COMING AND GOING

The Other Wolf

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UPRIGHT AND LOCKED

The Other Wolf

Eric W. Wolf of Falls Church has no idea what another Eric Wolf did to land himself on a terrorism watch list . But the unassailable Eric Wolf is tired of being confused with the suspect Eric Wolf.

The good Wolf tells CoGo that the name-sharing means he's unable to print an airline boarding pass from home or a kiosk and instead must go to a ticket counter and wait while an agent calls around and is assured that he's not the bad Wolf. "What can I do?" he asks.

It's a problem for an untold number of good citizens who share a similar or identical name with a suspect person. Joe Kiel of Annandale says his 3-year-old grandson was refused boarding because he was on a "Do Not Fly" list. Said Kiel: "Even though it was obvious to the ticket agent that [my grandson] might be a terror but surely not a terrorist, she claimed there was nothing she could do until she contacted [the Transporation Security Administration] and got permission to allow him to board."

The solution: Submit copies of three types of identification and a short form (available at http://www.tsa.gov/ or 866-289-9673) to the TSA. Within several weeks, if you check out, you'll receive a letter that you've been put on a cleared list . At that point you may or may not be able to print your own boarding pass, but for sure, says TSA spokeswoman Amy Kudwa, any wait at the ticket counter should be brief.

ROAD TIPS

Update: Florida Wildfires

Wildfires in south and central Florida prompted Florida Gov. Jeb Bush to declare a state of emergency last week, but tourists should have few concerns, said Florida tourism spokeswoman Vanessa Welter.

"Everything is under control," said Welter. Still, tourists -- particularly those visiting Brevard and Volusia counties -- should stay tuned for the latest news and check road reports for possible closures. The two counties stretch from Daytona Beach to just north of Vero Beach and include Orlando.

"Most of the fires have been very noticeable because they've been near major highways, but the overall acreage involved is kind of underwhelming ," said Orlando Sentinel reporter Kevin Spear, who has been covering the fires. Most people in Orlando wouldn't even notice the occasional plumes of smoke he's been watching for, Spear said. However, he added, Beachline Expressway , or State Road 528 between Disney World and the coast, has been closed repeatedly because of smoke from the fires, usually in the early mornings. Parts of I-95 have also closed for short periods.

For the latest road closures, check the Florida Highway Patrol's Web site athttp://www.fhp.state.fl.us.

TRAVEL TICKER

Amtrak is offering a free companion ticket to high school juniors and seniors visiting college campuses. The catch: Companion must be a parent or guardian. Details: http://www.amtrak.com/ ; type "free companion" into the search box . . . Harry's Tap Room, a satellite of the Arlington steakhouse, opened at Washington Dulles International Airport last week -- the only pre-security sit-down restaurant in the main terminal . . . The United Kingdom last week relaxed its travel warning for Nepal . The foreign office now simply warns travelers to avoid crowds and demonstrations. The U.S. State Department still urges Americans to defer travel to Nepal.

BARGAIN OF THE WEEK

London Doings

British Airways is offering discounted fall airfares to London, plus a free Royal Pass, which covers admission to the Tower of London, Kensington Palace and Hampton Court Palace. Book a round-trip ticket to London at www.ba.com by May 18, and then exchange a Web voucher for the pass at the Tower of London. The pass, worth $52, is valid through Dec. 23. The airline has sale fares for travel Aug. 31-Oct. 25 and Dec. 20-24. Cheapest fare, $611 round trip from Dulles including taxes, applies to Monday-Wednesday travel. Other airlines are matching.

Reporting: Cindy Loose

Help feed CoGo. Send travel news, road reports and juicy tattles to: cogo@washpost.com. By fax: 202-912-3609. By mail: CoGo, Washington Post Travel Section, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071.

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