Parents looking to maintain harmony on trips over President's Day weekend can benefit from insider travel secrets from members of GO Group, a global consortium of 39 independent airport shuttle operators. The holiday weekend begins Friday, Feb. 15 and runs through Monday, Feb. 18.

"Family travel is wonderful — once you get to your destination," said John McCarthy, president of GO Group. "It's getting there that can be stressful and everything is complicated by taking care of children's needs. Our members have plenty of experience in helping out."

For families with infants, Knights Limo Service in Boston suggests checking if the local shuttle service allows travelers to leave their car seat with the service during their trip, to be picked up on the way back home. If you decide to travel with a car seat, GO Airport Express in Chicago also recommends making sure it's a model that the airlines will allow in the cabin.

Other tips from GO members include:

• Remember to ask your GO shuttle service provider about child discounts when booking your ride to the airport (most GO members offer fare breaks).
• Book seats in different sections for you and your spouse. This allows couples to trade off child care, and gives each person a chance to take a break.
• Always pack medications, phone chargers and extra changes of clothes in a carry-on bag. These are vital in the event of lost luggage or long airport delays.
• Photocopy your credit and identification cards. Leave one copy at home and bring the other in your carry-on. Also bring copies of your children's birth certificates.
• Keep kids informed of what is happening during your flight and in the terminal to keep them calm and aware of their surroundings.

GO Airport Shuttle launched in August 2007 as a convenient, one-stop source for door-to-door airport shuttle services. Each year, its members transport nearly 29 million passengers to 110 airports around the world using a fleet of nearly 4,000 vehicles. Travelers can easily book ground transportation to and from both departure and destination airports through GO's Web site, www.goairportshuttle.com.

"Cheer" may not be the word air travelers have in mind when embarking on their holiday travels, given the prospects of traffic jams, long lines and short tempers during the busiest time of the year at airports.

But members of GO Group, a global consortium of 39 independent airport shuttle operators, have collected their best suggestions for smoothing out the stress factors in hopes of making journeys more joyful.

On the planning and packing front, GO Shuttle Express in Seattle suggests layering the contents of your carry-on bag. Layering clothes, then electronics, more clothes, and then any heavier items will help security officers see what's in your bag when x-raying it, and offset security line delays.

And don't forget to bring your cell phone charger in your carry-on (in case you become stranded or delayed by poor weather conditions) — it can be a lifesaver, says GO Airport Passenger Service in Minneapolis.

Yellow Checker Shuttle in Dallas recommends checking your arrival and departure airport's Web sites before leaving the house for terminal maps and local weather conditions.

Alternatives to driving and parking at the airport are a must at the holidays when the parking lots fill up fast and it?s hard to find a space. GO Airport Connection in Milwaukee points out that more than one person has missed a flight for want of a place to park. And GO Airport Shuttle in Baltimore adds that anyone weighing parking versus a shuttle should, "think of returning to a snow-covered car in a distant parking lot."

Some other tips from GO Group members include:

• Do not carry wrapped gifts in carry-on or checked luggage. Any wrapped packages in your carry-on will be opened when going through security. The TSA will also unwrap presents in checked luggage if they open you bag during screening.
• Keep undeveloped film in your carry-on bag, and avoid x-raying film that is faster than 800-speed by reporting it to a security agent for inspection.
• View the latest security changes and the TSA's prohibited items list by checking the TSA Web site at www.tsa.gov before packing.
• International travelers should check the U.S. Department of State Web site at www.state.gov for the nearest U.S. consulate in the country you are visiting. Bring copies of your passport and/or visa. In the event you lose either, the copies will help you get a replacement faster. The Web site also gives information about any foreign travel warnings.

Launched in August to serve as a convenient, one-stop source for door-to-door airport shuttle services, GO Airport Shuttle serves 110 airports around the world with a fleet of 3,765 vehicles that transport close to 29 million passengers annually.

Through GO's Web site, www.goairportshuttle.com, travelers can easily book ground transportation to and from both departure and destination airports.

GO Airport Shuttle will offer a $5 rebate to Thanksgiving travelers who book their ground transportation online to and from both departure and arrival airports.

The promotion covers shuttles booked from Tuesday, Nov. 20 through Monday, Nov. 26 on the GO Web-based reservation system: www.goairportshuttle.com. Passengers can claim their rebates by e-mailing info@goairportshuttle.com and providing reservation numbers for all four trips.

Launched in August to serve as a convenient, one-stop source for door-to-door airport shuttle services, GO Airport Shuttle serves 110 airports around the world with a fleet of 3,765 vehicles that transport close to 29 million passengers annually.

Through GO's Web site, www.goairportshuttle.com, travelers can easily book ground transportation to and from both departure and destination airports. GO Airport Shuttle is comprised of 39 independent airport shuttle operators in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Western Europe who have joined together to form the world's largest airport ground transportation company. All local partners are required to adhere to the same set of operating standards to assure uniform service.

Forty independent transportation companies in the United States, Canada, Mexico, England, France, Italy, Scotland and Spain today announced the formation and launch of the world's largest door-to-door airport shuttle company, GO Airport Shuttle, Inc.

Serving 110 airports as geographically diverse as Kahului Airport in Maui, Hawaii, Love Field in Dallas and Charles De Gaulle Airport in France, GO boasts a fleet of 3,765 vehicles, carrying almost 29 million passengers annually.

The local companies, each of which formerly operated under a separate name, are currently converting their vans, motor coaches and sedans to a uniform green and white GO identity.

A key component of the new company's business model is a central, Web-based reservation system, www.goairportshuttle.com, which also launches today. Through it, customers can conveniently visit one Web site (www.goairportshuttle.com) to book transportation to and from both departure and destination airports, or they can call one phone number 877-544-4646.

"The GO concept responds to a growing demand in the market for a single-source ground transportation company," says John McCarthy, newly-elected president of GO Airport Shuttle and president of Continental Air Transport in Chicago, which operates the newly named GO Airport Express.

"Corporate travel managers, convention managers and travel companies tell us they want to do business with one supplier, one phone number and one billing system," he explains. "We believe that individual travelers also will appreciate the opportunity to have a single, safe, reliable source for airport transportation, regardless of destination. In addition, they'll now be able to accumulate frequent rider points on their ground transportation as they do for other travel-related expenses."

The company's next largest competitor serves 19 airports - all in the United States. GO Airport Shuttle, organized as a closely held corporation, is owned and operated by a core group of the local operating companies that is licensing the use of the GO identity and reservation system to the others. All local operators are required to adhere to the same set of operating standards.

The new company is an outgrowth of GroundNet, an association of airport transportation companies that traces its origins to a 1993 meeting in Los Angeles attended by six airport shuttle companies from the United States and Europe, according to Paul Seeger, executive director of GroundNet and president of GO Prime Time Shuttle of Connecticut.

While positioning itself as a global company, the local operators that comprise GO Airport Shuttle will remain independently owned and managed.

"Local ownership gives customers the assurance they will receive the same high level of customer service in every location," says Seeger. "When you go with GO, the boss is always nearby to make sure the passenger experience is comfortable, affordable and on time."

GO Airport Shuttle provides shared-ride transportation service to and from 110 airports around the world. Reservations can be made online at www.goairportshuttle.com or by calling 877-544-GOGO (4646).