(CLEVELAND) This week marks the beginning of the busy Thanksgiving Day holiday travel season for Northeast Ohioans as they head to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE).
The two busiest travel days of the holiday season are the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, exceeded by the Sunday after Thanksgiving (the busiest travel day of the year). CLE has been growing in passenger numbers for 20 consecutive months and expects to welcome more than 280,000 passengers between November 17 and November 25. This is expected to be the busiest travel period in more than a decade for the airport.
Travel tips
At CLE, additional staff will be assigned during the heavy travel periods including customer service personnel, law enforcement personnel including Cleveland Police Airport Unit, federal law enforcement agencies, and custodial and maintenance staff.
Passengers should expect longer lines at the ticket counters and the three CLE Security Checkpoints.
Airport officials encourage travelers to arrive at least two hours before scheduled departures to allow time for inclement weather, traffic, parking, checking-in and going through the checkpoints.
CLE’s website is a one-stop shop for travelers needing up-to-the-minute travel information. Visit the website at www.clevelandairport.com for the following:
Status of your flight
Airline contact information
Security Checkpoint wait times
Parking status updates
Follow CLE on Twitter: @GoingPlacesCLE and Facebook: facebook.com/CLEairport for any important travel updates.
TSA travel tips
Always have a government-issue ID ready to present at the airline ticket counter and security checkpoint.
Be prepared for the screening process:
Be sure to look through your luggage to ensure no prohibited items are in the bag.
All three CLE checkpoints have Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) machines for passenger screening. Metal detectors and x-ray machines for carry-on items are also in place for passenger screening.
Remember the TSA 3-1-1 rule for carry-on items – Three ounces (3 oz.) per container, in a clear one-quart bag, one per passenger.
Knives, scissors with pointed tips, pepper spray and other such items are prohibited as carry-on items. For a comprehensive list of banned and permitted items, visit the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) website at www.tsa.gov.
Carry-on luggage is typically restricted to one bag and one personal item per person. A personal item includes a purse, briefcase, or laptop bag. Keep in mind that all airlines have different policies, please check with your airline to make sure you know their policy.
Outer coats, jackets and other such outer garments must be removed and put through x-ray screening.
Children under the age of 12 will not have to remove their shoes before going through security.
TSA Pre✓™ is available at CLE. TSA Pre✓™ allows select frequent flyers of participating airlines and members of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Trusted Traveler programs who are flying on participating airlines, to receive expedited screening benefits. Eligible participants use dedicated screening lanes for screening benefits which include leaving on shoes, light outerwear and belts, as well as leaving laptops and 3-1-1 compliant liquids in carry-on bags.
Central Checkpoint is exclusively a TSA Pre✓™ checkpoint. During peak hours, South Checkpoint will have a TSA Pre✓™ available. To see if it’s available at South Checkpoint, check the Checkpoint Wait Times boards.
For more information on TSA Pre✓™ visit http://www.tsa.gov/tsa-precheck
© 2018 iHeartMedia Photo Courtesy Ken Robinson/WTAM
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