Holiday Travel Tips from Richmond International Airport

RIC Urges Customers to Plan Ahead and Allow Extra Time for Busy Holiday Travel Season

RICHMOND, Virginia (November 18, 2009) - With Thanksgiving signaling the start of the busy holiday travel season, the Capital Region Airport Commission wishes to take this opportunity to remind Richmond International Airport (RIC) travelers to plan ahead and allow extra time to ensure a more enjoyable holiday travel experience. RIC offers the following tips to Thanksgiving travelers:

Before Leaving Home

Bad weather in other parts of the country may impact flights arriving at, or departing from, RIC. Call your airline or check its web site for updated arrival and departure information. Airline web site links and phone numbers for RIC carriers are located at www.flyrichmond.com.
RIC offers real-time arrival and departure information to help make planning your trip to the airport that much easier.
During the busy holiday travel season, all passengers are advised to arrive at the airport a minimum of two hours prior to departure, especially on peak travel days such as Friday, December 18th, through Friday, January 1st.

Packing Tips

Security requirements prohibit passengers from taking certain items in their carry-on bags, including: fireworks or knives, regardless of length or composition. If you have any doubt about an item, leave it at home or pack it with your checked bags. TSA has a complete list of permitted and prohibited items on its web site at www.TSA.gov.
Pack smart. Please place your medicine, jewelry, cameras, film and other valuables in your carry-on baggage.
Please keep in mind TSA's 3-1-1 security measures regarding liquids and gels when packing your bags. Travelers may carry through security checkpoints travel-size toiletries (3 ounces or less) that fit comfortably in ONE, QUART-SIZE, clear plastic, zip-top bag. At the checkpoint travelers will be asked to remove the zip-top bag of liquids and place it in a bin or on the conveyor belt. X-raying separately will allow TSA security officers to more easily examine the declared items.
Be sure to put your name, address and phone number on all your luggage and carry-on items. Make sure you keep your luggage with you at all times.
TSA recommends that you leave your bags unlocked as they may be inspected during the security screening process.
Limit your carry-on baggage. Airlines have been enforcing tighter restrictions on the amount of baggage you can carry on the plane. Generally, one bag that fits under the seat or in the overhead bin and one personal item, such as a purse or briefcase, is allowed. Airlines provide sizing templates at their ticket counters so passengers may verify that carry-on luggage meet sizing requirements.
Wait to wrap any gifts until after you arrive at your final destination. If security personnel cannot determine the contents of a package by visual inspection, they will open it. Again, prohibited items will not be permitted through security.
Luggage requirements vary from airline to airline. Contact your air carrier for the number of checked baggage allowed per passenger, as well as weight and size restrictions. Charges may apply.
Please be sure to remove personal items attached to the outside of your checked baggage before arriving at the airport. Personal items such as scarves, ties, and ribbons may cause a bag belt to jam and could result in a delayed flight or damaged luggage. Attach only identification tags to the outside of your baggage with your name, address and phone number.

Gate Access and Security

Passengers traveling domestically - age 18 and older - are advised to carry a government-issued form of identification at all times. Most international travel requires passengers, regardless of age, to have a valid passport.
Use the exact name on your ID. The TSA Secure Flight program is being phased in and will require that the name on your ID match your reservation exactly, as well as extra information such as date of birth and gender.
Boarding passes are required to access the security screening checkpoints. Most airlines at RIC offer self-service kiosks as well as personal customer assistance in the ticketing area of the terminal. Additionally, air carriers offer the option of printing boarding passes from their web sites.
Persons with disabilities and unaccompanied minors will be able to have a person assist them to their gate. Please contact your airline for additional information.
You must declare the following liquid items at the screening checkpoint if they are more than 3 oz, not contained in a zip-top plastic bag:
- Baby formula/milk (to include breast milk) and baby food in containers, if a baby or small child is traveling.
- Medications (liquid, gels, and/or aerosol).
- Liquids (to include juice) or gels for diabetic or other medical needs.
All electronic items, such as laptops and cell phones, may be subject to additional screening. You will need to remove your laptop from its travel case so that both may be X-rayed separately. You may want to label your laptop to avoid mix-ups when several laptops that look alike move through X-ray machines in succession.

Holiday Parking at RIC

Parking will be available throughout the holiday travel season at the airport's North and South Parking Garages and Economy Lots A, B and C. Customers parking in the garages at the airport should note that pedestrian bridges are available and connect the second floor lobbies of the garages to crossing areas of the upper level roadway inline with terminal entryways leading to ticketing.
Passenger pick-up and drop-off areas in front of the terminal are limited, and intended for immediate passenger assistance only. Vehicles arriving early are advised to use the airport's free Cell Phone Waiting Lot, located just off Terminal Drive near the South parking garage, about one minute's drive from the terminal. While there is no charge to use the lot, vehicles must be attended at all times, and drivers are encouraged to turn off vehicles when temperatures permit.
Customers utilizing the airport's North and South Hourly or Daily locations in the parking garages can park for free for up to 60 minutes. This parking option is ideal for "meeters and greeters" waiting for arriving passengers. The two parking garages are located directly across from the terminal building.
Customers wishing to use the Express Lanes to exit the toll plazas should remember to bring parking tickets into the terminal to use the pay-on-foot stations located throughout the terminal and in the North and South Garages.
All on-airport satellite lots, including Economy Lots A, B and C, are served by wheelchair-accessible EasyPark shuttles.
Due to FAA security requirements, unattended vehicles in the curbside drop-off/pick-up areas may be ticketed or towed.

Richmond International Airport is the gateway for Virginia's Capital Region, and offers about 180 daily non-stop flights on Air Canada, AirTran Airways, American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, Northwest Airlines, United Airlines, US Airways and their respective regional affiliates to 19 domestic and international destinations.

CONTACT:
Capital Region Airport Commission
Troy M. Bell, CM
Director - Marketing & Air Service Development/PIO
tbell@flyrichmond.com