Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, November 19, 1993 TAG: 9311200275
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By GREG EDWARDS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
New long-term parking has been opened to help relieve problems associated with Thanksgiving holiday travel, traditionally the heaviest of the year.
It starts today, as thousands of students from Virginia Tech and other colleges begin their fall vacations. The airport is alerting passengers to anticipate congestion both in the terminal, in the parking lot and on roads leading to the terminal, said airport spokesman Mark Courtney.
Today, next Wednesday and the Sunday after Thanksgiving are expected to be the busiest days for departures and arrivals.
But the Sunday after Thanksgiving will be the busiest day of all, with travelers who left earlier on different days all heading home at the same time, Courtney said.
Officials at the Roanoke airport are expecting to handle 4,000 passengers on the Sunday following Thanksgiving, traditionally the single busiest day for air travel in the United States. The local count is a 20 percent increase over the same day last year.
Courtney said parking should be adequate with the addition of 266 spaces in a new overflow parking area next to the long-term lot. In October, use of the airport's parking lots set a four-year record for that month.
The overflow lot occupies space previously used by airport employees, who now have their own lot east of the terminal. With the new lot, the airport has parking spaces for 1,265 vehicles, Courtney said.
One factor contributing to the expectation of heavier traffic at the airport this year is an increase in the number of available seats on daily flights departing Roanoke. Airlines serving the airport are offering 27 percent more daily departure seats this Thanksgiving than last, an increase from 1,771 to 2,254.
The number of daily flights leaving the airport also is up, to 57 from 45 last year.
Many of the seats for the Thanksgiving holiday's busiest days have been booked well in advance, but there are some available at short-run higher prices because of new flights and larger planes added this month by USAir.
Nationwide, the American Automobile Association is expecting 28.9 million Americans to travel at least 100 miles from home this Thanksgiving.
About 24.1 million Americans will go by auto, light truck or recreational vehicle, 0.8 percent more than a year ago, AAA said.
Another 4.8 million people are expected to travel by airplane, train or bus. That is 2 percent higher than last Thanksgiving.
The association said the heaviest motor vehicle travel will be in the Southeast, with 6.1 million Americans on the roads, and the Midwest, with 4.8 million motorists expected. Other regional projections are: West, 4.7 million travelers; Northeast, 4.5 million; and Great Lakes, 4 million.
Courtney is advising Roanoke air travelers to allow more time for parking and for longer lines at the ticket and check-in counters. Buy tickets in advance to save time and call travel agents or airlines before leaving for the airport to make sure your flight is on schedule, he suggested.
by CNB