Baggage

Now that US Airways has created a Southwest look-alike, the airline must clone its culture as well, top airline officials told some 150 US Airways workers yesterday at Baltimore-Washington International Airport."

Flight information screens to include baggage belt numbers To help passengers find their luggage more quickly and easily, the flight information display screens in the Baltimore-Washington International Airport terminal now show baggage belt numbers next to the information on arriving flights. Display screens in the main terminal and the gate areas on the upper and lower levels are updated by each airline. Baggage numbers posted on the display screens correspond to the numbered belts in the baggage claim areas on the terminal's lower level.

Americans are less security conscious about their luggage than travelers from Europe and Japan, but the U.S. market for baggage locks is nevertheless expanding. New York-based Safe Skies has become the second company to offer a baggage lock designed so that airport security screeners can gain access to locked luggage without having to break off the locks. The first company into the business was Travel Sentry of Durham, N.H., in November 2003. Travel Sentry coordinated the development of the locks with various manufacturers and provided the training and tools so Transportation Security Administration staff at all U.S. airports could inspect luggage for explosives without breaking the locks.

4Q decline is under 1% Maryland home prices fell at the end of the year, the first dip into negative territory since 1995, according to new government figures. Prices in the state dropped just under 1 percent in the final three months of 2007, compared with fourth quarter of 2006. The conditions for sellers worsened as the year progressed. Utility disputes `windfall' Part of the settlement that was designed to open the state's electricity market to competition could turn into a "billion-dollar windfall" for the Baltimore Gas and Electric Co.'s parent - one paid for by the utility's customers, regulators said.

"Check It Free" promotion from InterContinental Hotels What's the deal: Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) has extended its "Check It Free" promotion through April 30. IHG, owner of Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Staybridge and Candlewood Suites brands, among others, will reimburse guests up to $100 in checked baggage fees for each round-trip flight with a two-night weekend stay at any of its 4,500 hotels worldwide. IHG initiated its first "Check It Free" promotion period last fall to help guests save on travel expenses.

American Airlines recently generated news when it said that it had set up a special service for its passengers bound to North America from London.A passenger can check in for a flight from Gatwick Airport at a special American Airlines counter at Victoria Station in central London. There, one can drop off baggage, get boarding passes and buy a ticket for a Gatwick express train. At the airport, the passenger has only to go through immigration formalities before boarding.But American is by no means the only airline offering such a convenient service in Europe.

As travelers adapt to the inconvenience of climbing into airplane cabins without their makeup, toothpaste and mocha lattes close at hand, they are also discovering another consequence of the new security rules: more time lost to the rituals of checked bags. Not only are people who once took pride in packing everything for a trip into a single carry-on suddenly waiting at baggage carousels, but also, because of the increased number of bags being checked, airline luggage-handling systems are being stretched to their limits.

It was probably an omen that the subject of luggage came up long before takeoff on a vacation flight when the gentleman of the house suggested the trendy new practice of shipping bags ahead. Contrary, as usual, the wife scoffed at such foolishness. Mailing suitcases to a Caribbean island! Bags must be kept close, she argued. New security rules make carry-on-only difficult, not least because they don't allow even a week's worth of sunscreen. Checking a bag, though, offered the silver lining of bringing along extra stuff.

A Southwest Baltimore man was arrested yesterday and charged with stealing luggage from the baggage claim carousels at Baltimore-Washington International Airport as part of what police said was a ring operating for more than a year.Norman G. Alt, 62, of the 1200 block of James St. was charged with 10 counts of felony theft and two counts of conspiracy to commit theft. He was released on $7,500 bond.Maryland Transportation Authority Police said they are unsure of how much luggage was taken, but that they found 40 pieces of luggage filled with jewelry, clothing, books and personal items in a raid at Alt's house July 17.They delayed making an arrest until they matched items seized in the raid with reports filed by passengers who said their luggage was stolen, said Lori Vidil, a police spokeswoman.

On a flight from Minneapolis-St. Paul to Detroit in June, an extremely large man lifted up the armrest, sat down and occupied at least one quarter of my space. Would it have been possible to have someone from the airline tell him that he must purchase an additional seat? Passenger bulk has become an issue for passengers and airlines. Southwest, for one, requires "large people" to purchase a second seat for "safety and comfort." Some travelers suggest airlines should adopt a total weight system, under which passengers would be weighed with their baggage.