Thanksgiving is the biggest travel time of the year for the airline industry, and although the number of people traveling by plane has declined in the last two months, the Eugene Airport remained busy over the holiday.
There were no reported security incidents at the airport, but other Northwest airports had long delays Saturday. In Seattle, a metal detector at the airport was discovered to be broken, causing a three-hour shutdown to allow security officials to re-screen passengers. But some passengers had already boarded planes, causing delays at other West Coast destinations when those passengers arrived. A section of Oakland’s airport was also shut down for 90 minutes Saturday so passengers could be rechecked, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The incidents did not cause any delays in Eugene.
“Our Thanksgiving business has picked up a little bit,” said Tiffany Smith, an employee at Plane Travelers, the gift shop at the Eugene Airport. The store has seen a decline in business since Sept. 11, and Smith said customers have been doing more browsing and less buying. She added that customers aren’t buying travel scissors and sewing kits at the shop any more, because they can be confiscated at the airport’s security checkpoint.
Airport officials advise travelers to arrive two hours ahead of time and plan for long lines at security checkpoints.
“It’s been a pain in the ass,” said Scott Reed, a New Mexico resident who was traveling back home Sunday. “I have to wake up two hours early.” Reed has been on three flights since Sept. 11, and says flying isn’t any
different now. But there are a lot fewer people, he said.
There are still many people in Eugene who refuse to fly.
“I hated flying before,” said Eugene Airport information desk employee Hollie Fontaine. “Now you couldn’t pay me to get on a plane.”
Fontaine said the new airport security measures have confused some travelers. But more often than not, people are just phoning in to ask how early they need to check in.
“Some people are kind of ticked off about it and don’t understand why,” she said. “But most people seem to know (about the new security measures) already.”
The security measures include restricting checkpoint access to ticketed passengers, which makes it more difficult to see people off.
“It’s tough,” said Kim Vanderzanden, a student at Oregon State University. “I’d like to be there at the gate to welcome my friends.”
Fontaine also agreed that tighter security can make Thanksgiving farewells more difficult.
“People would like to take their family right to the gate to say goodbye,” she said.
However, by only allowing ticketed passengers through checkpoints, the lines stay shorter at the airport. This is important with new security checks, which can include random searches of customer bags and can cause the lines to stretch around the airport. Fontaine said that it has taken passengers as long as 45 minutes to get through security. There have been reports of lines stretching hundreds of yards, sometimes reaching as far as the baggage claim department.
Signs at security advised travelers to be cautious over the holidays. Only one carry-on item is allowed, and all knives are confiscated at the checkpoint, even personal tools such as Leathermans. Smith, the gift-shop employee, said that travelers often have to leave behind banned items. The store offers to send these items to the traveler’s home address. She usually ends up sending 5 to 7 envelopes a day.
“We do a lot of mailing now,” she said.