(The following report by Mike Rice and Jason Noble appeared on the Kansas City Star website on November 16.)
KANSAS CITY — Travel industry officials and the federal government are expecting a high volume of Thanksgiving travelers next week. And airlines are trying to avoid serving more from the same menu of earlier this year — long delays and overcrowded planes — to their customers.
KCI
KCI officials estimate that 195,584 travelers will pass through the gates from Wednesday through Sunday.
And the nearly 181,000 travelers at KCI during that period last year was much higher than the nearly 162,000 that passed through during the 2005 holiday.
“Our focus will be to talk to those travelers who don’t fly much, except for this time of the year,” said Kansas City Aviation Director Mark VanLoh. “They need to get on the airport’s Web site ( www.flykci.com) and get familiar with the 3-1-1 rule.”
Under the 3-1-1 rule, travelers can carry aboard liquids or gels only if they are in containers of 3 ounces or less and all the containers are placed in a 1-quart zip-top bag. Only one such bag is allowed per passenger.
AIRLINES
Over the first nine months of the year, the airline industry has posted its worst on-time performance since the collection of comparable data began in 1995.
Southwest Airlines, the busiest carrier at KCI, is hiring additional staff to work the ticket counters and other areas of the airport it serves. And a new boarding policy, which revises its trademark “open seating” with a numbered seating system, should keep the lines short, said spokeswoman Brandy King.
Other airlines have hired additional seasonal employees, from baggage handlers to gate attendants.
Some have installed self-help ticketing and check-in machines.
Airlines also are increasing connection times during peak travel periods and keeping some seats empty to re-accommodate travelers whose flights are canceled or delayed. And they are opening additional baggage checkpoints and check-in kiosks.
On Thursday, President Bush announced several new steps, including a potential increase in bump fees paid to travelers who buy tickets but end up without a seat. He also ordered that all air traffic facilities be well staffed, and opened several military flight paths that will allow more airspace for planes.
David Stempler, president of the Air Travelers Association, said the changes announced by Bush are “a good first step.”
THE GAS FACTOR
There are other means of travel — train, bus, and — if you’re willing to buy $3-a-gallon gas for a road trip — the family car.
AAA, the motor club, expects 31.2 million Americans to travel by motor vehicle in the coming week, an increase of 1.3 percent over last year.
“People are not going to be deterred from visiting friends and relatives over such a traditional holiday,” said AAA spokesman Mike Right. “There’s going to be records in terms of gas prices, but no dramatic impact on travel.”
Likewise, Enterprise Rent-A-Car expects a 20 percent increase in rentals compared with last year, said spokeswoman Christy Conrad.
Minivans and full-size sedans are moving briskly as renters look to fit the whole family in one car, she said.
RAIL AND ROAD TRIPS
The Wednesday before Thanksgiving is almost always Amtrak’s busiest day of the year, followed closely by the Sunday after, said spokesman Marc Magliari.
Amtrak offers three trains from Kansas City — two going east to Chicago and St. Louis, and one going west to Albuquerque. Magliari said those trains were filling up fast.
“If you’ve not made your reservations already, you might need to be flexible with your plans,” he said.
For bus travel, the Thanksgiving travel period stretches 11 days, from today to Nov. 27, said Dustin Clark, spokesman for Greyhound. Over that period last year, buses carried almost 800,000 passengers, a couple hundred thousand more than normal.
Clark said he wasn’t sure about the number this year, but he expects more people to travel.