AAA Offers Advice for Holiday Air Travelers
18 December 2000
AAA Offers Advice for Holiday Air Travelers
ORLANDO, Fla.--Dec. 18, 2000--With five price increases this year, Christmas - New Year's travelers will find airfares up an average 10 percent over a year ago and typically heavy volumes at airports as the holiday nears, according to AAA."Airline check-in counters and gates will be extra busy," said AAA Travel Vice President Sandra Hughes. "Congestion could increase even more if the recent labor problems at several major airlines continue through the holiday.
"Travelers also should consider alternatives to driving and leaving their car at the airport," Hughes said, "since airport traffic and parking will be difficult in many cities."
AAA advises air travelers the following tips when flying this holiday:
| -- | Arrive at the airport at least 90 minutes early for domestic flights and two hours international. You are considered a "no-show" if you have not checked in with the airline 20 minutes prior to departure and you will lose your seat on that flight. |
| -- | Ship your holiday gifts and other articles to your destination several days in advance of your trip, and do the same on your return. If you plan to check luggage and already have your airline ticket, use the Skycap service offered at most airports. The longest lines at the airport are at the airline ticket counter. |
| -- | Make sure both your carry-on and checked luggage have identification tags inside and outside so you can easily identify them. |
| -- | Most reservations systems used by your travel agent are equipped to tell you the on-time record for the flight that you plan to book. You may wish to avoid flights that have poor on-time performance. If your trip requires you to connect, make sure you have enough time at the connecting airport and try to obtain seating as forward in the aircraft as you can. |
| -- | Call the airline the day of departure to reconfirm that your flight is leaving as scheduled and remember to bring your legal photo ID. |
| -- | If you are at the airport, your flight cancels and the airline has not advised you about being protected on another flight, proceed directly to a telephone and call the airline immediately. Tell them what happened, have them look at your reservation and ask them to book you on another flight. Those who are standing in line at the customer service desk will find that there are often no seats left when their turn comes. |
| -- | If your flight is delayed, stay close to the boarding area. |
| -- | If you are being picked up at the airport, arrange in advance where you will meet your party. The best places to meet are at the baggage claim or at the arrival gate for the flight. |
AAA is the largest leisure travel agency in North America with more than 1,000 accredited, full service travel agency offices serving more than 43 million members and the public. Travel services include worldwide air, cruise and rail tickets; tour packages; hotel and car rental reservations; and a variety of travel insurance programs.
AAA news releases are available from http://www.aaa.com/news