If you wear bulky clothing, security officers might deem you suspicious, and they're allowed to frisk you even if you didn't set off the metal detector. Plus, officers are now allowed to pat you down with the insides of their hands -- despite how it felt in the past, they were only using the veined and knuckled sides before. The more aggressive search rules will be in effect at all U.S. airports by tomorrow. Now, about those urns: Many are too dense to allow screeners to see the contents on X-ray machines, and the TSA no longer accepts a certificate from a funeral home as proof of what's inside. Security officers aren't allowed to open urns and will send you away. So the TSA now requires that ashes be carried in a temporary box of wood, light plastic or cardboard. This month the agency arranged a partnership with funeral homes willing to transfer the remains into your permanent urn -- no charge.
For a list of participating funeral homes, go to www.tsa.gov, click on "Travelers and Consumers," then "Transporting Special Items."
TRAVEL TICKER
All passengers on flights longer than six hours should take precautions against thrombosis -- or blood clotting in an artery, vein or heart -- by avoiding constrictive clothing, drinking lots of liquids and stretching their calf muscles frequently, according to a new report by the American College of Chest Physicians. Travelers are not advised to take aspirin as a prophylactic, but high-risk fliers should consider taking prescription medication. Details: www.chestnet.org . . . More than 20 national and regional bands will perform in Staunton, Va.,on Sept. 24-26. Details: www.fortunewilliamsmusicfestival.com . . . Set to expire Nov. 18: a law requiring U.S.-based airlines to offer customers on defunct airlines the chance to buy available seats for no more than $25. The law has been extended twice, but so far Congress hasn't taken any action.
BARGAIN OF THE WEEK
Independence Spirit
Nab a two-for-one fare or fly for as low as $29 each way on Independence Air. Details: What's the Deal?, Page P3.
Reporting: Cindy Loose.
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