HALIFAX – There are still six days to go until the big day, but Christmas is already in the air at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport, just outside Halifax, N.S. Airport officials expect the holiday rush to start on Friday evening, with thousands of travelers catching flights. “We usually get 12-13 thousand people a day on average. So we could be crowding 18-20 thousand people a day for the next few days,” said Peter Spurway of the Halifax International Airport Authority.
Businesses inside the airport expect to be extremely busy the next few days, including Clearwater Seafood. Workers say many Nova Scotians like to take a bit of home with them when they travel, especially during the holidays. “It’s gonna be pretty busy, we expect it to be as busy as it is in the summer, so it’s pretty crazy,” said Jenna O’Leary, Clearwater employee, who is looking forward to her first Christmas rush.
The weekend of December 19-21st is the busiest travel weekend of the year for airports in our region. “I just want to get home for Christmas, so I thought, might as well leave sooner, kind of avoid the Christmas rush,” said Julie Kopp, a student who decided to fly from Halifax to Vancouver as soon as her exams were finished.
Meghan Wilson is one of tens of thousands of anxious travelers looking to get home for the holidays, but for Wilson, this year is more special than most. “I’m getting married on New Year’s Eve,” she told Global News.
To avoid a headache, Wilson is keeping the most important cargo of the trip this year close by. “Last Christmas we were delayed about 3 days in Toronto, so we tried to come home a bit earlier this year. Wedding stuff was put in a carry on so it wouldn’t get lost, which it did last year.”
The airport has a few tips for those travelling this weekend, or during the holidays. The first is to allow some extra time to accommodate winter driving conditions, find a parking spot at the airport and move through airport security. Officials encourage people to check with their airline directly before heading to the airport, and remind motorists not to leave their vehicles unattended in front of the airport for security reasons. It’s also important to remember to pack smart, and pay attention to the regulations around liquids, aerosols and gels in checked baggage.
It’s also recommended travelers not wrap gifts because their contents may need to be inspected. As a way to help those out who are flying this holiday season, The Halifax Stanfield International Airport Tartan Team of volunteers is providing a free gift wrapping service to domestic passengers who are travelling to a non-stop destination, once they get through security. Donations will be collected at the gift wrapping station to help support Feed Nova Scotia.
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