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“
Home For The Holidays” November 21, 2012 A Lincoln Daily News Magazine Copyright 2012
so that the flight attendants don’t have to make
change. That helps them and speeds service to
all passengers. A beer or glass of wine is usually
$6 on most flights.
If you are flying first class, skip the preceding
paragraph.
While you may never see the flight crew on
your trip by air, the cabin crew is always available
to help with boarding and safety issues. Just
remember that most flights will be full during the
holidays, and there is only
one direction of flowwhen
you board and one when
you deplane, especially on
single-aisle airliners. Help
your fellow passengers
and the flight attendants
by stowing your gear and
sitting down as soon as
possible.
The main goal of the
cabin crew is to ensure
safety during all phases of flight. They work long
hours in a small space. Courtesy goes a long way
in helping with a packed airplane.
As Lincoln resident and Southwest Airlines
flight attendant Kim Crane says: “I see a
thousand people on a busy day. We always try
to be upbeat and helpful. The passengers need to
help out also.”
With all of this talk about traveling by air,
we should not forget that a means of travel to
the entire country is accessible in downtown
Lincoln. No travel plans should be considered
without mentioning Amtrak.
The trains coming through Lincoln, bound for
Chicago and St. Louis, are generally on time and
comfortable. The new high-speed rails that have
been installed over the past two years make for a
quiet and very smooth ride.
It is important to know that all seats onAmtrak
are now reserved, so you will need a ticket when
you board. Normal and Springfield have stations
with ticket agents, but a passenger boarding at
Lincoln’s station will have to obtain a ticket by
other means. The easiest way is to go online,
purchase a ticket and have Amtrak mail it to
you. If time does not allow this, generally the
conductor will have your ticket.
One nice aspect about Amtrak is the ability
to check whether a train is on time. A call to
800-
USA-RAIL is all it takes, and input your
train number. Train times can also be checked
online by computer and by smartphone.
Speakingofelectronic
communication
and
travel, the airlines
now will email flight
times and on-time
notices straight to
your
computer
or
smartphone. Be sure to
give them your email
address and mobile
number when making
reservations.
One time-saving feature of airline travel is
the ability to get a boarding pass before leaving
home. Just log on to your airline website within
24
hours of departure, enter the locater number
of your reservation and print your boarding
pass. If you don’t check luggage, you can skip
the often-long lines at the airline counter and go
directly to your gate. Some airlines, including
United, email a confirmation of a reservation
and embed the check-in link in the email.
Whether you travel by air or train for the
holidays, knowing some useful tips will help
make the trip as smooth as possible, and “home
for the holidays” will only bring a smile and
warm thoughts.
[
Curt Fox]
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