See some tips and tricks for easy air travel this holiday season

ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – We’re just one week away from Thanksgiving, and as you make your travel plans, so are our hometown airports.

Thursday, the Christmas decorations are starting to come up at Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport (ROA) as it gets ready for thousands to and from the Star City this holiday season.

“Really by the end of the day today, when we have our passengers flying out to Florida on Allegiant, it’s going to get busy,” said ROA PR, Marketing and Media Manager Alexa Briehl. “You’ll see greater crowds here. Our parking lot will be a lot more full.”

TSA expects to screen about 18 million people across the country as Thanksgiving travels begin. Briehl it’s the busiest time of year for ROA.

“What we’re seeing around the holidays, especially, is increased flight loads. That means more passengers, flights that are 90% full, 100% full, which adds to the excitement and and a little bit of stress, too,” said Briehl.

The best way to prevent that stress is preparing and ROA has a few tips for those flying out of our hometown this holiday season.

“You’re going to want to follow all TSA guidelines and resources. You never want to be that person where they say, ‘Who’s bag is this?‘“ said Briehl. ”Start by packing an empty bag and check those compartments and those pockets. Make sure it’s empty, that way there’s no surprises,” she added.

Briehl recommended giving yourself at least two hours to make a flight, as lines will add up.

The airport also has a revamped parking lot, which has been under construction since February.

With the hustle and bustle, Briehl said everyone at the airport is ready for the rush.

“We’re going to be fully staffed. TSA, the airlines, you’ll see folks helping out in the parking lot to guide you to spaces. Our public safety team is ready to go. We’ve got a crew of friendly volunteers ready to answer questions,” explained Briehl. “This is like our Super Bowl. We’re ready for it!”

The complete list of travel tips from ROA can be found here along with TSA’s 2024 travel and packing tips here.

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