The holiday season is here, and thousands are taking to the road, rail, and air to see family and friends. But what should travelers expect?
Thanksgiving is one of the busiest times of year for travelers and transportation entities alike. And that means longer lines to board and traffic on the way.
On Tuesday, seemingly quiet parking garages and lots at Albany International Airport were packed with cars waiting for their drivers to return. The airport is urging passengers to take extra time this week. And it comes as the airport is undergoing a multi-year renovation. Airport spokesperson Steve Smith says arriving early is the best bet.
“The most important thing that passengers can do when they're flying out of Albany airport especially during the Thanksgiving travel period is to arrive at the airport no less than two hours before their scheduled departure,” Smith said. “With thousands of people traveling from the airport on a daily basis through Thanksgiving, we know we expect some delays. We also have construction going on so we want people to get here to check bags if need be. Check in with the airline, if need be, get through TSA and get to their gate before their flight leaves”
Smith adds impacts from the construction will also be felt outside:
“Outside the terminal where you'll be being picked up, if you have somebody picking you up is reduced to two lanes,” Smith said. “So, we're asking everyone who's coming to the airport to not park curbside, it's never permitted at the airport that they pick up passengers quickly and they continue to move on towards the exit. So, and that goes for people who are being dropped off the airport to pick up quick or drop off quickly, pick up quickly, and move on curbside parking just never permitted.”
Sydney Miller is taking her yearly trip to Cleveland to see family. A sophomore at Williams College in Massachusetts, Miller is thankful this year to not have experienced any delays in her travel plans— unlike last Christmas.
“This is probably the more stressful times of the year to travel, everyone's traveling and then like, for school, we've just like gotten out of like midterms and everything,” Miller said. “So, it's good and bad in that like, I've just had a lot of stress but I'm also like relieving it at the same time.”
Danielle Ontkush is traveling with her family of four to visit family and Disney World in Florida via Southwest Airlines. She says safe and efficient travel is important to planning any vacation.
“It’s very important, especially keeping two small kids together and just basically just staying together,” Ontkush said.
Others are sticking to the ground to reach their destination.
At the Joseph L. Bruno Rail Station in Rensselaer, Vila Gonzalez and two friends are heading to New York City to visit family. Gonzalez, a first-year student at Bennington College, says Amtrak has been quick to remedy problems—even if she is the one running behind.
“I'm going home,” Gonzalez said. “And then, well, I have a split parent situation, which is awesome. But my mom's side of the family. We're going to Chinatown for brunch, and then we're going to my aunt's house for one big ole family dinner. And then with my dad, I'm going to eat at some point.”
Gonzalez’s friend Lucy Humble, a fellow first-year student, is looking forward to being home for a few days.
“It's like a really weird change being kind of up here in like the like the ‘country's countryside,’” Humble said. “But yeah, so it's nice go home like kind of come to weird comfort in the city and the noises so it'll be nice.”
Amtrak spokesperson Jason Abrams says more than 730,000 riders across the nation are expected to ride this week. Thanksgiving is the busiest time of year as celebrations are limited to just a few days.
“It's our recommendation to come about 45 minutes to an hour ahead of your train time just so you can get settled, you know where everything is, you don't have to worry about rushing,” Abrams said. “That significantly helps. In terms of the delays, right now I'm not seeing anything that's completely pressing. But we have introduced a new improved delayed notification system in the spring of 2023 where customers can get key updates via email, text message, and push notification through the Amtrak app as well. So, if there is anything happened, they can get notified that way, but there's nothing, like I said, pressing right now. We monitor the weather to make sure that we're aware and work with other railroads.”
Both Amtrak and Albany International Airport say safety is a top priority and remind passengers to be aware of their surroundings.
