Airport Braces For Biggest Crowds

Laurie Slothower with the Sacramento International Airport says they've added more staff to deal with the onslaught of people flying in, flying out or picking up friends and family.   

"It's busy all the way up to Christmas," says Slothower. "But the busiest days are going to be Christmas Eve, the Sunday after Christmas and the Sunday after New Year's, we expect a lot of people on January 4th."

She says if you're picking someone up, the free waiting area, also known as the cell phone lot, is the best place to park and wait until the passenger calls you and let's you know they're ready to be picked up.

Slothower says they're prepared for big crowds.

"We'll have extra staff in just about every area of operations," says Slothower. "We'll have more people on the curb, we'll have more shuttle bus drivers, the TSA will also be staffing up for the holidays. What I heard over Thanksgiving is that checkpoints moved very smoothly, so we're hopeful that will be the case again over Christmas."

Slothower suggests arriving 90-minutes to two hours before your scheduled departure to allow plenty of time to find parking and make your flight.

"Anytime you have a large group of people that are hurrying trying to make their flight it can be stressful," says Slothower. "That's why we recommend people get here early because we are staffed up and we are ready for crowds around Christmas. It's stressful but it's also a really festive time."

Festive, she says, because of the airport's holiday decorations and live musical performances in terminals A and B on certain days throughout the season. Slothower says if you're parking, the Economy Lot, which is $10 a day, is offered on a first-come, first-served basis. If it fills up, you can park in the Daily Lot for $12 a day.