Travel Tips and Advice

• Airport Check-In
• Airport Security
• Checking Your Luggage
• Carry-On Luggage
• Packing Tips
• When Your Baggage Has A Pulse: Traveling With Your Pet
• Lost or Damaged Luggage
• The Art of Bumping
• Understanding Air Fare Rules & Terminology
• Seat Assignments

Airport Check In Tips
• Checking in means presenting yourself at the ticket counter or departure gate and having your name entered into the computer system. Checking baggage at the curb or holding advance-boarding passes doesn't count. While nobody likes waiting around in airports for their plane to depart, the importance of checking in on time cannot be over-emphasized.
• We recommend that you check-in at least 1 hour prior to departure, especially if you are checking baggage. When traveling around holidays or other peak times we suggest checking in 1.5 hours prior to your departure. Check-in deadlines for international flights are typically two hours prior to departure.
• Please note, even if you have checked-in for the flight, reservations are subject to cancellation if you are not available for boarding at the gate at least 10 minutes prior to departure for flights between U.S. points, 30 minutes to/from Canada, Mexico, Hawaii and the Caribbean, and 45 minutes to/from all other International points. Seat assignments may also be released 10 minutes prior to departure if the passenger has not checked in or boarded the aircraft.
• Airports now mandate that all passengers over the age of 18 present a government-issued form of photo identification such as a driver's license, passport or military ID at time of check-in. Minors are not required to have identification. Failure to have proper identification may result in additional security scrutiny. Some airlines may prohibit you from boarding without proper ID. Be aware that international travel may require passport, visas and other immigration documents.

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Airport Security
• Airports now mandate that all passengers over the age of 18 present a government-issued form of photo identification such as a driver's license, passport or military ID at time of check-in. Minors are not required to have identification. Failure to have proper identification may result in additional security scrutiny. Some airlines may prohibit you from boarding without proper ID.
• Arrive early. Current security measures increase time needed to check-in. When traveling with young children, infants, elderly or disabled passengers, allow even more time.
• DO NOT leave your car unattended in front of the terminal. Security measures mean local parking rules are being strictly enforced and your car may be towed.
• For international flights, airlines are required to collect your full name and ask you for a contact name and phone number.
• Keep your eyes open for unattended packages and bags, and report them to authorities. Watch your bags and don't accept packages from strangers.
• Be prepared to answer questions about who packed your bags and whether you might have left them unattended at any time. Think carefully and answer honestly-history has shown that criminals and terrorists use unwitting passengers to carry bombs or other dangerous items on board aircraft, either by tricking passengers into carrying packages or by simply slipping items into unwatched bags. If you have any doubts, say so.
• Do not joke about having a bomb or firearm in your possession. Security personnel are trained to react when they hear these words. Penalties can be severe, and can include the possibility of time in prison and/or fines.
• Both carry-on and checked bags are subject to being hand-searched, especially when airline security personnel cannot determine by X-ray the contents of a package.
• Leave gifts unwrapped until after you arrive at your destination. Airline security personnel will open it if X-rays are unable to identify the contents.
• Leave your firearms at home, and do not pack fireworks, flammable materials, household cleaners, or pressurized containers. Remember that violators of hazardous materials regulations are subject to civil penalties of up to $27,500 per violation, as well as possible criminal prosecution.• For special travel advisories concerning security threats at your destination, call the Department of Transportation's Travel Advisory Line at 1-800-221-0673.

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Checking You Luggage
• Get in the habit of removing old tags as soon as you return from a trip, so your next destination is perfectly clear to frenzied luggage handlers.
• Make sure each piece of luggage is clearly marked with your name, address, and phone number. It's also a good idea to include a clearly labeled forwarding number at your destination. You should put a copy of this information inside your luggage as well.
• Double check your baggage claim stubs to make certain the flight number and airport code are correct. Make sure that you are given the correct number of baggage-claim stubs.
• Confusion is all too likely in a crowded baggage-claim area. Avoid losing your luggage in the shuffle by buying brightly colored tags, especially if your luggage is black-or better yet, opt for brightly colored bags-so you can identify your luggage immediately and reduce the chance of a stranger walking off with them.

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Carry-On Luggage
• Most airlines allow you to carry two bags on board, however they do reserve the right to impose a one-carry on maximum on crowded flights.
• Permissible dimensions vary, but most airlines say carry-ons must measure no more than 45 linear inches (length plus width plus height).
• The definition of a carry-on varies according to the airline's policy, the airline gate agent's discretion, and the capacity of the flight in question. Brief cases, laptop computers and tote bags are classified as carry-ons. Industry wide, exempt items include coats, umbrellas, reading material, cameras, and assistive devices for travelers with disabilities. Small purses are usually not considered as a carry-on however, on especially crowded flights, any purse that's bigger than a loaf of bread may be considered a carry-on bag.
• If you plan to bring more than one bag aboard a crowded flight, be sure your medications, documents, and valuables are consolidated in one bag in case you are forced to check the second one.

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Packing Tips
• If your luggage barely holds the clothes you think you'll need, you may want to consider wearing your bulkiest shoes and clothes, so you won't have to squeeze them into your luggage.
• Carry your umbrella, coat, camera, and reading material outside your luggage. The airlines don't count these items as carry-ons, so you can tote them without forfeiting luggage space.
• Pack your bags on a hard surface. This will help you to fill corners and distribute the weight of your belongings evenly throughout the bag.
• If your suitcase isn't very full, consider stuffing in a few towels to fill up space and prevent contents from shifting.
• Pack heavy items in whichever part of the bag will serve as the "bottom" during transit, and lighter, fragile items in whichever part of the bag will travel on top.
• Save plastic dry-cleaning bags and use them for packing. The plastic reduces friction. If you use it to separate garments, they won't wrinkle. Tissue paper prevents wrinkles equally well.
• If you don't have plastic or tissue paper, fold your clothes in overlapping layers, so they cushion each other. For instance, lay pants on the bottom of the suitcase. Place the top half of a sweater over the top of the pants. Fold the bottom half of the pants over the sweater, and the bottom half of the sweater over the pants.
• To avoid knee creases, pack the top half of pants on the bottom of the suitcase. Lay down plastic or tissue, then place sweaters and shirts on top, with each layer separated by plastic. Fold the bottom half of the pants over the stack, add plastic, then place one more sweater or shirt on top, to hold the pile in place.
• Fold shirts below the waist. If they crease in transit, you can tuck the wrinkles away.
• Pack lingerie, socks, and stockings last. Squeeze them inside shoes and into the spaces between clothing, especially along the edges of the suitcase.
• Turn jackets or blazers inside out before you pack them.• If you can live with a few minor wrinkles, roll your clothes. You'll be able to pack them much tighter, and they will not crease.
• Seal toiletries in resealable plastic bags. Don't fill liquid bottles to capacity, or they'll be more likely to leak. Fill them partially and squeeze out the excess air before you close them, which will create a vacuum seal.
• If you run out of space, zip your suitcase and drop it on the floor. Repeat this until the contents settle and free up space.

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When Your Baggage Has A Pulse: Traveling With Your Pet
• The safest place for your pet is at home, but if you absolutely must travel with your pet it's best to bring them on board with you in a suitable carry-on enclosure. Domesticated dogs, birds, and cats are allowed on flights within the United States, provided that you make an advance reservation for them. Be sure to ask the deadline when you book.
• In order to qualify for the cabin, animals must be at least 8 weeks old, fully weaned, under 20 pounds, and healthy. The airline will usually ask you to furnish a clean bill of health from a veterinarian, prepared within 10 days of your departure. On some airlines, you may be asked to present certification that your pet is vaccinated against rabies.
• The animal must ride in a crate that fits under the seat in front of you. Animals are not allowed to ride in the overhead bin. Animals must remain in their kennel for the duration of the flight.
• Airline regulations allow both soft-sided pet carriers and hard-sided kennels. While the soft carriers will usually fit under the seat more easily, the American Humane Society recommends hard-sided kennels for safety, as they offer your animal greater protection.
• Pets usually count as one piece of carry-on luggage, but you still must reserve a spot for your animal when you book your own flight. You may have to pay a small fee-usually around $50-to bring your pet on board.
• If for whatever reason you need to check your pet, the animal will ride with cargo in the belly of the plane. You should use a USDA-approved, hard-sided kennel in this case. The crate should be large enough that your pet can stand, sit, and change position comfortably.
• The ASPCA recommends that you write the words LIVE ANIMAL in letters at least 1 inch high, on top of the crate and on at least one side of the enclosure. Show the upright side of the kennel with prominent arrow indicators.
• You should also write the name, address, and telephone number of your pet's destination on the crate-even if you are riding on board the same flight. This information should be easy to read and secured on top of the carrier. Your pet should also be wearing identification tags on a collar. Cat collars should be elastic.
• The ASPCA also recommends that checked pet crates be rigged with separate compartments for food and water. Some airlines require this. These compartments may also have to allow airline personnel access without their having to open the door where the pet is stowed. The ASPCA recommends that you freeze the pet's water so that it doesn't splash out during loading but will melt by the time your pet is thirsty.
• The ASPCA warns against tranquilizing dogs before a flight, especially if the animal is traveling in cargo. Dogs control their body temperature by panting, not sweating. When tranquilized, dogs may be unable to pant, which leaves them no defense against temperature irregularities in the cargo hold, which obviously is not monitored like the airplane cabin on the same flight.
• Airlines will refuse to transport pets during extremely cold or hot periods so always call ahead and reconfirm.
• Pet owners should think twice about checking their pets as baggage, even if they're traveling on the same flight. Conditions in the cargo hold are far from ideal: Temperatures may vary, or the pilot may forget to turn on the air exchange. If you must transport your pet by air, publicize the fact that you are traveling with an animal and even go so far as to poke your head in the cockpit as you board the plane to let the pilot know there's an animal in cargo, so he's sure to turn on the air exchange.

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Lost or Damaged Luggage
• In most cases your luggage is simply misplaced rather than lost but if an airline does happen to lose your luggage, federal and international laws require the carrier to reimburse you. Unfortunately, the maximum it must pay may fall well below the value of your belongings.
• On domestic flights, the airline is responsible for the depreciated value of the lost goods, up to only $2,500 per person. If you're traveling overseas, the rules for reimbursement are even stingier. Foreign carriers owe you a mere $9.07 per pound, up to $640, for lost goods. (The international rate is dictated by the Warsaw Convention, which, for the record, dates from 1929. Imagine trying to buy a replacement business suite for the same price you would have paid over 70 years ago!)
• If your bags are delayed or routed incorrectly, the airline may reimburse you for reasonable expenses and deliver your bags, once found, to your door. The law does not require them to do this, however, and airlines do not have specific policies regarding delayed baggage.
• If the airline does offer compensation, the amount may depend on everything from the nature of your trip, the mood of the customer relations agent, the length of the delay, whether your luggage was lost away from home, and perhaps most of all, your own powers of persuasion. If your bags are only a few hours late, for instance, they may pay you nothing at all. If you are traveling to attend a special awards ceremony, they may agree to pay for the rental of formal wear. If your bags are missing in action for weeks, they may reimburse the purchase of a limited amount of new clothes.
• If your bags are lost, it is imperative that you speak with your airline's customer service representative or a floor manager, and file a lost baggage report immediately-before you leave the airport, if possible. Most airlines impose a 21-day deadline on lost-luggage claims and can deny your reimbursement if you're late to report missing goods. Once you've filed a report, be persistent about your refund. A claims department may take months to respond. In the worst cases, they may wait up to 6 months in order to deem the bag lost and only then send a check to reimburse you.
• As mentioned earlier, airlines pay only the depreciated value of your possessions. Lost luggage forms require detailed information about the contents of your bags, and some airlines may even ask you to document the value of your possessions with receipts.
• If your suitcase gets banged up a bit in passage, airlines are not required to reimburse you for damage resulting from "normal wear and tear." This policy is obviously subject to broad interpretation. Nicks and scratches happen, however, so you're best off buying sturdy, practical luggage.
• Carefully inspect your bag before you check it. You should by all means seek reimbursement for broken zippers, wheels, or handles. Even with this evidence of mishandling, however, you may have to make a case for yourself. Contact an airline official before you leave the airport and try to file for reimbursement.
• If you don't realize that your bag has been damaged or that items from your bag have been stolen until after you have left the airport, contact the airport location of your airline immediately. In most cases, you will need to return to the airport to complete a damage or theft report.

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The Art of Bumping
• According to the Air Transport Association, 10% to 15% of ticketed airline passengers in the United States-many of them business travelers with expensive, refundable tickets-don't show up at the airport on the day of departure. Consequently, airlines have developed the habit of overbooking, or selling more tickets than they have available seats.
• When too many passengers actually do show up with tickets in hand, domestic carriers solve the problem by asking passengers with flexible travel schedules to forfeit seats and wait for a later flight, often in exchange for a round-trip ticket elsewhere.
• Before you forfeit your reservation, ask a few simple questions to be sure you're getting a good deal.

o When is the next flight on which you can get a confirmed seat? The Department of Transportation recommends that you ask for a confirmed seat before you give up your original. Don't end up on standby.
o What strings are attached to your free ticket? How long is it valid? Where can you travel and when? Are holidays included? Can you reserve a seat, or must you fly standby?
o Will the airline take care of you until the next flight out? You may be entitled to phone calls, meals, taxis, even a hotel room, for long waits.
o Are there other volunteers? Find out how many volunteers the carrier needs. If it's clear that you're the only one and the airline needs more, don't take the first offer. Wait until the gate agent ups the ante then use your vantage to bargain for extra perks like hotel stays, phone calls, and meals.

• While the government regulates the minimum the airline must pay you if you're involuntarily bumped, there isn't a fixed minimum or maximum if you offer up your seat. The amount you receive will depend on how desperately the carrier needs your seat, how effectively you bargain, and the gate agent's receptiveness to your demands.
• The Department of Transportation says that if the airline can get you where you're going within an hour of your scheduled departure, it owes you nothing more.
• In the absence of volunteers, the airline requires certain passengers to travel on a later flight, in a practice known as "involuntary bumping."
• Typically, passengers who booked or checked in last are the first to be removed from the flight. You're an easy target if you arrived at the airport without a seat assignment-so be sure to check-in early if this is the case.
• If your reservation requires reconfirmation, don't skip this crucial step.
• Lately, airlines are even bumping passengers who refuse to check their carry-ons, so be sure you know how many bags your carrier allows on board and measure your bag carefully (wheels and handles included) to make sure its dimensions fall within limits.
• It's wise to take a morning flight if you're booking last-minute travel during a major holiday. If you are bumped, you'll have greater opportunity to fly later that day.
• If you are bumped, the DOT requires airlines to remunerate you, with a few stringent stipulations:

o You must have a confirmed reservation.
o You must have purchased your ticket within the required amount of days since you made the reservation.
o You must have met the check-in deadline. Check-in times vary according to both the carrier and the airport, so be sure to ask for specifics when you book your reservation. On domestic flights, the recommended check-in is one hour before departure; on international trips it's 2 hours before takeoff (sometimes as many as 3). Beware! If you check-in with fewer than 20 minutes to spare before takeoff, the airline has the right to revoke your reservation altogether-with no money back!
o If the carrier can put you on a plane in 1 or 2 hours, it must compensate you for the cost of the one-way fare, up to $200.
o If the wait lasts longer than 2 hours (4 for international travel), you are entitled to twice the value of your one-way ticket, up to $400.
o This is the minimum compensation required by the Department of Transportation. If the delay ends up, say, costing you a job or causing some other type of irreparable damage, you can turn down the airlines offers and demand more money from the complaint department.

• Remember, however, that once you've accepted an offer of money, you won't be able to go back and renegotiate for more. Once you've agreed to the airline's compensation, the airline must issue your free ticket, cash, or check immediately. If it doesn't, forget the deal and ask them to refund your original ticket on the spot.
• In general, the busiest flight times are usually between 7:30 and 9:30am and 5:30 to 7:30pm, especially during the week. Flights are especially crowded on Monday mornings and Friday evenings. Air traffic and flights also tend to be congested during major holidays and the few days before and after. Take extra care to check in early if you're flying at these times.
• This information is meant to serve as a guideline only and is subject to change without notice.

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Understanding Air Fare Rules & Terminology
• ADVANCE PURCHASE Most discounted fares require an advance purchase. By booking 21 days, 14 days, or 7 days in advance, you can save drastically on a standard coach fare.• APEXAdvance Purchase Excursion. This type of fare is a discounted, restricted, coach-class fare on an international flight.
• BLACKOUT DATES Dates set by the carriers to limit reduced rate or frequent flyer reward travel during peak travel periods.
• BUMPING There are two types of bumping; voluntary and involuntary. Voluntary bumping occurs when too many passengers actually line up with tickets in hand, domestic carriers solve the problem by asking passengers with flexible travel schedules to forfeit seats and wait for a later flight, often in exchange for a round-trip ticket elsewhere. There are no FAA guidelines regulating voluntary bumping. Involuntary bumping occurs when no one volunteers. In this case, FAA guidelines are established and the airlines are required to get you to your destination and give you as much as $400 compensation for your trouble. In priority, non-revenue passengers will be bumped first (unless the carrier needs them for other flights, such as pilots), positive space passengers (travel agents, airline employees, etc.) that have paid a reduced price to fly and then revenue passengers.
• BUSINESS CLASS The class of service between coach and first class. Typically seen mostly on international flights. A bit bigger seats and nicer accommodations than coach class though not as lavish as first class. According to your frequent flyer status, you may be able to upgrade to business class for a nominal amount of frequent flyer miles.
• CHANGES TO YOUR RESERVATION Once your ticket has been issued, if you make a change to your outbound flight you are subject to the rules and restrictions of the current fare. Basically, you start over. The value of your ticket, less the change penalty plus any increase in fare, can be applied to the new fare on the same airline. If you need to make a change to your return flight, as long as you still meet all of the restrictions of the original fare and the original fare is available on the new flight, you can change your return for the applicable penalty, usually $100. Most airlines will let you "stand by" for another return flight without paying the penalty as long as your return date does not change.
• CHANGE PENALTIES Most discount fares require a $100 penalty for any changes to the itinerary once the ticket has been purchased, plus any increases in fare, if applicable.
• CODE SHARING Code sharing is when an airline sells seats under its own name on a flight operated by another carrier and is created by alliances between airlines. Generally, this occurs between domestic carriers and commuter carriers, or between a domestic carrier and an international carrier.
• CONNECTION Often times you can obtain a lower fare if you willing to change planes to reach your final destination. There are two types of connections; on-line connections and interline connections. On-line connections are flights with a plane change on the same airline. Interline connections are connecting flights on different airlines.
• DIRECT Direct flights are flights that proceed directly to your destination but may have a stop or two along the way.
• DISCOUNT FARE Any fare other than a full priced, unrestricted, totally refundable fare.
• ELECTRONIC TICKETS For greatest cost savings and convenience, we recommend promoting electronic ticketing for all domestic travel and when allowed for international travel. Electronic ticketing is more cost-effective, eliminates overnight courier fees and reduces lost tickets. Electronic tickets have become very popular, with airlines reporting usage rates of up to 60 percent. However, travelers should understand the pluses and minuses of electronic tickets versus the paper variety. When all goes well, electronic tickets speed check-in at the airport. However, in the unlikely event of a computer crash or a reservation that has vanished, paper ticket holders may be at an advantage. Similarly, when flights are canceled and ticket holders need to switch airlines, paper tickets may save them some time and certainly have no disadvantages versus electronic tickets, which are not yet "portable" between all carriers.
• EXCURSION FARE The lowest fare offered in a given market. Very restricted and most always nonrefundable.
• FIRST CLASS Almost all U.S. carriers offer first-class seating. First class seats are usually 22 inches wide (4 inches larger than the seats you have to squeeze into in coach), with a full 60 inches of legroom between your seat and the one in front of you (compared to the paltry 30 inches you get with an economy fare). Your seat will recline as fully as a La-Z-Boy recliner and you will enjoy meals served on real china with cloth napkins. Unless you can upgrade to first class using frequent flyer miles, expect to pay about 10 times more than the lowest coach class fare.
• FLIGHT SPECIFIC FARES Often times, the lowest fares will require you to travel at specific times of the day and on specific days of the week.• FUEL SURCHARGEA term the airlines have created to pass on their added fuels costs to consumers.
• FULL FARE A full price unrestricted, totally refundable fare.
• GUARANTEED FARE All airfares are subject to change without notice and are not guaranteed until the ticket has been purchased. Even though the airlines give you 24 hours to purchase your ticket, the fare is subject to change and is not guaranteed until the ticket has been issued.
• HUB Before the airline industry was deregulated in 1978, commercial planes traveled according to the point-to-point system-from departure city to destination in pretty much a straight line, making stops along the way. Planes usually left the ground 60% to 64% full. After deregulation, however, airlines established the hub-and-spoke system in order to operate fuller planes-and thereby securing greater profits. Rather than transport passengers directly from small airports to their destination cities or from large airports to smaller towns, "feeder planes" now deliver passengers first to the hub city, where the carrier may control as much as 80% of the business. From there, the carrier dispatches travelers to their destinations.
• ILLEGAL CONNECTION The FAA has established guidelines that estimate the time needed between connecting flights depending on the airport in which you are connecting as well as the carriers' on time performance statistics. If you book through a travel agent, or book the itinerary in its' completed form, this is not something you ever have to worry about. However, if you book on your own via the Internet picking flights that "seem to connect" beware the ramifications of booking yourself on an illegal connection. If this occurs, the airline is under no obligation to provide you with monetary compensation or confirmed space. You could likely find yourself traveling on a standby basis.
• INSTANT PURCHASE Most nonrefundable fares require that the ticket be purchased within 24 hours of making the reservation, or purchased to meet the advance purchase requirement, which ever comes first. However, even though the airlines give you 24 hours to purchase your ticket, the fare is subject to change and is not guaranteed until the ticket has been issued.
• MINIMUM/MAXIMUM STAY REQUIREMENTS Most discount fares require a minimum stay of a Saturday night. If your schedule is flexible in anyway, this can create a substantial savings in your airfare, even adding in the cost of a hotel stay. Some fares also have maximum stay restrictions of 30 days from the date of departure.
• NONREFUNDABLE Nonrefundable means exactly what it says. The airlines will not refund these tickets under any circumstance. Most carriers will however, allow you to apply the unused value to a new nonrefundable air fare, less an exchange penalty of at least $100, and pay any difference in price between the original fare and the new fare. If the new fare is less than the original fare, some carriers (not all) will allow you to take the residual value in the form of a voucher.
• NONTRANSFERABLE All tickets are non- transferable. The airlines do not allow anyone other than the person whose name appears on the ticket to use it, regardless of who paid for it. This applies to all tickets, whether they are refundable or not. A picture I.D. is always required at check-in.
• NONSTOP The plane makes no stops between the departure and arrival cities. Often times the fare on nonstop flights is more expensive than that of connecting flights.
• ROUNDTRIP TRAVEL Usually, but not always, roundtrip travel is required in order to obtain the lowest possible fare. If you use it only one way there is no refund for the unused portion.
• UNUSED TICKETS If you cancel your trip entirely you should save your ticket to be used toward another ticket on the same airline. Double check with your travel agent for the ticket expiration date as some carriers tickets expire one year after the date that it was issued. In most cases, your unused ticket can be applied to future travel, less the applicable change fee plus any increase in airfare.

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Seat Assignments
• When an agent is booking your reservation, the computer reservation screen shows the actual seating configuration on the particular flight you requested. The seats are labeled as "open", "sold", or "blocked."
• Those "blocked" seats represent 40% to 80% of the seats on the aircraft that are blocked for airport check-in only. That leaves only 20% to 60% available for a travel agent to assign, with all the rest held for assignment at the airport on the day of departure.
• There are several explanations for this. The airlines would not be able to oversell their flights if they allowed agents to capture and confirm every seat on the plan ahead of time. Second, they want to hold a certain number of well-located seats for highly-valued, frequent fliers.
• Considering the fact that as few as half of the seats are open for pre-seat selection when the flight becomes available to sell, and knowing that over 90% of all business travelers request an aisle seat, one can see how difficult it is to confirm your preferred seating.
• If your preferred seat is not available at the time of booking, let your agent confirm the next best available seat. It is better to have a middle seat assignment rather than no seat assignment at all. Passengers without seat assignments, checking in late, will likely get bumped when flights are oversold.
• If we are unable to secure your preferred seat assignment when we book your reservation, we will make every attempt possible to confirm your preferred seat assignment prior to departure. Your reservation will be sent to our quality assurance system which will continually monitor your reservation until your preferred seat becomes available or until the time the airline takes seating under airport control, which is usually two to six hours before departure.
• There are several things you can do to ensure you get your preferred seat:

o Book your reservations as early as possible.
o Be flexible. Your travel agent can search for flights that also have your preferred seating available.
o Check-in at the airport as early as possible and request a seat change.

• If you are a frequent traveler, join the airline frequent flyer clubs. The airlines hold back a few seats for members that have reached Premier or Executive status.

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