PHL prepared for mass DNC departures
Friday will be one of the busiest travel days of the year at Philadelphia International Airport, when most DNC delegates and visitors will be heading home.
Friday will be one of the busiest travel days of the year at Philadelphia International Airport, when most DNC delegates and visitors will be heading home.
The airlines, Philadelphia airport, and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) say they will have extra staff on hand to answer questions, handle security screening, and get travelers to their gates.
TSA offered travel tips Thursday for airline passengers departing the Democratic National Convention: arrive at least two hours before domestic flights and three hours ahead of international flights and allow extra time for traffic, parking, rental car returns, and airline check-in.
American Airlines, which operates 70 percent of flights in Philadelphia, said airline staff will be outside the terminals starting at 5 a.m. to assist passengers who may need a boarding pass or a checked luggage tag printed. "We'll be able to do this curbside," said American spokeswoman Victoria Lupica.
The TSA will be "fully staffed" and canine teams will be on hand to assist travelers getting through security, said spokesman Michael McCarthy. Philadelphia airport will also have volunteers in the terminals to help passengers get to, and through, security and to their gates, said airport spokesman Mary Flannery.
TSA said the most common mistake that passengers make is to have "prohibited" items in their carry-on bags: mainly oversize liquids and objects with sharp blades. Those items detected at a checkpoint will slow a checkpoint line, the agency said. Travelers with questions can contact TSA via Twitter at @AskTSA or call 1-866-289-9673.
TSA advised travelers to prepare for security when packing - put large liquids, gels, creams and aerosols in checked bags, and make sure carry-on liquids, creams, and pastes are 3.4 ounces or less and that all bottles fit in a single quart-size plastic bag.
Passengers should notify a TSA officer if traveling with larger quantities of medically-necessary liquid medications, breast milk or formula for an infant, the agency said.
American Airlines distributed 5,000 "information cards" to delegates arriving last weekend and in delegates' hotels, with telephone numbers for airport services, such as wheel-chair assistance, and phone numbers for all the airlines operating at PHL, Lupica said.
Ticketed customers on American traveling through Philadelphia since July 22 received a pre-departure email 24 hours before their flights, reminding them about the DNC and cautioning to allow additional travel time to the airport and to arrive early for flights.
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