Holiday Travel Tips
John McGinley, Colorado Springs Assistant Director of Operations and Maintenance, said Thanksgiving is in the top three busiest travel holidays of the year.
McGinley stresses that planning your trip, from start to finish, is crucial? and that includes traversing through busy airports.
?I think that it?s all about planning your trip throughout the terminal building,? said McGinley.
Here are some tips from the Colorado Springs Airport:
-Check in online -Pack light to avoid airline ticket counters -Consider shipping holiday gifts, as this may be a cheaper alternative to checking these items. -Check on your flight before departing for the airport. Use online websites that include flightstats.com and flightarrivals.com for assistance in doing so. -Consult your airline before departure for size and weight restrictions for checked and carry-on baggage. -Plan to arrive about two hours before your flight?s scheduled departure. -Have your airline?s contact number and website information with you or programmed into your phone in the event you need additional information
Carrie Harmon with Transportation Security Administration said the 3-1-1 rule is still in effect this year. That means all liquids and gels must be stored in a three-ounce bottle, all bottles must be stored in a one-quart clear, plastic bag and only one bag is allowed per passenger. Harmon said that many passengers comply with this rule, but forget to remove the plastic bag from their luggage, which will slow down the passenger and cause a backup in the security lines.
Something that is different this year is the fact that children younger than the age of 12 do not have to remove their shoes when going through security checkpoints.
?Talk to your kids about the security screening process. Do not hesitate to ask for help from one of our officers if you have kids, bags and strollers. We are happy to assist you in getting through screening,? said Harmon.
Both Harmon and McGinley said cellphone applications can help you get to your gate with less stress.
TSA has an application that allows you to enter carry-on items into a search engine that retrieves whether or not the item is permissible. The TSA application also provides estimated security wait times.
Gate-Guru lists restaurant and shops by terminal and also provides airport maps.
Harmon said that TSA is asking for travelers to be on the lookout for anything that may look suspicious. She said ?if you see something then say something.?
