November 25, 2014
If you didn’t already know, Wednesday is the busiest travel day of the year. Roughly 27 million people will pass through the nation’s airports on their way home for Thanksgiving. Needless to say, travel this week is not going to be pretty, so here is the annual OK WASSUP! Top 10 Thanksgiving Travel Tips to get you home with the least amount of stress and abuse:
This should go without saying, but get to the airport early. When I say early, I mean AT LEAST 2 1/2 HOURS prior to your flight departure. The airports will be a madhouse and it will take more time than you can imagine to navigate your way through security checkpoints and to your gate. Also, many airlines frequently oversell flights for extra income, so they will be quick to give your seat away to someone else if you’re not checked-in at least 45 minutes in advance. Better early and safe than late and missing your flight.
Airlines discovered a cash cow when they realized they could charge you to check your bags instead of giving away the service for free. Well if time permits, skip the $25. to $35. bag fees and ship your luggage in advance, or only take a carry on bag. Not only will this tip save you holiday money, but it will prevent you from having to stand in long lines to have your bag checked by security prior to take-off, or from having to wait at a luggage carousel upon arrival along with thousands of other travelers.
CHECK-IN AT HOME –
Check in for your flight and obtain your boarding pass at home the night before. All of the major airlines offer an app for your SmartPhone, so you can pull up your boarding pass on your screen electronically instead of having to print it out via computer. Having your boarding pass already in hand will save you enormous time and hassle once you arrive to an overcrowded airport.
Here’s a trick I learned over years of holiday travel: when getting to the airport (especially for a morning flight), don’t go to the Departure Level. It will be a zoo. Instead, head for the Arrivals Level, which should be virtually empty in the morning hours. Then just take the escalator upstairs for your gate.
Here’s Part II of my holiday travel trick: when you arrive at your destination, have your friends or family pick you up at the Departure Level. Why? Because no one will be there! They’ll all be downstairs screaming and pushing, hoping against hope that their bags were actually on their same flight and waiting at least 40 minutes or more for that carousel to start moving. Traffic exiting the airport from the Departure Level should also be at a minimum, which will expedite your way out of airport hell and home to the sweet smell of turkey and giblet gravy.
NO WRAPPED GIFTS –
If you check your bags and have gifts enclosed, DO NOT wrap them. TSA security personnel will be forced to unwrap them, especially if you’ve used any wrapping paper that contains metal or foil.
Do not expect the ID tag that you faithfully put on the outside of your bag to remain there. Baggage conveyor belts love to eat these tags, so protect yourself. Using duct tape, affix a larger ID to the inside of your bag. That way, if the outside luggage tag is lost, someone opening your bag will at least know where to find you.
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KNOW TSA RULES –
Grandma’s Thanksgiving leftovers are so delicious to take home on your flight. But be advised, many items just won’t make it past the security checkpoint. Pies are OK. But cranberry sauce is not. Neither are:
* Creamy dips and spreads
USE ALTERNATE AIRPORTS –
If at all possible, use alternate airports: Burbank instead of LAX; Flint instead of Detroit; Chicago Midway instead of Chicago O’Hare; Oakland instead of San Francisco; Providence instead of Boston. You’ll thank yourself later for avoiding the biggest crowds by traveling through calmer airports.
Last, but not least, if you’re one of those who waited until the last minute to make your travel plans, DO NOT attempt to fly out on Wednesday. Assuming you can even get a seat, the enormity of the price will likely land you in the hospital from a heart attack. Instead, fly out on the very first flight on Thanksgiving morning. You’ll still get to where you need to go in time to cut the turkey, see your long-lost relatives and let them push all your emotional buttons during dinner.
HAPPY AND SAFE TRAVELS!
