Holiday Travel Tips

Holiday Travel Tips
The holiday season is upon us, which means that people will be taking to the skies to visit family and friends. As you likely already know, flying during this season can be a source of additional stress, especially if you’re an inexperienced traveler.
If you will be traveling or have friends and family who are traveling these tips can help make your trip hassle-free:
1. Don’t try to take wrapped presents through security. TSA does not allow pre-wrapped presents through security, so make sure if you want to carry your gifts on, do not wrap them! Although if you’re considering carrying gifts on, keep in mind TSA carry-on restrictions. You can check wrapped gifts, however if screeners detect a suspicious package, they can open them.
2. Pack Light. The fewer bags you travel with, the less likely it is that one of your bags will be mishandled. If possible, I suggest taking carry-on bags only. This way, you won’t have to pay to check bags and there is zero chance that your bag will get lost if you’re changing flights.
3. Arrive earlier than usual and check in on-line. When traveling during the holiday season, not only are there more travelers, but weather could be a factor as well. You should arrive at the airport approximately 30 minutes earlier than you would during non-peak travel season, especially if your flight leaves between 6 and 8 a.m. During this time there are many flights departing, and more people on those flights – so get here a little early to avoid any snags! Checking in online and printing your boarding pass lets you avoid any line at the ticket counters.
4. Connect with your airline via social media and smart phone apps – Most airlines have a presence on social media (like Facebook and Twitter, i.e. Delta’s Twitter @DeltaAssist which is set up strictly for customer help) and have staff specifically designated to answer customer questions about flight delays and ticketing questions. I also suggest that you download your airline’s smart phone app for quick and easy access to the airline for schedule changes and push notifications. Instead of calling the airport or the airline to inquire about delays, these days it’s more convenient to connect through these sites; for example www.yeagerairport.com has live flight information on the website.
Another item to keep in mind when traveling at any time of the year is that it’s usually less stressful to travel from a smaller airport like Yeager because of the ease of navigating from parking to ticketing, through security and on to the gate. You can also expect those who work here to be more personable, friendly and willing to help than if you were flying from a large airport.
Keep these tips in mind when making your travel plans, have a great holiday season and happy travels!