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Much-needed help for holiday travelers
Every bit helps
In addition to posting airfare specials, many airports are trying to help travelers with at-the-airport discounts and other freebies. For example, right now, Kansas City International Airport is offering a coupon for a free day of parking. And as the holidays get closer, Minneapolis-St. Paul International, San Francisco International and others will once again hand out coupon books filled with discounts at airport restaurants and shops.
Many smaller airports may soon follow the lead of Alabama’s Mobile Regional Airport. There, travelers enrolled in the free “Passport Program” get one point for each trip they begin at the airport. Points can then be exchanged for everything from a day pass at the airport’s executive club lounge (8 points) to a one-year AAA auto club membership (41 points) to discounts on cruises. The airport also has its own shuttle van service to ensure travelers won't be stranded when flights arrive behind schedule.
Already have your holiday ticket?
Good for you. But don’t relax just yet: you’ll need to stay on your toes before you head to the airport. Here are three “R’s” to remember:
Reconfirm: Many airline route cuts and cancellations kick in after Labor Day while others will roll out this fall. There's a good chance your holiday flight schedule will change at least once. (My airline has already changed my December schedule three times!) Don’t wait for the airline to call you about a schedule change. Put a few “just checking” reminders in your calendar and reconfirm one more time on the day of your flight.
Repack: Over the summer, most major airlines added new or increased fees for checked bags. Those fees vary from airline to airline and may come as an expensive shock to folks who haven’t flown anywhere since last spring. Before you start choosing holiday outfits or shopping for gifts to pack in your suitcase, check your airline’s Web site for rules and fees for checking sports equipment, oversized items and pets.
Reconsider: Not your trip, but how you’ll get to and from the airport. To make up for lost revenue, many airports and off-airport lots hiked parking fees over the summer. Do the math to see if it makes sense to leave the car at home.
If so, consider taking public transportation, a shuttle van or a cab. Ask about discounts: many shuttle van services offer significant discounts for second or third passengers. And many appointment-only town car services charge no more than cabs and offer a smoother, more reliable ride.
Another option is talking to your neighbors. Surely you’re not the only one headed to the airport the day before Thanksgiving — perhaps you can carpool or hitch a ride. Or plan ahead to share a cab or a town car to the airport. I did this once with a neighbor who waved away my share of the fare in what turned out to be a swanky limousine ride to the airport. He said his boss was picking up the tab.
Now that’s a new travel rule I can get used to.
Harriet Baskas writes msnbc.com's popular weekly column, The Well-Mannered Traveler. She is the author of the “Stuck at the Airport” blog, a contributor to National Public Radio and a columnist for USATODAY.com.
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