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Category: U.S. Travel

Preparing for Holiday Travel

This year’s holidays are quite different from last year, but it will also be different from years’ past. While we’re able to celebrate with friends and family again, for many this will be the first time we’ve traveled in nearly two years.
Are you ready to travel? Here are some helpful tips to help get you back into the travel groove, whether by plane, train or automobile.

• Check your ID’s expiration and Global Entry/TSA Precheck status. Passports and driver’s licenses are the most popular ID forms used when traveling – confirm before you travel that they are up to date and haven’t expired. When traveling internationally, many countries require at least two blank passport pages so be sure to check for that as well.

• TSA Precheck and CLEAR offer expedited services through security. TSA Precheck is managed through TSA and travelers won’t need to remove their laptop and remove their shoes. CLEAR offers a touchless experience through security. It uses your biometrics to confirm your ID and you are able to access security without additional identification. CLEAR is available at over 50 airports, is a paid for service but does offer trial programs – a helpful option when lines are long.

In addition to CLEAR and TSA Precheck, LGA’s Terminal B offers BFast, a paid for service that allows travelers, for $15, to move to the front of the line. Air General Traveler Services has been updating our clientele on this new innovation.

• When you’re ready to pack, remember there are rules about what’s allowed – and not allowed – in your carry on bag. The TSA website provides all the information needed to make sure you can keep everything you packed. The previous rule of 3.4oz (100ml) containers in a one quart bag still applies but they’ve allowed hand sanitizer containers of up to 12oz for the time being.

• Whether by plane or train, make sure to check in online and opt for notifications for any changes to your itinerary. It’s also helpful to follow the airport and train station social media accounts for any updates, particular during the winter months.

• The mask mandate for airports is still in place until at least March 18, 2022.
Some airports offer wipes and sanitizing stations and have introduced cleaner security trays. Air General Traveler Services enhances this service and offers disposable bags and wipes down trays for extra cleanliness measures. More and more shops are opening up again for those last- minute purchases.

• If you’re staying at a hotel or resort, the pandemic has changed much of what you’ve long expected for your stay. Housekeeping and restaurant offerings have changed and it is debatable what services will return. Check with your hotel for any updates and offers.

• Cities all over the US have different policies and mandates. What you know about masks and social distancing in your city may be different in another town; friends, family and city accounts will keep you updated on the latest updates for where you’re traveling.

It’s wonderful to be able to visit friends and family again so let’s do our part to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe and secure. Have a great holiday season and we look forward to seeing you in 2022!

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Hyde Closet – Perfect for Travelers

Rent the clothes. Own the look. Do you need a special outfit and don’t want to buy one? Are you traveling light and want to minimize your luggage? What happens if your special attire is checked in then lost or misplaced and you arrive with nothing to wear?

Rent a box of clothing from Hyde Closet!

From a one- off event to a weekly subscription, Hyde Closet delivers professionally styled and complete outfits to you. Get access to the top luxury menswear brands for a fraction of the cost. Keep them for a week and return them when you’re done. No contracts. No dry cleaning. Complimentary shipping.

Air General Traveler Services and our associates at Hyde Closet can make your travel easy, efficient and stylish!  Book an Air General Traveler Services Greeter at airports and train stations around the country to accompany you through the airport maze quickly and efficiently, and book a Hyde Box at the same time.

Make life easy!

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Meet Air General Greeter Janet Danker at Washington Dulles International Airport

Air General Passenger Concierge Greeter Dulles Airport

Janet Danker has been a Greeter representing the Air General Traveler Services at Washington Dulles International Airport since we began operations there five years ago. While many of our Greeters are former airline employees, Janet boasts a different background in hospitality; she offers support at the Dulles Airport USO lounge and prior to that worked in government and in schools. Rounding out her experience in customer service is her prior involvement in the restaurant business.

A Greeter is involved in more than the face-to-face contact with a client. From the time our Greeters confirm an event they begin checking flight schedules, contacting ground transportation drivers and liaising with airline colleagues at the Transportation Security Administration as necessary. This collaboration is what Janet loves – a challenge in dealing with many moving parts to ensure the passenger has a seamless experience in the airport, whether departing for their destination, arriving back home from a journey or connecting to another flight.

Janet enjoys her time at the airport – calling it a “mini-city” – and appreciates getting to know other airport colleagues. She believes now is a good time to travel, with multiple guidances in place to protect passengers. There are hand sanitizer stations throughout the airports, masks are mandatory and airlines are cleaning airplanes better than they ever have! Janet remains confident that travel is safe if passengers use common sense. “It’s good to get out,” she says. “Go on vacation, bring wipes and sanitizers, and enjoy!

Air General Greeters carry amenities to protect their passengers from COVID-19 – sanitizing wipes, foot socks in case passengers have to remove their shoes at the TSA checkpoint and disposable bags to protect briefcases, purses and pocket items that must be placed in the security bins prior to boarding.

For visitors to the DC/Virginia area, Janet suggests getting out to see the countryside. Visit Leesburg, VA for antique shopping and restaurants and the Salamander Resort & Spa in Middleburg, VA. Air General Greeters can make arrangements for you, and accompany you around town to assist with shopping and reservations and setting up tour guides.

Let Air General Traveler Services Greeters help you travel as safely and hygienically as possible!  Contact us to arrange dedicated and personalized traveler assistance.

Air General Greeters are in full compliance with all Covid-19 safety guidance. Our air and land travel concierge agents wear masks, follow health, hygiene and distancing protocols and scope out amenities in advance of passenger arrival at the airport or train station. We provide passengers with meet and greet travel concierge services for a “touchless experience” to the extent possible.

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At LaGuardia Airport Terminal B The Future Of Air Travel is Bright

 

 

 

 

 

 



What air travelers want most during this COVID-19 pandemic is improved health and hygiene;  LaGuardia Terminal B keeps travelers safe with demand control ventilation and a test UV light system for cleaning escalator handrails and elevator buttons. Hand sanitizer and sanitary wipe dispensers are everywhere for the convenience of all.

At LaGuardia Terminal B, light, air and personal space are the prominent features of the gorgeous four-level, 850,000-square-foot terminal. Along with temperature checks and rapid antigen testing, new anti-Covid-19 traveler testing tools are being deployed to help airports and destinations identify infected travelers.

New signage helps guide the crowds through 16 TSA lanes. A Smart Pad System and Advanced Imaging Technology improve accuracy in carry-on and checked luggage screening. New smart conveyor belts being used in the TSA test lab will soon handle bins filled by up to five passengers at a time, sequencing them as passengers go through the larger scanning portals, using artificial intelligence and robots to separate bins by potential security risk.

Level 4 has seats in a carpeted zone for travelers and families to relax in after clearing security. They then move on to quiet boarding areas with plenty of space for armchairs, a children’s play area, lovely artwork and even an illuminated fountain.

The 17 large restrooms are well- designed with shelves above each sink to place handbags or parcels on, as well as and hands-free toilets, faucets and soap dispensers. Portable Mamavia nursing stations are available as well. Pets can use one of two pet restrooms and several pet relief areas that even include fire hydrant sculptures!

Some of the food establishments are open now such as Junior’s Cheesecake, Eli Zabar, Dos Toros, Dunkin’ Shake Shack, Healthy Gourmet and more.  Enjoy your safe air travel!

Let Air General Traveler Services Greeters help you travel as safely and hygienically as possible! Call us at 844-337-9674 or email us to arrange dedicated and personalized traveler concierge assistance.

Air General Greeters are in full compliance with all Covid-19 safety guidance. Our air and land travel concierge agents wear masks, follow health, hygiene and distancing protocols and scope out amenities in advance of passenger arrival at the airport or train station. We provide passengers with meet and greet travel concierge services for a “touchless experience” to the extent possible. Visit our website for more information.

 

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Beautiful sights to visit in the Washington DC Area

Washington DC night scene

 

 

 

 

 


Plan a visit to the Washington DC area soon – museums and attractions are beginning to open again!

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is now reopened for public visitors starting Monday, October 26.  The Museum is reopening on a limited basis with new visitor requirements and safety measures in place.

• All visitors must have a timed ticket to enter the Museum, which can be obtained on their website. Initially, they will only issue up to 250 timed tickets daily and Museum public hours will be 11:00am-4:00pm six days a week. They will be closed on Wednesdays.
• All staff and visitors will be required to have their temperature checked before entering the building, wear a mask at all times, and adhere to social distancing requirements throughout the building.
• Visitors will be able to tour the Permanent Exhibition (except the two theaters on the 4th floor), the Hall of Remembrance, the American Witnesses exhibition, and the Children’s Tile Wall.


Martin Luther King Memorial Library is also now open.

Ford’s Theatre began a phased reopening yesterday, with advance tickets required. Tickets are available via at (888) 616-0270. They are limiting groups to no more than 6 tickets/order, with no large groups allowed.

Air General Traveler Services Greeters can make the airport part of your journey easy and safe. Call us at 844-377-9674 to book a Greeter at Washington-Dulles International Airport, at Thurgood Marshall Baltimore International Airport or at Reagan Airport. Let Air General Traveler Services Greeters help you travel as safely and hygienically as possible!  Contact us to arrange dedicated and personalized traveler assistance and visit our website for more details.

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