COMING AND GOING

Airport Watch

AIRPORT WATCH

Flying Into Brazil

Last week's deadly crash at Congonhas airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil, has focused attention on endemic problems in Brazil's air safety system , including a shortage of air traffic controllers and slowdowns by controllers who complain of short staffing and poor working conditions. The International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations cautioned pilots in January that Brazil lacks "proper governmental oversight and control" of air traffic.

Congonhas, South America's busiest airport, is of particular concern because it has a short runway and, according to critics, is unsafe for landings when wet.

"If you have a choice, choose an airport besides that one ," advises Toby Friedl, regional manager for Latin America for Annapolis-based iJet Intelligent Risk Systems, a firm that advises corporations on travel and asset risk management. He says a federal judge in Brazil earlier ordered that certain types of planes not be allowed to land at Congonhas, but a federal tribunal lifted the order.

Friedl says his firm is "concerned" about air traffic safety throughout Brazil but notes that the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration rates the system a Category 1, meaning it meets all international standards. He adds, "We're not only following developments in Brazil; Argentina has fairly serious problems as well."

The federation of pilots' associations adds that the accident in Brazil "demonstrates once again the need for runway end safety areas ." Runways that aren't long enough or wide enough to meet the federation's safety recommendations are "a worldwide problem," the federation says, and it is calling for higher international standards.

UPRIGHT AND LOCKED

London Luggage Jam

Passing through London's Heathrow A irport this summer ? Beware: There's a misplaced- baggage epidemic , with such a huge backlog that you might be separated from your bags for a long time.

Although British Airways spokeswoman Michele Kropf declined to say how many bags that airline alone has misplaced at Heathrow in recent weeks, she did say it has been "in the thousands." She added, "We're working around the clock to clear the backlog."

That hasn't been of much help to Janet Gore of Fairfax, whose four bags went missing on a British Airways flight from Dulles to Heathrow to Lyon, France, on June 27. About 17 other passengers on Gore's flight also left the Lyon airport sans bags.

Two of her four bags finally arrived at her home last week; two remain missing. The only info: One agent told her that misplaced bags from Heathrow were being sent to Milan for sorting. Gore asked if she'd be reimbursed for items she replaced in Lyon and says she was told, "We can't offer you monetary assistance now, but keep your receipts."

The lack of information is the biggest complaint of Miriam Isserow of Takoma Park, whose bag disappeared July 5 when she flew from Heathrow to Dulles on a Virgin Atlantic flight.

"You call an 800 number and get someone from Southeast Asia reading a script," she says. "They just tell me my bag is missing. That I know; that's why I'm calling." After CoGo's query last week, a Virgin rep called Isserow and a day later reported that her bag had been located.

Among the problems: aging conveyor belts for moving luggage; an increase in checked bags because passengers leaving the United Kingdom may carry on only one bag or personal item, not both; and recent bad weat her. Kropf says British Airways' problem is exacerbated by the fact it is operating out of two terminals and must transfer bags between them, a problem she says will be solved in March, when a new terminal opens. She also blames the recent security crackdowns after the bombing in the airport in Glasgow, Scotland.

Gore also points to personnel shortages: The baggage claim office she was told to call while still in Europe was open only on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., minus a two-hour lunch break . For days she called repeatedly, she said, and got either a recorded message or no answer, except for the one time a human answered and promptly hung up.

CoGo's advice : If you can't avoid Heathrow, stuff your essentials into the largest carry-on bag your airline allows.

TRAVEL TICKER

New hope for clearing up the passport backlog : The House last week passed a bill, already approved in the Senate, that would make it easier for the State Department to temporarily rehire retired passport experts. Retirees could be on board sometime this summer. . . . American Airlines passengers can now request a confirmed seat on an earlier or later flight on the day they're scheduled to travel a full 12 hours before the scheduled departure time of the alternate flight. The $25 fee remains the same, but formerly, passengers wishing to make a change on a nonrefundable ticket had to wait until three hours before the alternate flight or pay a higher fee, usually $100. The deal is good in the United States and on flights between the United States and the Caribbean.

BARGAIN OF THE WEEK

Delta has sale fares to the Hawaiian islands of Oahu and Maui. The round-trip fare from BWI to Honolulu, for example, is about $653 (including $40 taxes). Other airlines are matching, but the fare is usually about $862. Purchase by Aug. 1 at www.delta.com; travel Aug. 14-Nov. 14. The sale is not available for Saturday travel, and a 14-day advance purchase is required.

Reporting: Cindy Loose

Help feed CoGo. Send travel news, road reports and juicy tattles to cogo@washpost.com.