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Monday, November 26, 2007 Holiday
ends easily for air travelers Good
weather helps keep flights on time; Indy airport saw fewer passengers this year By Francesca Jarosz The
Indianapolis (IN) Star Seasoned traveler Jill Sechrist expected snaking security lines,
delayed flights and lost luggage at Indianapolis International Airport on
Sunday, which was among the country's busiest travel days.
But like many awaiting baggage at the airport about 1:30 p.m., she
was pleasantly surprised by the ease of her travel. Sechrist, 46, who'd flown back home to Indianapolis from Orlando,
said Sunday's flight was the smoothest she'd had in the 10 trips she took this
year. "It was supposed to be this really crazy day, and it was
great," Sechrist said. "It really makes the whole travel experience
so much more pleasant." Other travelers reported similar experiences at Indianapolis and
other airports: fast-moving lines, little congestion and flights arriving on
time -- even early in some cases. Despite rising gasoline prices, predictions called for one of the
busiest Thanksgiving travel seasons to date, with a record 38.7 million U.S.
residents likely to travel 50 miles or more for the holiday between Wednesday
and Sunday, according to AAA. That's up about 1.5 percent over last year. At Indianapolis' airport, Sunday's predicted passenger load was
16,500 for departing flights, a drop of about 4 percent from last year's
17,115. Airport spokeswoman Susan Sullivan said the drop isn't significant. Airport officials followed the protocol of adding staff and
opening additional parking spaces to prepare for the rush. But this year, they
sent some employees home and saw many of the additional spaces go unused. "We just didn't see the total rush," said Mike
Medvescek, the airport's operations director. Airport officials and experts credit the smooth operations, in
part, to cooperative weather. As of 5 p.m., the ground temperature at the
airport remained above freezing. Despite the rain, Medvescek said fog had not
impaired flights. Paula Hochstetler is a former airport planner and president of the
Airport Consultants Council, a Washington-based group that represents
consultants who advise airports on design and operations. She said weather is the largest contributing factor to delays,
though some airports also lack the capacity for the number of travelers who go
through them. In cases of delay, major airports in such cities as New York and
Chicago feel effects the strongest, Hochstetler said, but those holdups can
trickle down to places such as Indianapolis. By 7 p.m., Medvescek said, three departures were delayed because
of crowding issues at airports in Charlotte, N.C.; Newark, N.J.; and Atlanta. But even with Sunday's smooth ride, Medvescek said airport
staffers weren't letting their guard down until the Thanksgiving season comes
to a close. "Tomorrow may be another day," he said. | ||||||
