Thanksgiving travel

Thanksgiving Travel Tips So You’re Not the Turkey

Holidays,

A few years back, during the pandemic, if you traveled during Thanksgiving you were required to wear a mask and stay at least 6 feet away from other travelers.

A distance San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) had measured out as being equivalent to the length of two turkeys.

You may encounter some different types of turkeys during your Thanksgiving travels this year. But here are tips that may help your trip go smoothly – or as smoothly as possible.

Weather, labor actions, inexperienced and flustered travelers, mechanical or tech glitches, construction on the way to the airport and traffic are just some of the things that may get between you and the flight that will bring you to your friends and family over the holiday.

Some of it is out of your control. But there are things you can do to try to keep mayhem and missed flights out of your itinerary.

1. Check your flight times. Download AND print out your boarding pass.

Even the most experienced travelers misread or ‘misremember’ their flight’s departure time.

When you go online to check to in for your flight, be sure to download an electronic boarding pass and, for good measure, print out a paper copy of the boarding pass. Then, on the paper version, highlight the boarding time, just in case.

Plan to arrive at the airport early. Extra early.

Airports and airlines aren’t kidding. You should show up at the airport (not leave for the airport….) at least two hours before your flight. Or more.

Showing up early means you won’t be (as) stressed if you encounter a very long line at the Transportation Security Checkpoint. And don’t assume your TSA Precheck will let you get through super fast. At many airports, those lines get very long too, especially this time of year.

Download some apps

Download the app for all the airports on your itinerary, your airline app and the app for your hotel and rental car company.

The airline app will help you stay on top of any gate, schedule and flight changes as well as other details of your journey.

The airport apps offer maps to help you make your connections as well as lists and locations of shops, restaurants and other amenities in the terminals, such as art exhibits.

Many airport apps also have real-time data that tells you how long the wait time is at various TSA checkpoints so you may be be able to to go to an alternate checkpoint to save some time.

Make a reservation to go through airport security.

There’s a free, ‘secret’ way to bypass those lines at about 20 airports in North America and Europe.

For travelers without paid memberships in TSA PreCheck or CLEAR, there’s a free virtual cueing program at select airports.

It’s like a restaurant reservation. And it lets you bypass others waiting in line at the airport security line.

The service go by different names at various airports, but is the free Clear RESERVE program managed by CLEAR, the company that also runs the paid Clear Plus program that uses fingerprints or eye scans to expedite your checkpoint journey.

As of December 2024, free timed security checkpoint reservations are being offered at 17 airports in North America and Europe, including Denver (DEN), Minneapolis (MSP), Seattle (SEA), Phoenix (PHX) and Orlando (MCO).

Bring some Mad Money

No matter how well you plan, traveling during the busy holiday season can be stressful. Tuck a little cash in your wallet to buy yourself a decadent snack, a cocktail or a trinket in case you find yourself stuck at the airport.

TSA’s Thanksgiving Do’s & Don’ts.

Holidays, ,

Traveling with holiday foods?

Each year, when Thanksgiving rolls around, the Transportation Security Administration team reminds travelers of the foods that are OK to put in your carry-on for the big meal. They also make a point of giving some examples of items you should put in your checked bag or let someone else contribute.

Fruit cake? Dry stuffing mix? Mini marshmallows? Pumpkin pie? Those are all fine to carry on, says TSA.

Canned pumpkin and yams? Cranberry sauce. Maple syrup? TSA says those belong in checked luggage or on the shopping list of someone who’s driving.

“Here’s some food for thought,” says TSA. “If it’s a solid item, then it can go through a checkpoint. However, if you can spill it, spread it, spray it, pump it or pour it, and it’s larger than 3.4 ounces, then it should go in a checked bag.”

Not sure if your food item is OK for carry-on? Check the TSA homepage, which has a helpful “What can I bring?” feature. Type in the item and find out if you can carry it through a checkpoint or if it should be checked. You can also tweet to @AskTSA to ask how best to travel with a specific food item.

Tips for keeping your social distance on Thanksgiving

Holidays, ,

If you are traveling over the Thanksgiving weekend, please be careful.

And keep in mind the millions of times you’ve been reminded and, more recently, begged to wash your hands, wear a mask, and keep a safe distance from others.

Those really aren’t tips. This Thanksgiving, they’re essential travel tools.

To help you remember. We’re sharing this Thanksgiving-appropriate distance measuring sticker. It comes to us courtesy of the San Jose International Airport (SJC).

Airports, airlines, travelers brace for winter weather

Weather, , , , ,

Tough traveling this Thanksgiving

Severe winter storms are already wreaking havoc with Thanksgiving travel plans across the country.

Denver International and many other airports are taking out their snowplows and de-icing gear and advising travelers to be sure to check the status of their flights before leaving home.

Many airlines are offering fee-free flight changes, waivers on fare differences for rebooked flights and refunds left and right.

In some cases, they are encouraging passengers to switch to flights leaving a day or two early.

At 9 p.m. on the west coast, these are some of the airlines issuing travel alerts. No doubt there will be updates and more alerts by morning and over the next few days. So, if you’re scheduled to fly anytime over this holiday, be sure to check your airline’s website and sign up for alerts about your flight.

American Airlines has a travel alert for passengers scheduled to fly November 27 to/through or from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

Delta Air Lines has travel advisories posted for flights to, from or through Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on November 27 as well.

Frontier Airlines has canceled many flights through Denver and Colorado Springs, CO on Tuesday, November 26. Advisories for rebooking and refunds are on their site.

JetBlue has posted travel alerts for flights in and out of Denver International Airport on Tuesday, November 26.

Southwest Airlines is warning customers that flight schedules may be “disrupted,” as in delayed, diverted, and/or canceled on Tuesday, November 26 in Denver and on Tuesday and Wednesday, November 26 and 27 through Minneapolis/St. Paul.

United Airlines’ winter weather alert also applies to flights in and out of Denver on Tuesday 26.

Bottom line: even if the weather looks great where you are – or where you’re headed to, bad weather in other parts of the country can still disrupt your travels. Check flights, check again and, as always, pack lots of patience when you go to the airport this time of year.