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American Morning

Airline Travel Crush Expected

Aired July 01, 2003 - 07:41   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.


RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: It's estimated that more than 37 million Americans will be on the move this holiday weekend. In a moment, a travel expert will tell us how to avoid some of the headaches that can take the sparkle out of your Fourth of July.
But first, our Patty Davis on what airline travelers can expect this weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Summer travel season is gearing up, and so are the hassles.

PATRICK CHUNG, AIRLINE TRAVELER: There were a lot of lines, like, it was really long.

DAVIS: Ninety-minute delays at screening checkpoints in Atlanta on Monday morning, two-and-a-half hour delays at peak hours last week at Seattle, Tacoma airport. Airports say an increase in passengers and cutbacks of 6,000 federal screener positions are to blame. The Transportation Security Administration says poor airport design is the problem.

At busy Atlanta Hartsfield International there is only one main security checkpoint entrance.

ROBERT JOHNSON, TSA SPOKESMAN: There are peak periods in some airports where there's too much traffic, not enough lanes to handle the situation.

DAVIS: Adding to passenger worries, two federal screeners in Miami were arrested last week and charged with grand theft for allegedly stealing CDs from a passenger's bag. The TSA has received 6,700 complaints about theft from unlocked bags since January. Officials say airline bag handlers, not screeners, could often be the culprit.

But airline travel isn't all bad news.

PAULINE FROMMER, "BUDGET TRAVEL" MAGAZINE: We are seeing significantly less delays in flights and significantly less lost luggage.

DAVIS: And low fares still abound.

(on camera): What to do to beat airport hassles? Arrive early, have your ID and ticket ready at the security checkpoint. And don't pack valuables in your checked luggage; carry them with you.

Patty Davis, CNN, Reagan National Airport.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL: So, what is in store for the millions who will be on the move this weekend?

Heidi Sherman Mitchell, associate editor of "Travel + Leisure" magazine, joins us now to talk about airport hell.

Thanks for coming in this morning.

You know, you'll need a holiday to experience airport hell with some of those security lines and some airports missing -- you know, people missing flights because of those security lines. But five airports in particular have been singled out here: Atlanta, Baltimore, Washington, Las Vegas, Seattle/Tacoma and L.A.

It's been almost two years since September 11 and all of the changes. What's the problem with these particular airports?

HEIDI SHERMAN-MITCHELL, ASSOCIATE EDITOR, "TRAVEL + LEISURE": Well, those airports along with other airports as well are facing a lot of different problems. One is budgetary constraints. I mean, it would be easy to pull in a bunch of new screeners to get people moving through those lines quickly, but they just don't have the money. And also just a lack of space, so you can only have so many screening checkpoints at every airport unless they tear out things and build anew, which some of those airports are planning on doing. There are not going to be enough screening points and you just get a bottleneck.

MIGUEL: Yes, and that is the situation with Atlanta, you know, having flown in and out there a lot. There is one central place.

SHERMAN-MITCHELL: One stop.

MIGUEL: And all of these people, and especially on some weekend morning, I believe on Saturdays and early in the morning, you're looking at very, very long lines.

SHERMAN-MITCHELL: Exactly. Even if you get there early, you're still going to be waiting in line.

MIGUEL: And then the thing that everybody was focusing on after September 11, more screeners needed to check the luggage and to check the passengers and the carry-on. But the Transportation Security Administration is cutting 6,000 of these 55,000 screener jobs that were so desperately needed. You know, won't this create even longer lines?

SHERMAN-MITCHELL: Well, I think they're trying to find this delicate balance between a minimum number of screeners getting the maximum number of passengers through in the shortest span of time. So, it's really fine-tuning the numbers there. And it can be done. You can have less people putting people through at a faster pace, as long as they're skilled and they know what they're doing. And you'll remember, they made all of these employees government employees, and they go through a lot of background checks and a lot of testing and training before they can become a screener. And so, it's not like they can just call in freelancers and have them fill the jobs on a weekend like this.

MIGUEL: Yes.

SHERMAN-MITCHELL: So, there is sort of a lot of fine-tuning that still needs to be done.

MIGUEL: There was so much controversy over who was being screened and the requirements and the guidelines. It sounds to me like maybe the TSA is kind of learning on this on the go?

SHERMAN-MITCHELL: Exactly. Exactly, sort of an on-the-job learning curve.

MIGUEL: So, when you -- we have to give our folks some advice here as to exactly what they can do to help make the Fourth of July a little bit better in terms of travel. We started off with, if you can, fly out of a secondary airport, hopefully if the area that you live in is big enough to support one.

SHERMAN-MITCHELL: Right, if you live in a large metropolitan area is a great option. In New York, we have so many different options. You can fly out of Hartford. You can fly out of Islip. You can avoid Newark, Kennedy, LaGuardia -- airports like that. In L.A. you can try flying out of Orange County. Places like that are often less traffic, less busy, they're easier to get in and out of, and their lines just aren't that long. There's not as many flights going in and out obviously.

MIGUEL: OK, it may involve a bit of a drive, but you're going to make up the time somewhere.

SHERMAN-MITCHELL: Exactly, exactly.

MIGUEL: OK.

SHERMAN-MITCHELL: It's better to be in the car than waiting, you know, in line at the airport.

MIGUEL: Exactly. You also say check your bags rather than do the carry-on. Now, a lot of folks, they don't want to have to deal...

SHERMAN-MITCHELL: Right.

MIGUEL: ... you know, with waiting for the interminable weight at the baggage carousel. Why do you recommend this?

SHERMAN-MITCHELL: It is sort of a little trick, because first of all, check at curbside. The line is always shorter. I don't know why anybody goes inside and waits in those long lines anyway if there is curbside checking. When your bag is checked you're supposed to have to be on that plane. So, they're going to have to pull your bag off that plane if you're not actually sitting in your seat. So, if you check your bag you're almost guaranteed that you're going to make your flight.

In fact, I've been in airports where they come in line and they say who's on the 740 flight? And they'll pull you to the front of the line if you've checked your bags.

MIGUEL: OK. And then finally very quickly here, try to take the first flight out in the morning. Now, maybe on Mondays and Saturdays you don't want to do that because those are supposedly some of the busiest times. But why this particular tip?

SHERMAN-MITCHELL: Well, actually, you want to take the first flight out in non-hub type airports. I think hubs tend to be -- because people are getting there before they go to other airlines, other flights, and they tend to be really busy. What you do want to avoid is flying where you have to travel during rush hour. So, if you take a car during rush hour, you're going have the likelihood of missing your flight. So, fly after. The middle of the day is great. The last flight out is also a little big dangerous, especially if you're connecting, because if you miss that first flight, you're going to miss that second flight and sleeping...

MIGUEL: Yes, you're stuck.

SHERMAN-MITCHELL: ... yes, who knows where?

MIGUEL: Exactly. All good advice. Heidi Sherman-Mitchell with "Travel + Leisure" magazine, thanks for that and have a good holiday weekend.

SHERMAN-MITCHELL: Thank you. You, too.

MIGUEL: Thanks.

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 July 1, 2003 - 07:41   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: It's estimated that more than 37 million Americans will be on the move this holiday weekend. In a moment, a travel expert will tell us how to avoid some of the headaches that can take the sparkle out of your Fourth of July.
But first, our Patty Davis on what airline travelers can expect this weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Summer travel season is gearing up, and so are the hassles.

PATRICK CHUNG, AIRLINE TRAVELER: There were a lot of lines, like, it was really long.

DAVIS: Ninety-minute delays at screening checkpoints in Atlanta on Monday morning, two-and-a-half hour delays at peak hours last week at Seattle, Tacoma airport. Airports say an increase in passengers and cutbacks of 6,000 federal screener positions are to blame. The Transportation Security Administration says poor airport design is the problem.

At busy Atlanta Hartsfield International there is only one main security checkpoint entrance.

ROBERT JOHNSON, TSA SPOKESMAN: There are peak periods in some airports where there's too much traffic, not enough lanes to handle the situation.

DAVIS: Adding to passenger worries, two federal screeners in Miami were arrested last week and charged with grand theft for allegedly stealing CDs from a passenger's bag. The TSA has received 6,700 complaints about theft from unlocked bags since January. Officials say airline bag handlers, not screeners, could often be the culprit.

But airline travel isn't all bad news.

PAULINE FROMMER, "BUDGET TRAVEL" MAGAZINE: We are seeing significantly less delays in flights and significantly less lost luggage.

DAVIS: And low fares still abound.

(on camera): What to do to beat airport hassles? Arrive early, have your ID and ticket ready at the security checkpoint. And don't pack valuables in your checked luggage; carry them with you.

Patty Davis, CNN, Reagan National Airport.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL: So, what is in store for the millions who will be on the move this weekend?

Heidi Sherman Mitchell, associate editor of "Travel + Leisure" magazine, joins us now to talk about airport hell.

Thanks for coming in this morning.

You know, you'll need a holiday to experience airport hell with some of those security lines and some airports missing -- you know, people missing flights because of those security lines. But five airports in particular have been singled out here: Atlanta, Baltimore, Washington, Las Vegas, Seattle/Tacoma and L.A.

It's been almost two years since September 11 and all of the changes. What's the problem with these particular airports?

HEIDI SHERMAN-MITCHELL, ASSOCIATE EDITOR, "TRAVEL + LEISURE": Well, those airports along with other airports as well are facing a lot of different problems. One is budgetary constraints. I mean, it would be easy to pull in a bunch of new screeners to get people moving through those lines quickly, but they just don't have the money. And also just a lack of space, so you can only have so many screening checkpoints at every airport unless they tear out things and build anew, which some of those airports are planning on doing. There are not going to be enough screening points and you just get a bottleneck.

MIGUEL: Yes, and that is the situation with Atlanta, you know, having flown in and out there a lot. There is one central place.

SHERMAN-MITCHELL: One stop.

MIGUEL: And all of these people, and especially on some weekend morning, I believe on Saturdays and early in the morning, you're looking at very, very long lines.

SHERMAN-MITCHELL: Exactly. Even if you get there early, you're still going to be waiting in line.

MIGUEL: And then the thing that everybody was focusing on after September 11, more screeners needed to check the luggage and to check the passengers and the carry-on. But the Transportation Security Administration is cutting 6,000 of these 55,000 screener jobs that were so desperately needed. You know, won't this create even longer lines?

SHERMAN-MITCHELL: Well, I think they're trying to find this delicate balance between a minimum number of screeners getting the maximum number of passengers through in the shortest span of time. So, it's really fine-tuning the numbers there. And it can be done. You can have less people putting people through at a faster pace, as long as they're skilled and they know what they're doing. And you'll remember, they made all of these employees government employees, and they go through a lot of background checks and a lot of testing and training before they can become a screener. And so, it's not like they can just call in freelancers and have them fill the jobs on a weekend like this.

MIGUEL: Yes.

SHERMAN-MITCHELL: So, there is sort of a lot of fine-tuning that still needs to be done.

MIGUEL: There was so much controversy over who was being screened and the requirements and the guidelines. It sounds to me like maybe the TSA is kind of learning on this on the go?

SHERMAN-MITCHELL: Exactly. Exactly, sort of an on-the-job learning curve.

MIGUEL: So, when you -- we have to give our folks some advice here as to exactly what they can do to help make the Fourth of July a little bit better in terms of travel. We started off with, if you can, fly out of a secondary airport, hopefully if the area that you live in is big enough to support one.

SHERMAN-MITCHELL: Right, if you live in a large metropolitan area is a great option. In New York, we have so many different options. You can fly out of Hartford. You can fly out of Islip. You can avoid Newark, Kennedy, LaGuardia -- airports like that. In L.A. you can try flying out of Orange County. Places like that are often less traffic, less busy, they're easier to get in and out of, and their lines just aren't that long. There's not as many flights going in and out obviously.

MIGUEL: OK, it may involve a bit of a drive, but you're going to make up the time somewhere.

SHERMAN-MITCHELL: Exactly, exactly.

MIGUEL: OK.

SHERMAN-MITCHELL: It's better to be in the car than waiting, you know, in line at the airport.

MIGUEL: Exactly. You also say check your bags rather than do the carry-on. Now, a lot of folks, they don't want to have to deal...

SHERMAN-MITCHELL: Right.

MIGUEL: ... you know, with waiting for the interminable weight at the baggage carousel. Why do you recommend this?

SHERMAN-MITCHELL: It is sort of a little trick, because first of all, check at curbside. The line is always shorter. I don't know why anybody goes inside and waits in those long lines anyway if there is curbside checking. When your bag is checked you're supposed to have to be on that plane. So, they're going to have to pull your bag off that plane if you're not actually sitting in your seat. So, if you check your bag you're almost guaranteed that you're going to make your flight.

In fact, I've been in airports where they come in line and they say who's on the 740 flight? And they'll pull you to the front of the line if you've checked your bags.

MIGUEL: OK. And then finally very quickly here, try to take the first flight out in the morning. Now, maybe on Mondays and Saturdays you don't want to do that because those are supposedly some of the busiest times. But why this particular tip?

SHERMAN-MITCHELL: Well, actually, you want to take the first flight out in non-hub type airports. I think hubs tend to be -- because people are getting there before they go to other airlines, other flights, and they tend to be really busy. What you do want to avoid is flying where you have to travel during rush hour. So, if you take a car during rush hour, you're going have the likelihood of missing your flight. So, fly after. The middle of the day is great. The last flight out is also a little big dangerous, especially if you're connecting, because if you miss that first flight, you're going to miss that second flight and sleeping...

MIGUEL: Yes, you're stuck.

SHERMAN-MITCHELL: ... yes, who knows where?

MIGUEL: Exactly. All good advice. Heidi Sherman-Mitchell with "Travel + Leisure" magazine, thanks for that and have a good holiday weekend.

SHERMAN-MITCHELL: Thank you. You, too.

MIGUEL: Thanks.

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