TULSA, Okla. — Holiday air travel is poised for record-breaking numbers nationwide.
Tulsa International Airport expects nearly 150,000 flyers to pass through its terminal this holiday season, well up from last year.
With that traffic starting to ramp up, some holiday flying tips are in order, especially when traveling with gifts.
WHY IS IT BECOMING BUSIER?
AAA projects 7.5 million air travelers nationwide between Saturday, Dec. 23, and New Year's Day. Should that come true, it would surpass the 2019 holiday season of 7.3 million passengers, an all-time record.
TIA also predicts many to take to the skies after some impressive November and October numbers.
- Previous coverage >>> Tulsa airport prepared for increased Thanksgiving travel
The airport expects 145,000 flyers to pass through its halls this holiday season between Dec. 21 and Jan. 2. That's 10% more than last year.
The number of outgoing passengers last month rose more than 6% since last year, over 11% higher than in November 2019.
This also follows a record-breaking October. The airport reported that month was the busiest month they had since July 2008.
"The increase in traffic is due to the airlines just continuing to invest in Tulsa," Kim Keuhler, communications manager at TIA, explained. "Tulsans keep filling up the plane, so they keep adding additional frequencies to the round that they've already had here."
"And then, they've also added some new nonstops," she continued, "like to Austin, Washington, D.C., and New York City."
HOLIDAY FLYING TIPS
Absolutely, the biggest travel tip is to show up earlier than normal. The airport recommends flyers arrive two hours before their flight.
Another way is to fly on a day and time that's less popular, like Kathy Geyer, who chose the morning of Wednesday, Dec. 20, to fly to Phoenix.
She told 2 News she picked that flight, "not because I had it off, but because I was trying to miss the bulk of the traffic on the weekend."
However, something to be especially careful about when traveling by plane over the holidays is packing gifts.
If you're planning to give a loved one, say, an expensive bottle of wine, it's best to pack that Malbec in the bag you check — just like all liquids over 3.4 ounces.
Whereas, if you're surprising someone special with a piece of jewelry, the airport recommends placing that and anything else that's valuable in your carry-on.
Finally, those gifts people worked so hard to wrap — with all those lovely decorations and wrapping paper — could deliver them some trouble at security.
"So, you can wrap your gifts and pack those," Keuhler explained, "but TSA does not recommend that, in case they need to open those up and inspect some things."
"It's a better idea," she adds, "just to wrap the items whenever you get there to your destination."
Asked if she packed any gifts in her luggage, Geyer replied, "I do not. [I] shipped them already."
She also told us she plans to fly back during the week, saying she will return before New Year's Eve.
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