Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Thanksgiving Travel

I heard on the radio yesterday morning that there will be 3,000 fewer flights available over the 2008 Thanksgiving Holiday as compared to 2007. Which means that tickets will be more expensive and planes will be jammed.

This will be made even worse due to the new fees to check a bag. I have spent enough time pontificating on that problem.

MSN has an article called “Tips to Speed through Security”. The only shocker was that in Terminal 3 at O’Hare you might stand in Security for an extra eight minutes if you pick the wrong line. I generally fly out of Terminal 1, so I don’t know which is the bad line in Terminal 3!

Anyway, here was the point of the article:

“More experienced travelers have other tricks that are second nature. For example, don’t wait until you reach the front of the line to start emptying your pockets. Take a minute to stash your watch, keys and loose change in your carry-on. Even if you’re using one of the new “checkpoint friendly” laptop bags, tie and neatly stow the additional wires so it won’t look like a bomb when it's X-rayed. And because “everyone has to take off their shoes,” according to Payne, wear easily removable footwear such as flip-flops or slip-ons. Choose pants that don’t require a belt, and opt for an easily removed sweater or jacket, which TSA officials may make you send through the X-ray machine separately.”

Yes. You should be stripping in line.

Another interesting thought – and this is not the first place I have heard it – is that it might be better to ship our luggage that to check it. With the idea that UPS is more reliable that the airlines and it won’t be that much more expensive if you plan it well.

I do not vacation around Thanksgiving, but I do have to visit my other offices right around that time. If I am extremely lucky, I will be able to run it all earlier this year, but I don’t even have tickets yet. Also, I have already decided that I am driving to Ohio instead of flying.

You can read the full article here. But if you want my “expert” travel advice? Don’t travel for Thanksgiving.

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