Surviving the Holiday Travel Crowds, With Good Will
David Park, the owner of a venture capital firm, arrives early for a flight out of LaGuardia. Mr. Park said his loyalty memberships help to make check-ins trouble-free.
By MARTHA C. WHITE
Published: December 20, 2010
Frequent business travelers have their own methods for getting to and from their destinations as efficiently as possible, and this is the time of the year when every one of those tricks may be needed.
Maritz Research predicted a 5 percentage point increase this year from 2009 in the number of travelers flying over the winter holidays, along with a 7 percent jump in hotel occupancy. For road warriors, that translates to longer lines and reduced availability of airline seats, rental cars and hotel rooms.
“It’s an availability issue as much as anything,” said Michael McCormick, executive director for the National Business Travel Association. “The seats aren’t on the planes, the rooms aren’t in the hotels. You may not be able to get there.”
Business travelers who have to fly this holiday season had to book earlier to get the flights they wanted, and ticket prices were higher because the carriers did not need to offer low promotional fares to fill seats.
For those who have to fly at a moment’s notice, the holiday season also means paying as much as hundreds of dollars more than other times of year to reach the same destination.
To cope, many say they are leaving extra time, remembering to be patient and relying on loyalty club memberships to get them through.
David Park, the owner of a venture capital firm who travels frequently, said he believed his loyalty memberships meant that customer service representatives paid him extra attention at airports, hotels and car rental counters, making his various check-ins trouble-free, despite large crowds and sometimes limited capacity.
“They’re going out of their way to protect the elite travelers and make sure they have a smooth experience,” Mr. Park said. “We do get better treatment at the lines.”
Christa Degnan Manning, director of research for American Express Business Travel, says American Express advises clients to book with preferred vendors. “Booking loyal,” as she called it, “is really one of the only ways that we’re seeing business travelers avoid many of the fees for the ancillary services as well as get the preferential treatment and upgrades.”
Bruce Turkel, the chief executive of the Turkel advertising agency, says he always brings his laptop, cellphone and a multipronged plug so he can share an electrical outlet, if necessary, to keep his electronic devices charged. As to checking in for his flight at the airport, “I always leave another hour during that time period.”
Frequent fliers offered other strategies, too. Many say they do not check bags, so they can switch flights in case of a delay or cancellation. And even with just a carry-on bag, they pack light so the bag will fit in the hotly contested overhead bin space. Some say they avoid getting in security lines behind people who look befuddled, passengers carrying gifts or families with children.
“The problem with this time of year is so many other people are also traveling and so many of them are not frequent travelers so they don’t really know what they’re doing,” said Sarah Howell, a corporate trainer for a software company who has two business trips between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year.
She recalled a trip two years ago around the holidays, when a passenger trying to bring a bottle of barbecue sauce in carry-on luggage held up the whole security line. Ms. Howell said passengers trying to bring wrapped gifts through the checkpoint are another frequent cause of security-line delays around the holidays.
The installation of new full-body scanners and new pat-down procedures have probably added to the confusion and delays at the airports this year. While much has been written about the changes, infrequent travelers may still be unaware of small changes in protocol, like emptying pockets entirely.
Industry groups like the U.S. Travel Association have called for the creation of a “trusted traveler” program that would allow frequent fliers to pass through the equivalent of an express lane at airport security, according to Geoff Freeman, the association’s executive vice president.
The congestion does not end with the flight. In cities popular with tourists over the winter holidays, business travelers say they have had to book their hotel rooms earlier. Some say they rely on remote check-in to avoid standing in a long line at the front desk. Brad Koeneman, general manager at Hilton Atlanta, said a lobby renovation completed last year was aimed at moving people through the process more quickly.
“The holidays are a very important time of the year for us,” Mr. Koeneman said. “We really continue in this November-through-December time frame to see some increase in occupancy and volume.” The percentage of leisure guests roughly doubles during this time of year, he said, and the lobby makeover uses elements like furniture and lighting to funnel guests to the front desk more efficiently.
When the hotel is full, Mr. Koeneman said, he stations staff members throughout the lobby to work with guests and direct loyalty program members to other locations, like the concierge floor, where they can check in quickly and away from the crowds.
Frequent travelers say the one other crucial element, along with additional time and loyalty memberships, is an extra measure of patience. “It’s frustrating,” said Dan Condon, an associate director at an education nonprofit group who had to take a business trip right before Thanksgiving this year. But, he added, referring to all the painfully slow travelers, “I just try to remember I was that person at a point in my life, I’m sure.”
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