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CNN Live Today

Keeping Cool in Holiday Travel

Aired November 24, 2003 - 10:36   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: So I know it's Monday, and I know you're already thinking Thursday and travel may be indeed on your mind. If you haven't made your Thanksgiving Day travel plans yet, do not panic. Now is actually a pretty good time for bargain hunters. How, where, when?
Well who better to ask than our consumer guru Clark Howard. Thanks for coming in.

CLARK HOWARD, CONSUMER ADVOCATE: How are you this morning?

COSTELLO: I'm pretty good. How are you?

HOWARD: Good. I still have deals for Thanksgiving.

COSTELLO: You do?

HOWARD: But have you to fly on Turkey Day or on Friday and come back next Tuesday or Wednesday.

COSTELLO: How much will it cost you?

HOWARD: From 78 round trip to 268.

COSTELLO: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) dollars? There's not many people flying on Turkey Day.

HOWARD: Well, I mean, 78 bucks, that's only covering flights up to maybe 500 miles. But you know you want to go further afield, it steps up as you move further across the country.

COSTELLO: Might not be worth it, and let's say you have to travel Thursday morning and come back Friday and you're going out West from the east coast.

HOWARD: That's true. Alaska is even on this deal. Can you imagine flying to Anchorage and then flying back the next day?

COSTELLO: No, absolutely not. I would not attempt it.

HOWARD: But it's also go over the Christmas holidays. So if Thanksgivings too much a stretch, over Christmas you can fly certain off-peek days, the 19th of December, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day and January 6. Those are the ultrabargain days over Christmas/New Year's.

COSTELLO: Why? HOWARD: Because those are the days nobody in their right mind flies. So if you're willing to fly when nobody else will you get the deals.

COSTELLO: Oh, yes. Well that's always the case, isn't it?

HOWARD: And you know what else? The airport delays you were talking about at LAX, the big thing with holiday travel, you want to fly when nobody else is. I'm flying Turkey Day.

COSTELLO: Are you really?

HOWARD: Yes. Well I got a deal to Europe.

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: The only man that is cheaper than you, Clark, is Chad Myers, my weather guy.

HOWARD: Is he really cheaper than me?

COSTELLO: Cheaper than you. But, tell us, you're going to fly on Turkey Day, and you want to make your traveling easy, easy, easy. How can everybody do that.

HOWARD: OK, No. 1, if you don't fly a lot you may not know you can check in on line. Checking in on line saves so much hassle. You printout your boarding pass at home.

No. 2, I don't care how long you're going away, only take one suitcase that's of a carry-on size. I'm doing that to Europe.

COSTELLO: Are you really? I've done it myself, so I'm with you.

HOWARD: One carry on suitcase, 22 inches is the height you can do.

COSTELLO: Yes, but what if you have gifts?

HOWARD: Ship your gifts. Much better to ship gifts. Because you've seen the commercial with the gorillas that take your luggage and throw it upside down and stuff?

So you don't check anything. You ship your gifts with UPS or FedEx Ground, and then you just travel with the one carry on. You show up at the airport with your boarding pass already printed out, your one carry-on suitcase. That two-hour wait you were talking about? You're not going to have.

COSTELLO: No, definitely not.

There's One thing that I don't understand at airports and I fly a lot. If you print your ticket out on the Internet can you use it to go through the security...

HOWARD: Yes. COSTELLO: ... or do you need your actual boarding pass.

HOWARD: No, you will be able to printout your boarding pass at home on most airlines 24 hours before departure. Some 12 hours before departure.

You just go to their Web site, put in your confirmation code. You'll be able to printout your pass. It gets you right through security, through the gate, on to the plane.

COSTELLO: And something else that people should keep in mind. If you get up while the plane is about to take off. It will not move off that runway to anywhere unless you are seated. That just happened to me the other day.

HOWARD: Isn't that amazing?

COSTELLO: Yes. People just jump up and say I can't wait any longer I've got to go do my business.

HOWARD: Well I make sure -- I have a 4-year-old, I make sure I take her to the bathroom before the fellows are getting ready to push back.

COSTELLO: Good idea.

HOWARD: Yes.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Clark Howard, for being with us.

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: You too, traveling on Turkey Day like you are.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired November 24, 2003 - 10:36   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: So I know it's Monday, and I know you're already thinking Thursday and travel may be indeed on your mind. If you haven't made your Thanksgiving Day travel plans yet, do not panic. Now is actually a pretty good time for bargain hunters. How, where, when?
Well who better to ask than our consumer guru Clark Howard. Thanks for coming in.

CLARK HOWARD, CONSUMER ADVOCATE: How are you this morning?

COSTELLO: I'm pretty good. How are you?

HOWARD: Good. I still have deals for Thanksgiving.

COSTELLO: You do?

HOWARD: But have you to fly on Turkey Day or on Friday and come back next Tuesday or Wednesday.

COSTELLO: How much will it cost you?

HOWARD: From 78 round trip to 268.

COSTELLO: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) dollars? There's not many people flying on Turkey Day.

HOWARD: Well, I mean, 78 bucks, that's only covering flights up to maybe 500 miles. But you know you want to go further afield, it steps up as you move further across the country.

COSTELLO: Might not be worth it, and let's say you have to travel Thursday morning and come back Friday and you're going out West from the east coast.

HOWARD: That's true. Alaska is even on this deal. Can you imagine flying to Anchorage and then flying back the next day?

COSTELLO: No, absolutely not. I would not attempt it.

HOWARD: But it's also go over the Christmas holidays. So if Thanksgivings too much a stretch, over Christmas you can fly certain off-peek days, the 19th of December, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day and January 6. Those are the ultrabargain days over Christmas/New Year's.

COSTELLO: Why? HOWARD: Because those are the days nobody in their right mind flies. So if you're willing to fly when nobody else will you get the deals.

COSTELLO: Oh, yes. Well that's always the case, isn't it?

HOWARD: And you know what else? The airport delays you were talking about at LAX, the big thing with holiday travel, you want to fly when nobody else is. I'm flying Turkey Day.

COSTELLO: Are you really?

HOWARD: Yes. Well I got a deal to Europe.

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: The only man that is cheaper than you, Clark, is Chad Myers, my weather guy.

HOWARD: Is he really cheaper than me?

COSTELLO: Cheaper than you. But, tell us, you're going to fly on Turkey Day, and you want to make your traveling easy, easy, easy. How can everybody do that.

HOWARD: OK, No. 1, if you don't fly a lot you may not know you can check in on line. Checking in on line saves so much hassle. You printout your boarding pass at home.

No. 2, I don't care how long you're going away, only take one suitcase that's of a carry-on size. I'm doing that to Europe.

COSTELLO: Are you really? I've done it myself, so I'm with you.

HOWARD: One carry on suitcase, 22 inches is the height you can do.

COSTELLO: Yes, but what if you have gifts?

HOWARD: Ship your gifts. Much better to ship gifts. Because you've seen the commercial with the gorillas that take your luggage and throw it upside down and stuff?

So you don't check anything. You ship your gifts with UPS or FedEx Ground, and then you just travel with the one carry on. You show up at the airport with your boarding pass already printed out, your one carry-on suitcase. That two-hour wait you were talking about? You're not going to have.

COSTELLO: No, definitely not.

There's One thing that I don't understand at airports and I fly a lot. If you print your ticket out on the Internet can you use it to go through the security...

HOWARD: Yes. COSTELLO: ... or do you need your actual boarding pass.

HOWARD: No, you will be able to printout your boarding pass at home on most airlines 24 hours before departure. Some 12 hours before departure.

You just go to their Web site, put in your confirmation code. You'll be able to printout your pass. It gets you right through security, through the gate, on to the plane.

COSTELLO: And something else that people should keep in mind. If you get up while the plane is about to take off. It will not move off that runway to anywhere unless you are seated. That just happened to me the other day.

HOWARD: Isn't that amazing?

COSTELLO: Yes. People just jump up and say I can't wait any longer I've got to go do my business.

HOWARD: Well I make sure -- I have a 4-year-old, I make sure I take her to the bathroom before the fellows are getting ready to push back.

COSTELLO: Good idea.

HOWARD: Yes.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Clark Howard, for being with us.

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: You too, traveling on Turkey Day like you are.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com