Some things to consider if travel plans include flying this summer
Heading through an airport this summer? Leave yourself plenty of extra time. So say travel experts who are predicting a return to the insanity of the summer of 2000, when record numbers of fliers caused delays on the ground and in the air.
With the economy finally reviving, the number of people in airports is expected to soar to an average of 65 million a month — a 12 percent jump from last year. At the same time, the budget-strapped Transportation Security Administration is cutting back on screeners to a maximum of 45,000. By some estimates, there will be 4,000 fewer on duty than last summer — a 10 percent decline.
“There’s no doubt that the lines will be longer this summer,” says TSA spokesman Mark Hatfield. “We have a big challenge ahead.”
He says the TSA is working hard on behind-the-scenes improvements to reduce lines and get people to gates faster. Further, it plans to hire more screeners at several airports and cut back on screeners where staffing is too high.
And the FAA and airlines already have devised a program to combat delays in the air. They plan to halt traffic at smaller airports when delays at a big airport exceed 90 minutes, creating clear “highways” in the sky for flights already in transit.
Still, industry officials say, there’s no getting around the fact that airports will be busy. In some regions, “we’re already back to pre-9/11 levels,” says James May, president of the Air Transport Association, which represents major airlines. And “we’re screening far more aggressively now than then, so it (goes) a little slower.”
What to do? We asked representatives of the airlines, the TSA and independent travel experts for their best advice for summer travelers. Their top tips:
1. Choose alternative airports
Traveling to San Francisco? Consider flying into nearby Oakland, where the airport is much less crowded, says Dave Downing, columnist at Fodors.com. Heading to Tampa? Book a flight to smaller Clearwater, Fla., instead. “Not only are secondary airports less crowded, but sometimes you’ll get a better deal, and often they’re cleaner and brighter,” he says.
Overall, airlines still will offer 7 percent fewer flights this July vs. July 2001. But flight levels at nine of the United States’ busiest airports, including Las Vegas, New York LaGuardia, Salt Lake City and Chicago O’Hare, will surpass pre-Sept. 11 levels, according to the FAA. Expect them all to be swarming with crowds.
2. Avoid early-morning flights
The period before 9 a.m. often is the busiest time of the day at airports, says May. Late afternoon is the other harried time, he says. “Pick your travel times so as not to coincide with the peak hours.”
3. Travel on off-peak days
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out which days will be the worst at airports this summer: the days leading up to and just after Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day. If you must travel those weeks, leave a day before or after the masses.
4. Skip the check-in line
The Air Transport Association urges travelers to use check-in kiosks to get boarding passes instead of waiting in line for one. Or print out your boarding pass from your computer before you leave home. Have bags to check? “Check them at the curb,” Downing says. “It’s worth the buck or two of tip not to have to wait in line.”
5. Prepare for inspection
Just assume that TSA officers want to look through your bag — and make it easy for them. Organize small items such as toiletries and film in clear plastic bags so inspectors can easily pull them out and examine them. Don’t wrap presents; they might have to be opened. And for the umpteenth time, leave those guns, knives and box cutters at home. The TSA is still confiscating three guns a day, Hatfield says, often by people who say they didn’t know better or forgot that the weapon was in their bag. In April alone, the TSA found 547,089 prohibited items, including 1,671 box cutters.
This summer, there’s particular incentive to shape up. The TSA has started levying fines of $250 to $10,000 for prohibited items.
6. Dress for success
Those hipster shoes with the metal buckles weren’t a problem three years ago, but these days they’ll almost guarantee you a date with a wand-waving official. Best bet: Leave the buckle-topped shoes, metal-studded shirts and flashy jewelry at home — or pack them away.
Traveling with kids? Don’t forget to give them a good going-over, too, says Andrea Barbalich, executive editor of Child magazine. Little things like a child’s barrette can set off X-ray machines, prompting a search.
Downing says one of the biggest alarm-triggers for children and adults alike are button-fly jeans. His advice: Ditch the 501s. TSA officials have been known to make wearers undo a few buttons for a look-see. “It becomes a very absurd public striptease. You’re just asking for embarrassment.”
7. Prepare for a wait
Families with children, in particular, need to be ready for unexpected delays, Barbalich says. “Really think through what you might need,” she says. “The more organized you are, the less stressful it will be.”
Barbalich recommends that parents carry a carefully calculated supply of snacks and water, as well as diversions such as crayons and paper, games and toys. Stickers make a wonderful diversion because they’re lightweight.