Travel Advice: Surviving Thanksgiving Travel And What Can Go Through Security

Air Date:
Heard On The Larry Meiller Show

Larry Meiller gets advice for surviving the ordeal of Thanksgiving travel, plus a refresher on what can be taken through airport security.

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  • A Travel Expert's Guide On How To Survive Flying This Thanksgiving

    For many of those who celebrate Thanksgiving, the holiday entails flying to another part of the country, or maybe even another part of the globe. One travel expert says that given the huge volume of air travel anticipated for this year’s holiday, it’s probably a good idea for Thanksgiving flyers to be as prepared as possible.

    Rick Seaney, the CEO and co-founder of FareCompare, said that the airline trade group Airlines for America is projecting that 24.6 million people will travel globally on U.S. airlines between Nov. 21 through Dec. 2. Approximately 16 million will travel during the condensed period of the day before Thanksgiving through the weekend.

    That projection represents an increase of about 1.5 percent over 2013 figures, Seaney said — and last year’s flights were consistently full. That means that travelers should be prepared for flights with no extra seats and limited space to stow carry-ons.

    On top of that high volume of travelers, Seaney shared a startling statistic: Looking at five years of Thanksgiving travel data, as many as 25 percent of travelers will be subjected a delayed or canceled flight. Those travel interruptions impact not only the travelers, Seaney said, but also the friends or family who are expecting the travelers, and who may even be driving to the airport to pick them up. Seaney said it makes sense to have a plan in place to notify them, or for them to be able to track the itinerary themselves.

    “You don’t want them heading out in a snowstorm if your plane’s not going to make it,” he said.

    Seaney is hoping that his experience can help others travel more smoothly. “I’ve been doing this for a long time,” he said, “and have gone through probably every possible bad thing that can happen at an airport.”

    Here are some of Seaney’s other top tips for Thanksgiving travel:

    • Double-check your flight times. Seaney said that as flights get closer, airlines sometimes change departure time. It may only be by 5 or 10 minutes, “but I’ve seen them change up to an hour,” he said. The weekend before the departure date is a good time to re-check reservation details.

    • Prepare for a long trip. Air travel can always mean time spent in transit, but be more prepared than usual given how many flights are delayed. Be sure to pack your carry-on with charger cords, something to eat, any necessary medications and something to read or watchjust in case.

    • Sign up for flight status alerts. Many airlines will keep travelers updated with any alterations, including delays and gate changes. Seaney said that travelers can go to the website of the airline on which they are traveling to register for email, text or phone alerts. He added that people who are planning to pick up travelers can also get the same information, which eliminates a step in communication.

    A word of caution on flight status alerts: Even if they say that a flight is delayed, travelers are still required to be available for departure at the airport at the originally scheduled time. If the flight is changed back to the original time and a traveler misses it, rescheduling and paying for another flight is the customer’s responsibility.

  • Tips: Know What Can, Can't Go Through Airport Security

    Planning a trip, buying a ticket and getting to the airport on time are all important parts of the air travel experience. But, even after all of that, there is one more step: Getting through security.

    Restrictions on what can be carried onto an airplane have certainly become more strict since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Rick Seaney, the CEO and co-founder of FareCompare, shared some refreshers on what security restrictions are currently in place and rules for some unusual items as well.

    Remember the restrictions on liquids and gels.

    Most travelers know that non-solid items must be in containers that hold 3.4 ounces or less.

    But they might not think in those terms when it comes to food. So for those traveling with holiday treats like cranberry sauce, salsa, peanut butter, cheese dips and spreads, jams and jellies, or that Wisconsin favorite, maple syrup, pack them in the checked luggage if it’s more than 3.4 ounces.

    Also, take care with snow globes — the liquid-volume rule applies to them too.

    Wrap presents at your destination if possible.

    While wrapped gifts aren’t forbidden, if there is any question about the contents after they go through screening, the agents will unwrap them to get a better look.

    Make sure personal hobbies don’t cause trouble.

    Stringed instruments are OK to take on a plane, but brass instruments aren’t.

    Fishing poles, ice skates, tennis rackets and knitting needles are all right, but golf clubs, ski poles, baseball bats and bows and arrows must be checked.

    Don’t try to bring a weapon through security.

    This might seem obvious, but the U.S. Transportation Safety Administration, which is in charge of airport security checks, confiscates loaded guns and other weapons each day.

    Depending on the airline, it might be possible to check a weapon in luggage with the appropriate paperwork. Other types of self-defense items like pepper spray, nunchucks, throwing stars and stun guns are also banned as carry-ons.

    If it can blow up, don’t try to bring it at all.

    While personal lighters are OK, fireworks, lighter fluid, sterno and gasoline are all forbidden, even in checked luggage. And both real and fake hand grenades, unsurprisingly, are taboo as well.

    What to do if an item is confiscated?

    If you accidentally try to take a prohibited item through security and it is confiscated, it isn’t necessarily gone forever. Seaney said that people can always send the item back to themselves through the mail, and some enterprising vendors have set up kiosks outside of security.

    “But you have to have that extra time at the airport to do that,” Seaney cautioned. That means if a traveler is cutting it close to make it to the gate, mailing an item home is most likely not a good option.

    On the other hand, the confiscated materials at security are “basically a lost and found,” Seaney said. So travelers have the right to come back and retrieve items “in a reasonable amount of time” as long as they can prove that it is their property. Items not retrieved are sent to a central processing site and then are donated to charity, if appropriate.

    The TSA posts a weekly summary of confiscated items on its blog, which makes for entertaining reading.

Episode Credits

  • Larry Meiller Host
  • Judith Siers-Poisson Producer
  • Rick Seaney Guest