SOUTHLAKE, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Nov. 29, 2004–Thanksgiving weekend showed few hassles in terms of long delays at security checkpoints at airports throughout the country. According to live airport monitoring conducted by Travelocity(R), U.S. airports kept travelers moving through security despite bumpy weather that caused arrival and departure delays across the nation.
Lines through security, tracked on the hour by Travelocity representatives, flowed relatively quickly considering the holiday madness that is typically expected during Thanksgiving week. Monitoring the largest airports throughout the country, Travelocity found that average wait times were consistently less than 15 minutes (and often 10 minutes or less) through security checkpoints, pointing to a positive outlook for the rest of the holiday season.
Dedicated to informing travelers, Travelocity stationed people at 25 of the nation’s busiest airports for the fourth year in a row to monitor security waits and other key happenings on the two busiest travel days of the year, the Wednesday before and the Sunday following Thanksgiving (Nov. 24 and 28).
“If this Thanksgiving is any indication of what travelers can expect for our next big holiday weekend in December, we should consider ourselves in very good shape for a smooth experience,” said Amy Ziff, Travelocity’s editor-at-large. “Based on this year’s and last year’s holiday wait times, it appears that the Transportation Security Administration may have found the right formula in terms of staffing and overall security procedures. Travelocity’s airport trackers reported minimal delays again this year in getting through the airport, although other factors such as airport parking and weather issues may have held up some travelers.”
“While there are always exceptions in terms of wait times and uncontrollable events that could cause hiccups, such as an uninformed traveler getting held up in the security screening process or harsh winds and fog, travelers in general can rate this holiday a success,” said Ziff.
Here are the observations made by Travelocity representatives stationed at 25 of the nation’s busiest airports:
Wednesday, November 24th longest average waits through security were found at the following airports:
-- Newark: 15 minutes
-- Los Angeles: 13.3 minutes
-- Washington National: 13.3 minutes
Wednesday, November 24th shortest average waits through security were found at:
-- New York (JFK): 5.5 minutes
-- Detroit: 5.6 minutes
-- San Jose: 5.6 minutes
Sunday, November 28th longest average waits through security were
found at:
-- Miami: 22.9 minutes
-- Phoenix: 17.5 minutes
-- Newark: 14.5 minutes
Sunday, November 28th shortest average waits through security were found at:
-- Houston Bush: 4.6 minutes
-- Washington Dulles: 5.9 minutes
-- Orlando: 6 minutes
-- Detroit: 6 minutes
-- Boston: 6 minutes
Additional results:
-- With the relatively short wait times at security checkpoints
and weather delays taking place across the country,
Thanksgiving travelers had time to endure other lines. Some of
the longest waits were for concessions such as coffee and
donuts. In Miami, lines to purchase a lottery ticket for the
state's $60 million jackpot were often longer than security
checkpoint lines.
-- At the nation's busiest airports, parking filled up quickly
this Thanksgiving. By as early as 10 a.m., long-term parking
was filling up, and in some cases, already full.
-- At Chicago Midway, human passengers weren't the only Turkey
Day travelers getting pat-downs when going through security. A
number of pets also had to undergo the Transportation Security
Administration's careful screening process.
-- Ironically, some international travelers going through Miami's
airport forgot an important piece of luggage, their
identification.
-- Some airports provided special holiday programming to
entertain and relax travelers:
-- The Dallas/Fort Worth, Atlanta and Chicago Midway airports
had musical performances.
-- At Chicago O'Hare, Dora the Explorer amused the children.
-- At Baltimore, travelers could enjoy a unique display
featuring different parts of an airplane.
-- At Dallas/Fort Worth, seven-foot turkeys and pilgrims
cruised the terminals and donuts and beverages were
provided to vacationers.
In addition to providing the airport information, Rally Caparas, Eye On The Sky correspondent for Travelocity Business(SM), reported that poor weather conditions caused holiday travelers to experience some of the worst flight delays for the Thanksgiving weekend this year, as compared with recent years. For example there were delays reaching up to three to four hours for those flying into New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago and Atlanta. For ongoing flight delay information, check out www.travelocitybusiness.com/eos.
For more tips and advice on traveling this holiday season, visit Amy Ziff’s weekly column at www.travelocity.com/atoz.
About Travelocity
Travelocity’s industry-leading technology and straight-talking, honest information help travelers take more rewarding and affordable trips. With millions of registered users and booking nearly $4 billion of travel in 2003, Travelocity negotiates thousands of low-priced deals with the world’s most reputable travel providers — top airlines, hotels, car rental companies, cruise lines, and other destination attractions and services. Additionally, Travelocity offers deeply-discounted rates for weekend getaways and dynamic packages through its Last Minute Deals and TotalTrip shopping engines, and provides customer service support over the phone 24 hours a day. Based in Southlake, Texas, Travelocity also operates Travelocity Business(SM) for corporate customers, powers international travel Web sites in eight languages, and has been recognized for its consumer advocacy and global leadership in online travel. More information about Travelocity is available at www.travelocity.com. Travelocity is owned by Sabre Holdings Corporation (NYSE:TSG), a world leader in travel commerce. More information about Sabre Holdings is available at www.sabre-holdings.com.
CONTACT: Vollmer
Amanda Borichevsky, 972-488-4790
amanda@vollmerpr.com
or
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lisa@vollmerpr.com
SOURCE: Travelocity