By 
Please be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn for the latest news.
With Thanksgiving just a few days away, travellers are gearing up for what is anticipated to be one of, if not the busiest travel periods since the start of the pandemic with passenger numbers to mimic those of 2019. While this is certainly good news for an industry still very much recovering from the devastating impact of COVID-19, it comes at a time when most airports, airlines and security providers are understaffed and trying to grapple with the rapid (and quite frankly unanticipated) increase in demand.
As you would recall, at the start of the pandemic, the industry was pivoting as quickly as possible to slash capacity and expenses, parking and storing aircraft and offering voluntary retirement packages to pilots and flight attendants in an effort to match the dwindling demand for travel. At that time, industry experts didn’t expect recovery to occur until 2024 at best. Fifteen short months later, with successful vaccination rollouts across the globe and countries reopening after months of closed borders, travellers are excited to hit the road again leaving the industry to once again play catch up.
Recently, a number of airlines have had to cancel hundreds of flights due to severe weather which was further compounded by the staffing shortage. Further complicating the matter is the mandatory vaccination rollout for federal workers – which many airlines employ. While the Biden administration has pushed the implementation date back to January 18th, 2022, it will only stand to make a bad problem worse.
Similarly, airports are also facing challenges with passengers experiencing longer wait times at check-in, security and at concessionaires due to staffing shortages. While the industry has tried to dampen the effects by offering paid incentives to existing staff members and bringing on new team members, passengers should still brace for what will most likely be a miserable travelling experience. While passengers may feel as though they are at the mercy of the industry, here are a few tips to help you through this holiday season.
Timing Is Everything
When booking flights this holiday season, if you have some flexibility in your schedule, try to book flights on off peak days and at off peak times. This is a bit more difficult to target as the peak time varies on a number of factors during the holiday season such as (but not limited to):
- The date of the holiday (typically peak times are about 2 – 3 days ahead of the holiday)
- Location (as well as the frequency or number of flights)
- Competition on the route
- Time of day
Airports will be generally packed in the days leading up to a respective holiday as travellers rush to get to the destination to be with friends and loved ones ahead of the holiday. Recognising this fact, airlines typically charge a hefty premium and a working example of this can be seen in the photos below.
In the sample flight above, we are trying to get to Port of Spain, Trinidad from Miami, on December 22nd. As you’d note, the ticket price is $3,545.00 (in economy no less). Three days before Christmas, you can guarantee that the airport will be bustling with tons of people and I’d certainly expect for there to be considerable wait times at all of the various points of travel i.e. check-in, security etc.
Fast forward to Christmas Day, the airport will be virtually empty as most travellers would have already gotten to their destinations and the costs are considerably less (savings of more than $2,500)! While no one necessarily likes travelling on the day of the holiday as you’d like to spend time with friends and family, the traveling experience will certainly be less hectic – and you’ll be able to save some money as well! In this particular instance however, due to
Give Yourself Some Cushion
Even before the pandemic, traveling was an anxiety inducing exercise. With all of the changing travel protocols, the need to provide vaccination status/negative COVID-19 results coupled with increased passenger wait times and the constant worry of delayed or missed flight cancellations, passengers are often on the edge of their seats. To combat that and to reduce the anxiety, here are a few tips to give you some breathing room:
- While domestic check-in cut off times are 45 mins and international check-in cut off times are an hour, the likelihood of you actually making your flight is extremely low. Now if you enjoy the thrill of heart palpitations, asking persons to cut in front of them and running to your gate then please continue to do so, however for everyone else, give yourself adequate time to get to the airport and to go through all of the necessary processes. Travel has changed considerably and there’s no sense in rushing. For domestic flights I’d recommend two hours and for international flights I’d recommend getting to the airport at least three hours before your flight (depending on the airport perhaps even four). While it sounds like a lot of time, airports are dynamic environments and things can change in a matter of minutes. Airlines like American are also encouraging their passengers to arrive at the airport early this holiday season. By arriving at the airport early, you don’t have to worry about feeling rushed and can get your trip started off on the right foot by going to an airport lounge while you wait for your flight.
- Also, to avoid the possibility of missed connections, try to book direct (or if that’s not possible – flights with minimum connections) flights. The more flights you have to connect on, the greater the likelihood of an operational issue impacting your trip. Also, if possible, try to leave earlier in the morning as flights typically have less disruptions than say late afternoon or evening flights. Additionally, if you do have connections, do not book tight connections but give yourself at least an hour and a half to two hours – that way if your originating flight experiences any delays, you have some buffer.
- I know many persons are typically on a budget and trying to spend as little money as possible (especially in light of the last year that we’ve all had) but I would highly recommend travel insurance. While we may believe that we can plan for every eventuality, given the uncertainty in travel right now, we can all use a little back up and there are some relatively great deals out there to protect us from all of those unforeseen circumstances.
- Before your trip, be sure to do the necessary research on what items you’ll need for your travels especially if flying internationally. Entry requirements (negative COVID-19 tests, type of tests allowed, vaccinations, quarantines are just some of the information to look out for) have changed (and continue to remain quite fluid) and as such, the last thing you want to do is get to the airport and realize you don’t have the right documents to board your flight. Review the information from your respective airline and when in doubt give them a call if you have any questions as they must be aware of all updated travel protocols. Additionally, there are some independent websites providing travellers with this very information.
- Lastly, given the fact that wait times in the airport are inevitable this holiday season, why not check out my list of airport items that I never leave home without? If you’re going to be at the airport waiting, at least do so comfortably right?
While no passenger wants to be greeted with long lines or experience significant wait times, to see so many people once again taking to the skies is reassuring particularly for an industry that was so negatively impacted by COVID-19.
Terminal Talks 