn rewards other than flying on flights, like staying in an airline’s affiliated hotels, dining at partner restaurants, and even shopping on an airline’s website with its choice of merchants.
Earning enough points for free flights will take some time, but there are ways to grow your points more rapidly, and even exponentially!
Just ask the airlines’ customer service representatives or go to their websites to learn more. You’ll want to research a few different reward programs to find the ones that work best for you.
At the American Legion National Convention in 2018, Southwest Airlines was recognized for being a military-friendly airline…and they are! From its hiring practices, to weekly sales on airfares, and its courtesies extended to active duty service members and their families, Southwest Airlines has earned its stripes with The American Legion.
To learn more about the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Program, go to southwest.com or call 800-435-9792 and speak with a Southwest representative.
Bonus tip: Check out a website called points.com. On this site, people buy and sell their points or rewards from many different companies and merchants. If you’re short on points you need for a flight, you may be able to buy some at a good price on this site.
Known Traveler Number
Lines are long at the airport security gates, and as more people are traveling by air, the lines are getting even longer. To get through airport security more quickly, consider purchasing a Known Traveler Number (KTN).
With your own KTN you’ll be able to bypass those long security lines and, instead, be allowed to go through the much faster TSA Pre-Check security lines that are only for “known travelers” and a few other types of select travelers (and you’ll get to keep your shoes on!)
To get your KTN and be a known traveler, you’ll need to provide the TSA office with multiple valid documents, in person, that confirm your identity beyond doubt: a certified copy of your birth certificate, all marriage/divorce certificates, your social security card, and any other government-issued ID.
A KTN costs $85 for travel within the continental U.S., or $110 for both domestic and international travel.
It takes several weeks to receive your KTN by mail and it’s valid for three years. Once you receive your KTN, you can add it to your airline passenger profile. The word “pre-check” will then appear on all of your tickets and boarding passes as long as your KTN is current. To learn how to apply for your KTN go to tsa.gov > precheck > faq
California REAL ID
Have you gotten your California REAL ID yet? If not, and you plan to travel by air after September 2020, you’ll need to get it soon. After that time, you won’t be allowed to travel by air without either a REAL ID or a valid passport. Similar to the KTN, the REAL ID provides authorities with a better sense of a person’s true identity, which makes air travel safer for everyone. To find out more about getting your REAL ID, go to REALID.dmv.ca.gov or call 800-777-0133.
Once you have your documents in order for your air travel, you’ll need functional luggage — especially a functional carry-on bag. For short trips, many travelers need only a carry-on bag and maybe one other smaller piece of luggage.
(Southwest Airlines allows 2 carry-on bags as well as a purse, diaper bag, or small computer case)
Carry-on Tips
Here are some helpful features you may want to consider for your carry-on that will make your treks through airports, hotel lobbies, and over bumpy sidewalks go much smoother:
Spinners: Wheels that spin 360 degrees, instead of only rolling forward and backward, are much better for cornering and are easier to steer.
Expandable zippers: Having a piece of luggage with extra zippers that allow for its storage space to be “let out” if more room is needed is a very useful feature, especially if you’re returning with souvenirs, gifts, or extra clothes you had to buy due to weather differences.
A longer telescoping handle: Finding a telescoping pull-handle that is a little longer than the average handle will allow you to stand more upright, instead of stooping over, while pulling your carry-on through the airport and hotel lobby. When looking for your longer handle, try to find one that is sturdier as well.
They’re better at cornering, especially if you’ve packed a heavier bag.
A deep, mesh, side water-bottle pocket: Having a good-sized water bottle pocket on the side of a carry-on that is deep enough to hold a tall water-bottle securely (like a tall bottle of Smart Water with its handy, ONE-hand, flip-top cap!) is a great asset because it frees-up your hands when you’re presenting your tickets and ID, or helping a family member.
A side grip-handle: Having a grip handle on the side of your bag, in addition to the metal telescoping handle on the top of the bag, will make it MUCH easier to grab and retrieve your bag from the overhead bin, especially if your bag is heavy.
Some outside zip-pockets: Handy for tickets, earbuds, cell phones, and a smaller lunch-sack-size bag with your family’s plane ride snacks inside it.
You can discreetly pull it out of your carry-on and stash it next to you for the ride.
The very useful TROLLEY strap: the wide horizontal strap on the backside of your carry-on/backpack that you slide your other bag’s telescoping handle through to secure your carry-on/backpack to the handle of the other bag.
Without a broad, but snug trolley strap to attach your carry-on securely onto the handle of your other wheeled bag, your carry-on will flop over the side of the telescoping handle or fall off completely…repeatedly!
Some final extras to consider for your luggage: Hard-sided luggage — no bugs allowed; small TSA-approved luggage key-locks so the luggage handlers can open your bag, if needed, with their universal TSA keys and then relock your bag without having to break your locks; an adjustable luggage strap — great for keeping over-filled bags securely closed; a good, small luggage scale; and last: the rare and coveted feature of a carry-on: an outside, zippered, plastic-lined, side-slot that’s the PERFECT size to slide-in a Legion cover!
Some noteworthy carry-on picks are from a brand called Kenneth Cole. This brand offers many reasonably-priced models, each with varying features.
The soft-sided model I use is from its “Reaction” line and is the only one I’ve found that has the plastic-lined side slot for my Legion cover as well as most of the other features I listed.
No spinners, but worth the trade-off for all of its other features.
Safe travels unique and united caLegion Family as you reconnect with some old friends and make some new ones in the coming year!
