COMINGANDGOING
COMINGANDGOING
Car Seat Conundrum
Sunday, February 18, 2007; Page P01
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THE WHEEL WORLD
Car Seat Conundrum
Sheri Annis of Chevy Chase arrived at the Hertz counter in the Los Angeles airport with luggage and a tired toddler, expecting that, as in the past, a Hertz employee would help her install the child safety seat she'd reserved along with a car. But the policy has changed, she was told, and assistance is neither available nor allowed. She was handed the seat.
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"A kind employee said he would try to help me," Annis says. "When another employee saw him, he was scolded and reminded of the new policy."
Hertz responded to her letter of complaint, explaining that eliminating assistance with safety-seat installation was due to a variety of factors, the biggest one being " customer interest in installing the car seats themselves." That reason was repeated to CoGo. Annis says she is skeptical about "a public outcry to avoid help."
Of the other biggest car rental companies, which will help? All managers at Avis are trained to install safety seats."This is part of our quality inspection at all stations; we take it very seriously," says spokeswoman Susan McGowan.
Budget, owned by the same company as Avis, does not have a policy to assist, "but it is a service we are looking at adding," says McGowan. Enterprise spokeswoman Laura Bryant says, "We normally encourage parents to install the car seats," adding that Enterprise does not own any car seats and that the company calls local contractors when one is reserved. No assistance is offered by National or Alamo.
All cars and safety seats made since September 2002 have a two-part connection system. Look for tethers that come from the back of the car's seat, plus anchors that may be hidden under the car's seat cushion. Federal officials met Thursday to discuss concerns that some parents aren't using the tethers.
AIRPORTS
Wait, Wait
Record numbers of passengers used Reagan National and Baltimore -Washington International airports last year, while the number of passengers at Dulles International dropped by 4 million, according to recently released statistics.
Does that mean shorter lines in security at Dulles, longer at the airports with record crowds?
Nope. CoGo checked average wait times for various days of the week and times and found negligible differences during non-peak times. But at peak times, the wait usually is longest at Dulles.
For example, the wait in security lines at Dulles on Mondays at 8 a.m. averages a minimum of 10 minutes and a maximum of 23 minutes, according to statistics kept by the Transportation Security Administration. At BWI, the range during that same time is three to five minutes. At National, four to 14 minutes.
Then again, despite losing travelers with the demise of Independence Air, Dulles still had the most passengers last year: 23 million, compared with National's 18.5 million and BWI's 20.7 million.
To find average wait times for security checks at any airport for any time of day, go to the TSA site, http:/
TRAVEL TICKER
A congressional push is on to lift the travel ban to Cuba, first instituted more than 40 years ago. Does Congress have enough votes to override a probable Bush veto? CoGo will keep you posted. . . . High school seniors and juniors visiting colleges via Amtrak can take a parent or guardian for free; siblings ages 2 to 15 pay half price. Go to http:/
BARGAIN OF THE WEEK
Nonstop to Beijing
United is kicking off its new nonstop daily service from Washington to Beijing with introductory fares. Round-trip flights from Dulles to Beijing begin at $785, including taxes. Book by Feb. 23; depart Monday-Thursday, between March 28 (when the service starts) and June 1. Complete travel by June 30. Seven-day advance purchase required. Typically, air to Beijing starts at about $1,000. Book online at www.united.com.
Reporting: Cindy Loose
Help feed CoGo. Send travel news to cogo@washpost.com. By fax: 202-912-3609. By mail: CoGo, Washington Post Travel Section, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071.
