Make Your Thanksgiving Air Travel More Bearable

AAA estimates that about 4 million Americans will travel by air this Thanksgiving. That represents the largest increase in years. With that increase, comes increased frustration. This blog, hopefully, will provide some ways that travelers can prevent, or at least limit, that frustration.

The bottom line is to plan ahead and bring your patience. You should leave for and arrive at the airport early. In fact, you should arrive particularly early during the holidays. There will always be delays that can’t be anticipated, so allow extra time. Check-in lines will be longer, security lines will be longer, and the wait to retrieve your bags will be longer. Absolutely everything will take longer with Thanksgiving air travel.

Double-check the status of your flight, especially if you are flying from or to a destination with inclement weather.   Flights tend to get backed up and delayed when airports get busy, and bad weather can really throw a wrench into things.

Know your airline’s policies on matters that may come up like schedule changes, overbooked flights, cancelled flights or lost baggage.   Take a look at our blog on summer travel for some considerations on this point.

If you are traveling with young children, make sure that you have plenty of activities for them.   Whatever patience you have, they have less, so plan accordingly.   Books, crayons, games, or favorite movies or shows can make a delay much more bearable for everyone.

With Thanksgiving air travel, you have no control over the schedule, but with a little preparation you can help keep any bumps in the road from ruining your holiday spirit. Stay Zen and have a happy Thanksgiving!