San Luis Obispo Airport representatives say now is the time to start planning and booking your flights for the upcoming holidays.
Avoiding a busy baggage claim after a long flight can be challenging. It can be even more challenging around the holidays. That’s why you should start thinking about booking your flights now.
Theresa Pryor is in town from South Carolina, visiting one of her three kids and has already dealt with flight issues.
“I was supposed to be here yesterday," Pryor said. "Which worked out fine, because now my youngest son is going to come up from San Francisco and spend a day with us.”
Pryor says she’s thinking of having her sons fly out to her this holiday season to avoid some of the hassle
“I find that if you have some flexibility with booking your flight it's unbelievably affordable," Pryor added.
“The sooner the better to get your tickets purchased because we do expect a busy final three months of the year," Craig Piper, Deputy Director of County Airports said.
Craig Piper told us that through the month of August, they’ve seen a 20% increase in passengers at the San Luis Obispo airport over the last year and are expecting that trend to continue.
“Get them booked, get on there, get them reserved, because if you wait too long, they may not be there," Piper encouraged.
Piper said the airlines keep a consistent schedule through the holidays so booking flights, especially at a smaller airport, could add stress if you book too late. Giving yourself plenty of preparation time is key.
And when it does come time to travel this holiday season Piper says to give yourself plenty of time.
“We recommend at least 90 minutes to two hours that get your time to get checked in," Piper said. "There's a lot of passengers flowing through this building and only so many people can get through the checkpoint one time.”
While Theresa might not be flying this Christmas, as a frequent flier, she does have tips for those who might be flying to visit family this winter.
"Don't use their third-party apps because if you need to change your flight, you have to go to that third-party company," Pryor said. "They do not have people you can talk to. I like to talk to people to help me. The airlines, you can always get a person on the phone. Have some flexibility. A day will make a difference in the price.”
Flights to Las Vegas from the San Luis Obispo Airport will be added starting December 15 by Alaska Airlines for those wanting to visit the desert this holiday season.
