Holiday travelers face increasing hurdles at airports

WASHINGTON — If you're flying for the holidays, you have lots to think about: what to pack — and leave behind — what to wear and how early to get to the airport.

Tight security, new technology and airlines' financial woes are making air travel more complicated than ever this Thanksgiving, when many travelers take their one big trip of the year.

For the infrequent flier, there's much to remember even before leaving home. There's the Transportation Security Administration's list of items that can't go into the passenger cabin, such as scissors, small knives and cigarette lighters.

Don't forget to wear sensible footwear, like loafers, since you'll have to take off your shoes to go through security.

Don't carry wrapped presents on the plane — security will unwrap them to see what's inside. Don't plan on saying goodbye to family or friends at the gate — people without boarding passes are not allowed past the security check.

All the rules mean more opportunities for inexperienced passengers to gum up the works during the busiest travel time of the year. The Air Transport Association, which represents major airlines, predicts 21.7 million people will fly on U.S. airlines over the Thanksgiving travel season between Nov. 19 and Nov. 29, slightly more than the record number that took to the air a year ago. The peak travel time started Tuesday night.

Ron Luczak flies a good deal as marketing director for The Travel Team, a travel management company based in Buffalo, N.Y. On Veterans Day, he spent an hour and 20 minutes in the security line at Buffalo Niagara International Airport. He was, he said, behind infrequent travelers who didn't know that they had to take off their shoes, belts and jackets — and forgot to shed other metal — before walking through the metal detectors.

"There was mutiny," Luczak said. "People were going to the front of the line saying, 'I'm going to miss my flight,' but so was everyone else."

Part of the problem, he said, was that the airlines didn't have enough staff to call the names of people who were about to miss their flights and give them priority.

That may be because cash-strapped airlines have been trimming employees to cut costs. From December 2000 to December 2004, the number of airline employees fell 19 percent, from 525,137 to 424,312, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.