Barkley Regional Airport Public Information Officer, Kat Byars.
Barkley Regional Airport exterior.
Staff advise travelers arrive and check-in early to avoid delays.
PADUCAH — Airline travel is hectic any time of the year, but holiday travelers face a unique set of challenges. Barkley Regional Airport staff offer tips and suggestions to keep your holiday itinerary on track.
Barkley Regional Airport exterior.
Kat Byars, the public information officer at Barkley Regional Airport says, first, it’s always a good idea to book your flight early. Usually two weeks in advance is a reasonable amount of time. It’s also important to arrive early for your flight. While you don’t necessarily need to arrive hours in advance, arriving one hour early for a flight from Paducah will likely give you ample time to prepare for unforeseen circumstances and security checks.
Byars also recommended ensuring that your items are TSA compliant, as passengers will see longer lines for security checks. To check whether an item is TSA compliant, visit the Barkley website, or the TSA website.
Staff advise travelers arrive and check-in early to avoid delays.
Barkley staff have seen more passengers carry air tags with luggage or take photos of bags for easy identification. At times, luggage can be misplaced. Planning ahead can help you be prepared to reclaim your items.
For those with health or illness concerns, staff advise doing research in advance to ensure adequate precaution are taken. Obtaining a REAL ID is another way to make the travel experience smoother. While a REAL ID is not required until February, TSA staff may remind passengers that they need to complete that process, according to Byars.
Cancellations are also common during periods of bad weather; “Consider travel insurance if you are concerned about weather delays or cancelations,” Byars said. “While our weather here hasn’t been as bad, other parts of the world have been seeing blizzards and harsh conditions that cause flight delays.” She emphasized how travel insurance can help to alleviate financial concerns of cancellations.
Barkley Regional Airport Public Information Officer, Kat Byars.
If planning to travel with gifts, make sure they remain unwrapped during the security process. If a gift is wrapped and TSA is compelled to do a search, the agent will have to unwrap the gift to make sure it doesn’t violate safety concerns.
Byars urges passengers who have doubts about their items to do the appropriate research beforehand to ensure their travel experience runs as smooth as possible.
“Preparation and planning ahead makes a world of difference when traveling, whether that’s in your local airport or a national one,” Byars said. “Just having your ducks in a row takes a lot of the stress away, especially during the holiday season, when you’re more worried about getting your gifts through TSA than yourself.”
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