Officials share air travel tips ahead of Thanksgiving
TaMya Bracy
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KQTV) — With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, numerous Americans will be traveling to see loved ones all over the country.
According to AAA, about 82 million Americans will travel over 50 miles from home, an increase of 1.6 million travelers compared with last Thanksgiving.
About six million travelers are expected to fly domestically over the Thanksgiving holiday, a 2% increase from last year.
Justin Meyer, KCI deputy director of aviation, said the airport is already seeing a peak of travelers leaving for the holiday.
“We’re busier than normal, and we’ll be busier than normal through Wednesday. Thursday is a really light day,” he said. “Friday is a really light day, and then Saturday is busy. Sunday will be our busiest day of the year.”
Meyer said the number one tip for flying this holiday season is to give yourself plenty of time.
“We’re encouraging travelers to arrive 2 hours. That’s a standard number that we say,” he said. “But certainly, if you are a frequent flier, you’re checking bags, you’re parking in the garage, you’re getting dropped off. You can modify that as you’re comfortable.”
TSA has a packing section on its website, which shows what items can go in checked bags and carry-on bags. Meyer said it’s important for travelers to understand what items belong in each type of bag.
“It’s important to know what the difference is, one of which is lithium batteries. So if you’re carrying a laptop or an extra phone charger, make sure that’s in your carry-on suitcase in with you in the cabin and not in the checked bag,” he said.
Meyer recommends staying patient when traveling with children.
“Recognize that holiday travel is stressful for everybody, and kids as well, that are maybe on a different sleep schedule than normal. But just be patient with your kids,” he said. “If they needed a little additional screen time, maybe to help them settle down. That’s not the worst thing you could do.”
Triple AAA spokesperson Nick Chabarria said he recommends downloading your airline app the keep track of your flight.
“If there are cancellations and delays and working through the app is usually the easiest way to make changes to your itinerary if you need to while you’re away from home or at the airport, for example, he said. “So that’s the best way to stay informed with your flight directly.”
Meyer said one of the most important things the public can do to make the process smoother is to have a plan for picking up loved ones from the airport.
“So if you have someone flying in from out of town that you’re picking up, we certainly want to encourage travelers or hosts that are picking up travelers to make use of the cell phone lot at the airport rather than circling and circling encircling,” he said. “That just causes unnecessary traffic and slows everybody down. Please don’t park on the arrivals curb; that is prohibited.”
Overall, officials say preparation and patience are key to navigating the busy holiday travel season.