Holiday travel season kicks off

SEATTLE - Friday kicks off the holiday travel season, just a day after a massive computer glitch snarled airport traffic around the country.

Airport travel this holiday season could be a bit of a mixed bag. The poor economy means fewer people are flying, but the fiasco of Thursday's massive airport computer glitch still looms large.

As holiday travelers head to the airport this weekend, there is both good news and bad news awaiting them. With the poor economy, fewer people are flying, which should mean smaller crowds and shorter lines at security.

But on the flip side, airlines are trying to maximize the flights they do book, packing as many passengers as possible onto each plane.

There's also concern in the wake of Thursday's nation-wide airport fiasco, caused by a glitch in a federal aviation administration computer. The problem was fixed after about four hours, but it caused a cascade of cancellations and delays, not to mention some concern from travelers, since it is the second failure in the system in just 15 months.

Tthere's no comfort from the former head of the safety board.

"We're going to see repeated failures if we don't address this system," said Jim Hall, former chairman of the NTSB.

Of course, flying is not the only way to travel.  Amtrak is adding 10 trains to its Seattle-to-Portland Cascades route Wednesday until the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Greyhound also plans to add extra buses, if needed.

Thanksgiving Air Travel tips

Sea-Tac Airport gives some helpful travel tips to help your journey:

Do Some Advance Planning
Confirm your travel details. A new requirement is that the name on your boarding pass and your government-issued ID must match. So when you confirm your flight, make sure the name on your airline reservation matches whatever I.D. you plan to use (driver's license or passport, for example). Ask what the baggage policies are for your airline: How many bags are allowed; what the fees are; and what are the size and weight restrictions.
Pack with Security in Mind
Valuables and essentials, such as medicine and travel documents, should stay with you in your carry-on luggage. Know what is and isn't allowed in carry-ons and checked luggage. Remember to leave checked luggage unlocked or use a TSA-approved lock
Bearing gifts? Wrap them after your arrive. Otherwise if there's a question about what the package contains, your beautifully wrapped gift may have to be opened.
Before Heading for the Airport
Use Web Check-in. Most airlines offer it. You can print your boarding pass at home; if you don't have luggage to check you can bypass the ticket counter completely and go straight through the security checkpoint and your gate.
Check your the status of your flight online.
Get to the airport two hours before your flight.

Prepare for Security
Quicken your trip through the checkpoints by knowing and following the rules:
Large electronic items: These items must be removed from carry-ons for separate inspection. Items that now need to be screened separately include laptops, full-size video games consoles, full-size DVD players, video cameras that use video cassettes and CPAP breathing machines
This requirement does not affect electronic items in checked luggage.
3-1-1 Rule: 3 (ounces), 1 (quart), 1 (bag): The TSA rule for carry-on liquids has been in place for a while, but is an especially important one to note if you don't want to be forced to throwaway your vintage wine or pricey cosmetics.
All liquids, gels and aerosols must be packed in a single, one-quart, zip-top, clear plastic bag. Larger bags or bags that are not zip-top, such as fold-over sandwich bags, are not allowed. Each traveler may carry-on only one plastic bag of liquids and gels and it must be inspected separately. Travelers should remove their quart-sized plastic bag from their carry-on luggage and place it on the conveyer belt for screening. Larger amounts of liquids can be carried in checked luggage.
Take it Off: Remember to remove all jewelry, belts with metal clasps and other metallic objects that might set off the alarm. Take off your coats and shoes as well.
Fuel Up for Your Flight:
In-flight meals have gone the way of printed airline tickets - they hardly exist. Dine at the airport or grab some take-out for the trip.
Picking Up Passengers at Sea-Tac:
Use the Cell Phone Waiting Lot. Parking in the lot is free and drivers can wait up to 30 minutes until arriving passengers have deplaned, collected luggage and called to be picked up outside of Baggage Claim. Remember, there is no parking or waiting allowed on the airport roadway shoulders.