Air travel for Thanksgiving is expected to be at the highest level since 2007, according to AAA Travel.
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport expects its busiest days for the November holiday season to fall on Nov. 26, Nov. 30 and Dec. 1. The lowest traffic numbers will be Thanksgiving day, Nov. 27.
Thanksgiving isn’t the busiest time of year for Sea-Tac. (Nope, not Christmas either. That honor goes to summer, in general.) But it may feel like it as you shiver shoeless in line, staring at the Starbucks that is so close yet so far away beyond blinking security gates.
The airport experts note that the number of inexperienced travelers — those who only fly once or twice a year — will be significant. And inexperience equates to long lines at those security checkpoints. Then, there are the happy relatives picking up jet-lagged relatives, and we arrive at the point where I figure it’s worth passing along some of Sea-Tac’s tips.
To wit:
‘Arrive’ to depart: The busiest times for departures traffic is in the morning, evening for arrivals. If traffic is piled up, try dropping off your traveler in the arrivals drive or picking up your visitor at the departure drive. A few more steps, a lot more sanity.
Wait for your funky ringtone: The cellphone waiting lot has free parking for up to 30 minutes. Sit and sip your latte until your relative has deplaned, picked up their bags and called to be picked up outside baggage claim.
Score a deal: Airport parking is discounted through Dec. 7 for $18 a day or $95 a week. Coupon is required, available on the airport’s website.
Read up: If you’re the one traveling, make sure you know the latest rules, both the annoying and the surprisingly reasonable — such as limits on liquids, and leaving your shoes on if you’re 75 or older. Go to www.tsa.gov/traveler-information for the (many) details.
Just do it: Arrive at least two hours before your flight time. (Don’t say I didn’t warn you.)
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