Air travel and Baggage

[OnAnySunday]

WOT i know, but....
I am planning on flying back to Pa. to visit the folks for x-mas.
In years past ive always packed the x-mas presents in 2 bags clothes in 1, and me and my son each had 1 carry on.
My question to the DRN'rs who fly frequently is:
Is this something that's still doable?
Do they like tear open everything in your bags and search every bit? Would they tear open the presents to inspect them?
If its gonna be a hassle, i'll just ship it all by UPS, but i just thought that after paying all that cash and supposedly getting 3 parcels of luggage per person allowance, it seems sorta like a waste of money.
Plus my parents will have to ship all our presents back here.
(more of a burden for them) :(
I know this is all for the good of the country, but i just wanted to get some input before i go.
Thanks in advance.
Wally

 

[Kyron]

It's pretty much business as usuall with regards to carry on ,leave the finger nail clippers at home and forget about trying to bring a non-electric shaver on board.
I'm guessin your going to fly out of a "smaller" airport? the bigger ones WILL go through EVERY THING with a fine tooth comb, while the smaller ones still use some common sence :thinker
I'd say just don't wrap the present untill you get there in case they want to look inside it.

 

[Danman]

I would not wrap them either. Also, avoid the sharp objects. You are still allowed one carry-on and one personal item, such as a bag or breifcase on most airlines, but I would give them a call to find out the rules of the airline. Get there plenty early for the holiday travel. I hated holiday travel before all of the highten securit. I sure it will be worse now. Personaly, I've had less trouble at Dallas than some of the smaller airports I've been to.

 

[lawman]

well, i just flew from memphis to atlanta & back, with an extra nite in atlanta thanks to the idiot georgia fan who tried to breach security causing the entire atlanta airport to be evacuated & searched, so i have some current info. they hand-searched my carry-on luggage on both legs, & on the way out, i was randomly selected for a hand-frisk & removal of my shoes for scanning. i'd prob ship the packages just to cut down on the hassle, but if you don't want to do that, i definitely wouldn't wrap them. i'd allow a minimum of 2 hours before the flight; sometimes that'll be way too much, but every once in a while, it won't be enough.

according to the news, people aren't flying as much as before b/c they're scared, but i didn't see any of that or feel it myself. i will be flying alot less simply b/c it's not worth the time or trouble. anytime my drive would be about 8 hours or less, i'm going to drive, at least until the gov't figures out a faster way to confiscate everyone's finger nail clippers (gimme a break).