I used the special Transportation Security Administration locks on my luggage for flights from Seattle to Dulles to Vilnius, Lithuania, and then home from St. Petersburg, Russia, through Dulles to Seattle in June ’04. The locks were not cut, but the red symbol came off. The store would not exchange them.

I used them again in June ’04, three weeks later, to travel from Seattle to John Wayne Airport in California and again they were not cut.

On both trips, at check-in I was told...

In response to the request for suggestions on how to make airport security lines move along quicker (Nov. ’04, pg. 4), here are some that I have found useful:

Think about what you will need to do in advance. Arriving at the checkpoint and then acting surprised at the security requests is unnecessary unless you are a first-time traveler.

Read the signs and do a mental check to ensure you are not carrying any forbidden items on your person or in your hand luggage.

...

Did you know that prescription drugs are sometimes less expensive than over-the-counter versions?

As I searched in the pharmacy for Imodium® 2mg, an over-the-counter antidiarrheal agent that every traveler carries, I was flabbergasted by its cost. Not only would I have to pay its inflated price, I also would have to fork over the 8.8% sales tax, since prescription drugs in the state of Washington are free of sales tax but over-the-counter items are not.

I asked the pharmacy to...