CLEVELAND: Today marks the beginning of the Thanksgiving holiday travel season for many Northeast Ohioans.
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport considers it one of its busiest days of the year and is expecting record numbers of travelers today through Dec. 1.
To help reduce travelers’ stress and inconvenience, the airport has recommended several tips:
■ Passengers should expect longer lines at the ticket counters and Hopkins’ three security checkpoints.
Airport officials encourage travelers to arrive at least two hours before scheduled departure to allow time for parking, check-in and going through security.
■ Consider using airline websites for advance check-in and to print a boarding pass up to 24 hours before departure.
■ Government-issued identification with photo should be ready at all times to present at the ticket counter and at security checkpoints.
■ Be sure to look through luggage to ensure no prohibited items are in the bag.
■ Carry-on luggage is restricted to one bag and one personal item — purse, briefcase or laptop bag — per person. Most airlines now charge $15 or more for the first bag for each passenger and more for additional bags.
■ Travelers at Hopkins will find five on-site parking options: CLE Curbside Valet, $21 per day, located on the upper roadway near the Delta Airlines ticket counter; the Smart Parking Garage, $14 per day, or $10 per day after three days; the Red Lot, $11.50 per day; the Blue Lot, $8 per day; the new Orange Lot, $9.50 a day (former long-term parking location).
■ Friends and family picking up a traveler at Hopkins now can park and wait in the CLE Cell Phone Lot, located off state Road 237, rather than circle the airport. Follow the blue directional signs for easy parking.
■ RTA’s Red Line offers convenient service to and from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, via the Tower City Station. Visit www.riderta.com or call the RTAnswerline at 216-621-9500 for more information.
For updated airport information, including traffic, weather and flight updates, go to www.clevelandairport.com.