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Holiday travel troubles
Comments 0 | Recommend 0Traveling home for Christmas, Megan Marquis said goodbye to her boyfriend Noel Quiroz in the Midland International Airport.
"The visit was our Christmas present to each other," Marquis said. Heading to Little Rock, Ark., Marquis said ice in Arkansas was a concern yesterday, but the weather had cleared up today.
People flowed smoothly through the airport Christmas Eve. Airline officials said delays were kept to a minimum, and Southwest Airlines only had a few flights delayed, including one to Amarillo and Phoenix. Officials say the impact of the wintry weather across the northern tier of the country has had some impact, but not for the last-minute Christmas travel.
"A lot of the planes originate from the north, and yesterday was a bit hectic with the weather," Southwest customer service supervisor Connie Chase said.
Chase said she expects holiday travel to decrease slightly from last year, but flights still leave full. Deputy airport director Justine Huff said things have mostly gone smoothly for those leaving during the holidays, and she does not have an estimate of overall travel for the 2008 holiday season compared to 2007. Airlines will report traffic numbers at the end of the month.
The possible slight decrease for Southwest's operations at MAF meshes with estimates of a 9 percent decline in holiday air travel from both AAA and the Air Transport Association of America.
Mark Kurtz booked a flight to visit family in Los Angeles. His flight was to stop in Albuquerque, N.M., first and was delayed about 15 minutes.
"It hopefully will leave soon, but it is good to have a getaway for a bit," Kurtz said.
Huff had some advice for those leaving late, perhaps for other celebrations scheduled after Christmas Day.
"Make sure you allow plenty of time. Remember all the security procedures that are required," Huff said.
CHECK ‘EM
Some common holiday items that must be in checked bags or left home:
>> Cranberry sauce.
>> Jams and jellies.
>> Gift baskets with food.
>> Sauces.
>> Snow globes.
>> Maple syrup.
>> Oils.
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