Ready to Travel!

Summer doesn't officially begin until June 21, but the real kick off is Memorial Day Weekend. This is the first long weekend of the year when the weather is actually nice, and the last one for three months. And after the winter we've had, people are itching to travel, embrace the summer and enjoy some warmer temperatures.

I am among those eager travelers. I am currently sitting in the O'Hare airport, waiting to board a plane to Austin for my good friend Laura's bachelorette party. Of course, I had to pick the busiest travel day of the weekend, and I'm flying from one of the destinations that is expected to get the most visitors this Memorial Day.

According to travel website, Orbitz, Chicago is one of the top five most popular destinations people will travel to this weekend, along with Las Vegas, New York, Punta Cana and Cancun. Priceline places Orlando and San Diego in its top five list, so clearly there is no guaranteed algorithm for figuring out where people are going. The bottom line is...they're going.

Nationally, about 36.1 million people will hit the road during the holiday weekend, according to AAA auto club, up 1.5% from 2013. The national travel estimate is 2.6% higher than its 10-year historical average and the second highest since 2000. The numbers indicate a new high as the economy continues to recover from the recession, the unemployment rate has dropped and overall consumer confidence is on the rise.

With all this activity, I was sure the airport would be a zoo, with long lines to check bags and get through security. So I took the cautious route and hopped on the Blue Line at 5:30am to get to O'Hare by 6am for my 8:30am flight – considerably earlier than I usually arrive for a domestic flight. To my chagrin, there were plenty of open kiosks, and I checked my bag in less than five minutes. And the security line? Non existent! I was through the line and sitting in the airline lounge by 6:15am...seriously. Are they sure about this travel rush?

I'm not saying I don't believe the predictions, I anticipate that it will get worse later in the day, since many people still work on the Friday before Memorial Day and then leave early or right when the clock hits 5pm. But maybe it won't be as crazy as we all think. Then again, I could be sorely mistaken. I return from my Austin adventure on Monday, probably the second-busiest travel day of the weekend. And I don't have the good fortune of an early flight. So we'll see what happens then.

Good luck to everyone traveling this weekend. I wish you all the best kick off to summer and a great Memorial Day.

And please, feel free to share your weekend destinations. I'd like to create my own list of top destinations based off responses I get from people. Maybe I'll ask a few folks here in the lounge...let the polling begin.

Planes, Runways and....Goats?

After my previous post about O'Hare implementing a new system that would cut the wait time at customs, I thought officials at the airport were thinking clearly. And then I heard about this...

On Wednesday, Chicago's Department of Aviation announced a contract with the operator of Lincoln Park restaurant Butcher & The Burger to bring 25 goats to the airport to graze among the runways. Yes, you heard me right, goats. I figured they had to be out of their minds. But then I continued reading the article and found that this is actually a pretty interesting idea.

The goats are part of the airport's pilot vegetation-management program, which means the animals will act as natural lawn mowers. According to the city's request, the goats are expected to clear 250 square feet of vegetation per day. (Whether or not they will be fired if they fail to accomplish this is unclear.)

So, why goats? Well, two reasons. First, the embankments, rocky terrain and hilly areas are tough on the airport's machinery, and can be difficult to reach. The goats can easily walk around these areas and eat away at any overgrowth. Second, it is a good way for the airport to be more sustainable and eco-friendly.

So what about safety? I mean, how are these little goats going to match up to massive planes, not to mention all the vehicles that zip around the runways on a daily basis? O'Hare has that covered, too. The goats will be shepherded by the woman who takes care of them out on the farm in Barrington Hills, and they will roam 120 acres at four different sites on the property. Those sites will be kept secured via fencing to make sure no goats wander onto the runway.

As far as innovation goes, this is bleating genius!

Noteworthy Travel News: O'Hare Goes Paperless at Customs

Tell me if this has every happened to you. You disembark from a plane after a painfully long international flight, your legs are still gaining the feeling back after being cramped in a tiny seat for hours, and all you want to do is get your bag and go home--or to your hotel if you're just getting to your destination. And then you come upon the longest line you've ever seen just to get into the country. There is no way the wait will take less than an hour, and you are forced to shuffle slowly behind the mass of people in front of you. And it is inevitable that more than one of those travelers in front of you will have filled out their customer declaration form incorrectly or lost it all together, causing even more of a delay.

Well no more!

That scenario will hopefully become something of the past at O'Hare International Airport thanks to the introduction of a paperless customs system. The airport is the first in the U.S. to go paperless in an effort to cut down on wait times. Instead of filling out forms before landing, passengers with U.S. passports will scan their documents and answer questions at self-service kiosks before seeing a customs agent. This allows arriving passengers to skip filling out the form in favor of answering questions on the kiosk. When done, a receipt is printed and passengers present their passport, travel information and the receipt to the agent, who should take about 15 seconds to review it all, a fourth of the time it usually takes, according to O'Hare representatives.

O'Hare took a page from Vancouver International Airport, which established a similar system over a year ago. It also just launched the first Automated Passport Control kiosk program with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency. Those Canadians are certainly on top of things. Heck, Vancouver was recently named the best airport in North America by Skytrax, a passenger survey.

O'Hare will install 32 kiosks and the system is expected to up and running by July 1, just in time for the height of the summer travel season, which has seen wait times last several hours in the past. Officials had been looking for ways to reduce delays, especially considering four more international carriers will start to serve O'Hare in the summer.

Read the article here.

The People You Meet at Airports

I stood in the security line at O’Hare Airport today, which was much longer than it usually is—at least when I’ve traveled through there. Normally, I keep to myself, shuffling along with the rest of the crowd. But today, a woman behind me in line made a relatively casual comment about the wait and a conversation was sparked. For the next fifteen minutes we chatted about where we were headed, where we were from, where we had traveled before, and for a moment I created a bond, a brief friendship that would disappear the second we went our separate ways. What astonishes me most about these quick encounters is how much they can impact us. Even though we will probably never see each other again, this woman and I shared parts of our lives with each other, which—in my opinion—is one of the amazing things about travel. Something about being in an airport with people who are experiencing the same things you are, dealing with the same lines, the same delays, makes you want to reach out and make a connection.

Though I didn’t catch her name, I know she lives in Wisconsin and is headed to Australia for a 30-day trek through the outback and then down into the mountains of New Zealand. Finally, a woman after my own heart. This is a trip I would die to take, and here was someone actually doing it; taking life by the reigns and going on an adventure. Not only that, but she was alone. (Well, she’s going with a tour group, but she didn’t have a spouse or friend with her.) To take a journey like that and have no close acquaintances can be scary and overwhelming, but excitement was all I could read on her face. If anything, it inspired me, gave me hope that someday I could do something like that.

After we scooted through security, we put our shoes back on and said our goodbyes. And while I know everyone says those generic things, like “take care,” “travel safe,” “good meeting you;” in this case it felt truly genuine and sincere. I had enjoyed meeting this incredible woman, and I walked off to my gate feeling a little happier that she had come into my life, if only for a moment.

Another Stress for Holiday Travelers

It's crazy enough traveling during the holidays without dealing with the added stress of new security enforcements. But that's what people will be facing at many major airports around the country. Already a nuisance for frequent fliers who spends weeks in airports, new security regulations will soon hit the not-so-frequent holiday fliers. An article in the RedEye this morning detailed the ins and outs of what Chicago travelers can expect this season. Next week, travelers at O'Hare International Airport will face full-body scanners and "enhanced" pat downs, which many have described as highly intrusive and downright offensive. The Transportation Security Administrations new precautions are not being taken lightly, and many are questioning the  appropriateness and the efficiency of these systems.

Whether they really will work is yet to be seen, but people are wondering if its worth the humiliation they are being put through during security check points. The pat downs that are causing such a stir require TSA officers to rub their hands all over a passengers body, including their chests, backsides and genitals. Passengers claim they feel violated and want to file complaints for the invasion. So is this really better than the alternative? Traditional metal detectors are being replaced by full-body scanners, which require a person to stand between two machines that take an x-ray photo of them to reveal any concealed items. If people choose not to go through the scanners, they will have to be patted down.

Security at airports and on planes has been a huge concern and will continue to cause tension during the holidays. With bombs disguised as ink cartridges being shipped by terrorists on jets and various other security breaches occurring in recent months, people are worried about their safety and seem willing to give up privacy and deal with inconveniences for increased security measures. But it appears those once-reasonable souls have reached their tolerance level, especially with long security lines and carry-on restrictions. Travelers have even created "National Opt Out Day," a day where people boycott flying. Thanksgiving Eve is the designated day for this protest, and we will just have to see the impact is has air travel.

For those who do choose to fly that night, they will have to face at least one of the new security systems. But if they do not want to deal with either, they may want to look into other means of transportation. Either that, or fly out of smaller airports like Midway, which has yet to receive body scanners. And travelers should take advantage of that while they can, since the scanners will show up in the near future.

I for one, am fine with going through the body scanners. I'll let you know how they are when I fly out of O'Hare in a couple weeks.

Weather Worries

A "ground stop" was declared this morning at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago due to high winds and rain. As most residents know, the city experienced some intense weather conditions early in the day; in fact, many news stations claimed it was going to be the most powerful storm Chicago has seen in seven decades. (That's quite a claim, and I'm still waiting for the confirmation on that. So far, no hard evidence.) Clearly, it was bad enough for O'Hare to ground flights. (Although, it usually doesn't take much for O'Hare to do that sort of thing.) Now, over 300 flights out of the airport have been cancelled, leaving thousands stranded for the day.

I don't mean to be such a skeptic, but I experienced about ten minutes of monsoon-like rain and wind gusts, then it lightened up, the clouds sped by and skies cleared up. I'm looking at a blue sky right now. No disrespect to the weather men and women out there, but I don't see this being as bad as predicted. And I certainly see no reason why O'Hare feels the need to cancel so many flights. Midway is experiencing the same weather, and they seem to be handling the situation pretty well, despite having numerous delays on incoming and outgoing flights. I have had more than one bad experience with O'Hare delaying or cancelling my flights due to weather, and each time it was unnecessary. Every time it happens, I get the feeling that O'Hare plays into the media hype given to these storms, and rather than taking it in stride, they cancel or delay flights in anticipation of bad conditions before actually seeing them play out. It leaves many people running for connecting flights in other cities, standing in customer service lines trying to find other flights, or just stranded for an extra day. It's frustrating, especially for those who travel on a regular basis.

Obviously, I understand that weather conditions affect flights, and if there are legitimate reasons--whiteout conditions, tornadoes--I can accept a cancelled flight. But one of my flights out of O'Hare a few months ago to visit my dad in Canada was cancelled due to dense fog. First of all, the fog cleared up by mid-morning and my flight was at 4:30 pm, and when I stepped out of my office around 1:30, the sun was shining, clear skies and seventy-degree temperatures--perfect flying weather. I called right away and got another flight, irritated that the first one had been cancelled at all when the weather was clearly not an issue.

I know I'm ranting, but when I see these announcements about mass cancellations, I have to wonder if they are really necessary, if the weather really is that bad. If conditions outside worsen, then I will admit to being wrong, but until that happens, I maintain that airports should try to get their flights out, even if they have to be a little late.