Tips for traveling through busy airports this week
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) said it expects to screen around 30 million people in airports as travelers take to the skies for Thanksgiving.
This means an increase in travelers and that airports will be very busy, including John Glenn International.
The Columbus Regional Airport Authority and TSA said people should arrive extra early during this busy time. Travelers said they would hate to miss time with loved ones because of a late arrival.
“We just made sure we got here early because you don’t know what to expect,” travelers George and Susan Jones said. “I kept checking the app just to make sure everything was still on time; so far, so good.”
For the holiday season specifically, John Dipaula with TSA said something travelers might not know is not to wrap any holiday presents because if the alarm goes off, the present will have to be unwrapped.
“There are times where if there’s a family with the grandparents traveling through and the gifts are opened up, the grandchildren are going to see what they got for Christmas,” DiPaula said.
He said people should be aware of prohibited items because if they are caught with one in a carry-on, it could shut down an entire security lane, especially if it’s a firearm.
“We ask everybody that before you pack your carry-on bag, please start with an empty bag, make sure there are no prohibited items in there prior to coming to the airport,” DiPaula said. “If you are caught with a firearm, not only will you get charged locally, but you could receive civil penalties up to $14,000.”
On Tuesday afternoon, travelers said security and ticket lines were short, but the airport is only expected to get busier as time goes on.
“You know what? It hasn't gotten busy yet,” traveler Annamarie York said. “We were really surprised at Midway that it wasn’t way more people, but everybody at the airports are saying it’s going to start rolling out later and later and they expect tomorrow to be just insane.”
Airport staff said they are asking for patience from travelers at this time.