Question:
Just like clockwork, the media are saying predicting doom for holiday travel as they do every year, and advise to get to the airport hours early. This may be appropriate advice for some airports, but in my experience, even with the high volume, holiday travel can be hassle- free. For the last two Thanksgivings, I have travelled DEN-SEA, and the experiences were flawless on UA. The waits in line on either end were no longer than 10 minutes, as the counters were fully staffed. Had I arrived at the airport 2 hours early, I would have ended up waiting around for 2 hours. Go figure. If you do the math, if, say, everyone from the last 747 flight to somewhere arrived at the airport 2 hours early, then you would have 350+ people in line all at the same time. I say: arrive an hour early instead, when the lines are shorter.
Response:
> Just like clockwork, the media are saying predicting doom for holiday > travel as they do every year
…and the fact that the media are generally alarmist idiots is somehow a revelation to you? 
Response:
>For the last two Thanksgivings, I have travelled DEN-SEA, and the >experiences were flawless on UA. The waits in line on either end were >no longer than 10 minutes, as the counters were fully staffed. Had I >arrived at the airport 2 hours early, I would have ended up waiting >around for 2 hours. Go figure.
Ah, but as someone who also had a flawless *flight* SFO-IAD yesterday, the *real* backups and problems are aren’t in the air- they’re on the ground. The bridge that crosses US 101 at SFO was backed up for what seemed like a mile (and 45 mins), and the rental car shuttle is staffed by people who don’t know modern automobiles are capable of going faster than 20MPH. You’ll get caught by all the "human factors" before you get caught by flights done awry, it seems. -Kenny — Kenneth R. Crudup Sr. SW Engineer, Scott County Consulting, Washington, D.C. Home2: 38010 Village Cmn. #217 Fremont, CA 94536-7525 (510) 745-8181 Work: See: "Home2". The hell with slow Bay Area drivers! (510) 745-0101
Response:
>Just like clockwork, the media are saying predicting doom for holiday >travel as they do every year, and advise to get to the airport hours >early. This may be appropriate advice for some airports, but in my >experience, even with the high volume, holiday travel can be hassle- >free.
Calling ahead and getting to the airport early are good hedges against delays caused by bad weather. Even if the weather is ok where you are, storms another part of the country could bung up the airline’s stystem. And getting to the airport at leat 45 minutes before your flight should be SOP anyway; most ailines recomend it, AFAIK.
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