San Jose / Travel Tools, Apps, and Programs, August 2017

Keeping my carry-on packed saves me time even before I leave for each trip.  I wrote an article about this a while back, you can read what is always in my bag by clicking

Flying out of Burbank Airport is so easy. At the time that I usually leave, it takes less than 40 minutes to get there. The same drive to LAX could easily be double that. But the best thing is how small it is. Once I arrive at the airport, I am usually eating breakfast within 10 minutes, that includes parking (more on that later) and getting through security. 

TSA Precheck is a great program that lets you skip the normal security lines at the airport and use a special TSA line. There are usually fewer people in this line and once you actually have your boarding pass and ID checked, you don't have to remove your shoes, laptop, liquids, etc. before going through security. This speeds things up quite a bit as well. Especially at Burbank, I very rarely have to stop walking throughout the entire process. Getting TSA Precheck is a pretty simple process, you can actually do the interview portion of the application process in our Encino office a couple of times a year.  More details are available here  

I rent cars quite often and have memberships in many of the loyalty programs. As with most of them, Hertz Gold allows me to walk straight to my car, get in, and go. Of course, I have to show my ID on the way out, but by being a Gold member, I never have to wait in line to get my car, saves a ton of time. Hertz has a cool thing called Carfirmation, that sends an email and/or text telling you what spot number your car is in so you can go right to it. You can read about the different levels and membership benefits here 

TripIt is a great travel app that consolidates and organizes all of your travel plans. When you get an email confirmation you just forward it to plans@tripit and it is automatically added to your itinerary.  I'm not going to go into all of the details here, but TripIt gives me all kinds of notifications. On this particular day, I was notified that my original flight was going to be late. So, with that info, I decided to leave a few minutes early and try to catch an earlier flight. More details about TripIt can be found here 

CLEAR is a newer program that actually takes TSA PreCheck one step further. It is not affiliated with TSA at all, but that's just how I describe it. With CLEAR, you don't even take out your ID. You go to a special lane (even shorter than TSA) where an Ambassador walks you up to a machine, scans your fingerprints and boarding pass, and then escorts you to the front of the line. So fast. On this particular day, the extra few minutes I saved me allowed me to make that earlier flight. CLEAR is currently in a limited number of airports, but they are constantly adding more. Learn more about CLEAR here 

So, once I got to airport, and got through security, there was still the issue of changing my flight.  As a Southwest Airlines A-List member, I can get on an earlier flight without any additional charges even if the flight I want to change to is more expensive. There are a couple of conditions, the new flight has to be within two hours of my original flight, and has to be between the same two cities. Most airlines have lots of benefits for their frequent travelers, so be sure to see what's available from your preferred carrier. 

Now I'm on the earlier flight, but I haven't eaten in 6 hours. Actually, if you read about my carry-on, you know I always have energy bars (candy bars that pretend to be healthy!), so I did have one in the car on the way to the airport. But, I wanted something more substantial. Here is where my Priority Pass membership comes in handy. There was no time to wait in line at one of the food places in the airport, but the Priority Pass Club at SJC is just about a 2 minute walk from gate 19. So a quick walk to the club to grab a sandwich, then back to gate in time to board. I've written about the Priority Pass program a number of times, it's free with many of the higher end credit cards and gives you access to over 1000 clubs. Click here for more details.  

I didn't write about it above, because the true benefit of valet parking at Burbank Airport is when you return. If I remember correctly, valet parking is the same price as self parking at the airport. Having done this a number of times, I know that if I call the valet desk and enter my ticket number as soon as the plane touches down, my car will be waiting for me when I get to the valet stand.  Burbank is so small, and we get to deplane from the rear (keep that in mind when boarding), so I am almost always able to get off the plane, pay for my parking at the self serve machine, and get to my car in about 7-8 minutes. Yes, I usually time it because I am always amazed that the entire process is so quick. 

Home Sweet Home - These are the tools that helped get me home early:

I knew I should try to get on the earlier flight because of the TripIt notification

Hertz Gold allowed me to quickly leave my car and head straight to security

I made it through security in no time at all thanks to my CLEAR & TSA memberships

Southwest A-List status meant that I could get on the earlier flight for no additional cost

My Priority Pass memership allowed me access to the club so I could grab a quick sandwich

I was on my way home within 10 minutes of touching down thanks to the small size and valet at Burbank