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CNN Live Today

Interview With Robert Sinclair

Aired November 26, 2003 - 10:01   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: Let's begin this hour by checking in on the holiday hustle and bustle. For that we go to a couple of the busiest airports in the nation. CNN's Kris Osborne is live at Chicago's O'Hare and Michael Okwu is at LaGuardia in New York.
Let's start in New York with Michael. Good morning.

MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, good morning to you. I want to go straight to the board because it's something of a miracle as I've been telling viewers all morning. Here on the board you see destinations, Austin, Chicago Midway, Miami, all of them on time. And that has been the case here the entire morning. In fact, we have seen some people preparing their baggage, trying to track in and none of them have reported absolutely any problems the entire day.

In fact, this is going to be one of the busiest travel weekends of the year. It is typically the most busy. Some 36 (sic) Americans are going to be traveling from points A to B today. About 4.6 million, we understand, will be taking to the skies.

And of course, they say keep in mind security. One of the very big issues, they say get to the airport about three hours a head of schedule. Make sure not to pack anything that is going to cause any kind of difficulty for some of the handlers at the airports.

And here to talk to us a little bit more about that, Robert Sinclair with AAA. Mr. Sinclair, how are you?

ROBERT SINCLAIR, AAA SPOKESMAN: Very well. And you?

OKWU: Very well. Tell us why this is such a busy travel weekend in spite of the fact that gas prices are high. We understand that the levels are back up.

SINCLAIR: Well, we've seen the economy is spurring a lot people to get back on the roads and to get back in the ire. Those who are flying are showing more confidence in the security arrangements now that the federal government has taken over. And really gas prices have moderated since back in August when we hit the highest that they've ever been.

And people take advantage of these times to see friends and family. We don't get a lot of vacation days in the United States so when we make the most of them.

OKWU: Now people talk about the fact that you need get to the airport, for example, three hours ahead of schedule. I have friends who say, Oh come on. I never do that.

SINCLAIR: Well at this time of the day when a lot of people are traveling, the security arrangements are really tight and we have a lot more people going through arrangements and they're searching you, taking off your jacket, your shoes and belts, these sort of things. So on a day like this you really need to leave as much time as possible.

OKWU: Great to travel again. Numbers are up, but it's still not as high as the levels since before 9/11.

SINCLAIR: No. We haven't seen those kind of levels. Really the busiest Thanksgiving holiday period that we had was back in 1995 when the economy was roaring along thanks to the dotcoms. And we haven't seen those levels in a while and it's a regrettable thing. Travel helps to spurn economy on, so the more people that get out and go and visit people and spend their money is better for the economy.

OKWU: Robert Sinclair, AAA I appreciate that. Lots of people traveling. Not many inconveniences that this point. Back to you, Carol.

COSTELLO: Everything on time. I we should do a collective knock on wood.

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 26, 2003 - 10:01   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Let's begin this hour by checking in on the holiday hustle and bustle. For that we go to a couple of the busiest airports in the nation. CNN's Kris Osborne is live at Chicago's O'Hare and Michael Okwu is at LaGuardia in New York.
Let's start in New York with Michael. Good morning.

MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, good morning to you. I want to go straight to the board because it's something of a miracle as I've been telling viewers all morning. Here on the board you see destinations, Austin, Chicago Midway, Miami, all of them on time. And that has been the case here the entire morning. In fact, we have seen some people preparing their baggage, trying to track in and none of them have reported absolutely any problems the entire day.

In fact, this is going to be one of the busiest travel weekends of the year. It is typically the most busy. Some 36 (sic) Americans are going to be traveling from points A to B today. About 4.6 million, we understand, will be taking to the skies.

And of course, they say keep in mind security. One of the very big issues, they say get to the airport about three hours a head of schedule. Make sure not to pack anything that is going to cause any kind of difficulty for some of the handlers at the airports.

And here to talk to us a little bit more about that, Robert Sinclair with AAA. Mr. Sinclair, how are you?

ROBERT SINCLAIR, AAA SPOKESMAN: Very well. And you?

OKWU: Very well. Tell us why this is such a busy travel weekend in spite of the fact that gas prices are high. We understand that the levels are back up.

SINCLAIR: Well, we've seen the economy is spurring a lot people to get back on the roads and to get back in the ire. Those who are flying are showing more confidence in the security arrangements now that the federal government has taken over. And really gas prices have moderated since back in August when we hit the highest that they've ever been.

And people take advantage of these times to see friends and family. We don't get a lot of vacation days in the United States so when we make the most of them.

OKWU: Now people talk about the fact that you need get to the airport, for example, three hours ahead of schedule. I have friends who say, Oh come on. I never do that.

SINCLAIR: Well at this time of the day when a lot of people are traveling, the security arrangements are really tight and we have a lot more people going through arrangements and they're searching you, taking off your jacket, your shoes and belts, these sort of things. So on a day like this you really need to leave as much time as possible.

OKWU: Great to travel again. Numbers are up, but it's still not as high as the levels since before 9/11.

SINCLAIR: No. We haven't seen those kind of levels. Really the busiest Thanksgiving holiday period that we had was back in 1995 when the economy was roaring along thanks to the dotcoms. And we haven't seen those levels in a while and it's a regrettable thing. Travel helps to spurn economy on, so the more people that get out and go and visit people and spend their money is better for the economy.

OKWU: Robert Sinclair, AAA I appreciate that. Lots of people traveling. Not many inconveniences that this point. Back to you, Carol.

COSTELLO: Everything on time. I we should do a collective knock on wood.

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