Air Travel This Thanksgiving Holiday
15 November 2006 It is very important to arrive 90 minutes before your flight when traveling by air Thanksgiving weekend and longer if you are checking bags. The reasons are:
1. There will be 50% more air travelers the day before Thanksgiving than normal. That means everyone leaving will be coming back the days after Thanksgiving. Airports will be crowded, very crowded for most of the period starting Tuesday and through Sunday. Expect diminishing but continuing heavy traffic beginning the Monday after Thanksgiving.
2. Parking at airports will be very difficult. This means you need to allow time to find a parking space. Consider remote parking and take a shuttle. Other alternatives include having a friend take you to the airport or use a cab. Be aware if you use a cab there may not be a cab available when you return if you are returning at a time and plance where demand for cabs is high.
3. Bathrooms at the airport will not be pleasant to use. They rarely are in normal conditions. Now add all the Thanksgiving travelers and airport workers calling in sick because they are sick of working when there is a holiday and it gets ugly.
4. Security lines will be long because many people are still confused by the carryon rules which have changed twice since August. In a nutshell, you can carryon gels and liquids that fit in 3oz. container or smaller and where all the containers fit in one quart sized zip lock bag. Do not expect to find quart sized bags at the airport.
5. Lines to check bags will be long. Why? - Read #1.
6. Line for food and drink will be long. Why? Read #1.
7. Everything you have to do when you arrive to get out of the airport will take longer. Why? Read No.1.
Once you make it onto the plane, there will be no empty seats, overhead space will be very crowded, temperatures in the plane will range from tropical to frigid and 20% of the people will be coughing, hacking and sneezing.
What is this frequent air traveler doing for Thanksgiving? I have no trips until the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Several weeks ago there were three seats left on an early Sunday morning departure to Washington. When I leave I will be prepared for all the conditions in this article. Having said that there is a better than 50% chance there will be some other incident that I have not planned for. Be flexible, use your head and make the best of it. Air travel still is a marvelous way to move from point A to point B if those two points are more than about 250 miles apart and there are direct flights point to point.
Wishing you a Safe, Prosperous, Healthy and Happy Thanksgiving
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