With the kids off school, March Break is the perfect time for a family getaway — and a lot of people share that desire. In 2017, Toronto Pearson International Airport estimated 130,000 people travelled through their terminals the Friday before March Break officially began. With such huge crowds, carting the family off to the airport may seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be.
“Despite the chaos, March Break is a terrific
time for families to get away, relax and make memories,” says Susan
Catto, Head of Publishing for Travelzoo in Canada.
“Travel brings families together and the change of pace and location
lets everyone do a mid-winter reset. Navigating your way through a busy
airport may seem daunting, but with some planning and foresight it
becomes much less so.”
Susan offers the following advice for getting through the airport as Canadians rise to the occasion for March Break.
• Rise and shine — Book the earliest flight you
can, or, fly a day before or after the actual break. When booking
flights with a connection and have a choice of airport, choose the one
farther south — less of a chance of a weather delay. And keep in mind
that airports will be busier over the holidays, so allow some extra time
to connect.
• Pre-order kids meals — Even if you’re in the
last row of the plane, the kids meals come out first and include food
kids will likely eat — and are served with little activity bags.
• Give yourself plenty of time — Giving yourself
more time than necessary can ease the process at the airport. If you
give yourself 1.5 hours from your door to board without kids, give
yourself three to four hours with them.
• Security isn’t that scary — When you’re with
your kids you can bring baby food, formula, breast milk, nursery water,
etc… just about everything you need. It will get tested and inspected,
but you shouldn’t have a problem. Kids can keep their shoes on, but
everything, including favourite blankets and stuffed animals, has to go
through the x-ray, so it's a good thing to discuss that ahead of time if
attachment issues are a concern.
• Early boarding — Do yourself and other
passengers a favour. Take the time to get settled, organize your stuff,
wipe down the armrests and make friends with the flight attendants.
• If worse comes to worse, think ahead … — Busy
holiday travel can occasionally mean chaotic airport runs and oversold
flights. If your family’s plans are flexible (and you’re travelling with
teens rather than tots), capitalize on oversold situations by offering
to get on the next flight out — you’ll get a hefty travel voucher and
can usually negotiate other perks such as priority lounge access or even
business-class seats for your new flight (based on availability).
Don’t let the fear of airports and their chaotic
nature stop you from making the most of your vacation time this March
Break. Stay connected with the best travel and leisure experiences
available on the Internet by liking Travelzoo on Facebook at
/travelzooCA and following on Twitter @TravelzooCanada and Instagram
@travelzoocanada.
Become a Travelzoo member today to start
receiving insider travel deals to your favourite destination from one of
our deal experts. Visit travelzoo.com/ca to join!
About Travelzoo
Travelzoo® provides our 28 million members with
insider deals and one-of-a-kind experiences personally reviewed by one
of our deal experts around the globe. With more than 25 offices
worldwide, we have our finger on the pulse of outstanding travel,
entertainment, and lifestyle experiences. For over 15 years we have
worked in partnership with more than 2,000 top travel suppliers—our
long-standing relationships allow us access to the very best deals.
Travelzoo and Top 20 are registered trademarks of
Travelzoo. All other names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks
of their respective owners.
No comments:
Post a Comment