Maritime airports offer travel tips ahead of busy holiday season

With many choosing to fly this holiday season, both Halifax Stanfield International Airport and Greater Moncton Romeo LeBlanc Airport are expecting to be busy.

“In a typical December we can see anywhere from 50,000 to 60,000 passengers in Moncton. It’s a really busy month for us,” said Courtney Burns, president and CEO.

To get through the airport as quickly and smoothly as possible, travellers should check-in in advance and keeping electronics and liquids separate and easy to access for security.

“You want to be prepared and organized, make sure that you have all your travel documents in check and that they are not expired. Also knowing what your airlines baggage guidelines are,” said Jessica Pettigrew, a marketing and communications advisor at Halifax International Airport Authority.

However, there are a few rules that are specific to Christmas itself.

“If you plan on travelling with gifts this holiday season, please leave those unwrapped until you get through security in case those contents do need to be inspected,” said Pettigrew.

Dominique Huras, a spokesperson for CATSA, says following carry-on specific rules are specifically important when it comes to presents.

She says anything that looks like a weapon, pocketknives or tools are not permitted.

“Snow globes are a very, very popular gift during the holiday season. Unfortunately, the liquids inside of it is often over 100 ml which causes delays and can cause problems where you can’t bring it onto the plane in your carry-on. That being said, you can put it in your checked suitcase,” said Huras.

Weighted blankets and stuffed animals would have to be packed in checked baggage as well if there are more than 350 ml of beads, according to Huras.

Casey Pender was traveling to Ottawa from Dieppe on Monday with his infant daughter, Izzy.

“Luckily it’s the week before Christmas, so I kind of planned it out that way to beat a bit of the holiday rush, so not too stressful actually,” he said.

While he can’t take less baggage due to his daughter’s needs, Pender said he did ship all his presents in advance so there was one less thing to bring with them.

“Amazon was our friend on that one,” he said.

Tanya Colbourne, whose family was flying out of Halifax, says she uses the same tips no matter what time of year.

“We put everything in zip-lock bags so that it’s easier to go through security. We put them in clear zip-lock bags so that security can see everything including shampoos and medicines. I put a sewing kit in there so that they can see everything that’s going through, make it easier for them and make it easier for me,” she said.

She also advised people to pack as little as possible to limit the amount of bags you have to deal with.

However, Alicia Colbourne says there was one piece of Christmas luggage that had to be packed with special care.

“This is my elf on the shelf. We have two of them, me and my brother,” she said.

“This is Snowflake and this is Candycane. They are in this little suitcase so they don’t get touched and they have passports so they can come with.”

With more traffic at the airports, officials say passengers should be arrive two hours early for domestic flights and three hours early for international trips.

“We always recommend folks check in online before they arrive. Usually with most airlines you can do that 24 hours before your flight. So that’s a nice peace of mind and most of us use our phones as our tickets these days so make sure your phone is charged before you come to the airport,” said Burns.

“Otherwise, it’s checking the status of your flight online before you even come to the airport. Winter is upon us so just to be aware before you ever come to the airport if your flight is delayed.”

Burns also says bringing extra activities for the kids and weighing luggage in advance is a good way to have a stress-free experience for everyone.

“We’re all carrying a little extra stress this time of year, air travel does not need to be stressful,” she said.

“Plan ahead, check the status of your flight, you should be good to go. But with that said, we all have a lot of extra things on our mind. It’s a busy time of year, so kindness and patience year-round, but especially at the holidays, goes a long way.”