Southwest Airlines

Thanksgiving: a time of turkey and infinite airport stays. With the Thanksgiving holiday break coming up, many Harvard students are making plans to fly home or visit friends and relatives outside of the Boston area. The usual parade of Harvard students on planes, trains and automobiles is slightly altered this year in light of the events surrounding Sept. 11. Many students are still making the trip home, while others say that they just wouldn’t feel safe in the air. “Because I would be flying from Boston to Los Angeles, I’m scared to fly home,” says Amanda Rigas ’05. “I know that there probably wouldn’t be any more attacks in the near future, but the idea of flying still freaks me out. I’m not sure why.”

Still, most students exhibit no fear of flying. Diana C. Rosenthal ’05 says, “I feel safer than ever because they have stepped up security to make passengers feel secure. The last thing the airlines need is more layoffs from a lapse in business.” Abby C. Bridges ’05 plans to fly home not only for Thanksgiving but for Columbus Day as well. “My flight plans for Columbus Day are pretty annoying,” says Abby. “They had originally planned to send me from Logan to Detroit and then to Memphis before I arrived home in Montgomery, Ala. I called the airline to clear up the plans; now I’m only going through Memphis, but I have to leave Logan at 6 a.m. on Thursday instead of at 5:30 p.m. and I have to miss all of my classes.”

The official word from Logan is that planes will be flying, although the airport will be hampered by a new set of time-consuming rules and regulations. Logan’s official recommendations: confirm flight information with your airline before departing for the airport. Don’t assume a flight is flying just because tickets have been issued. Also, take public transportation to the airport. Parking is a nightmare ever since the Terminal B garage was closed indefinitely, so catch the T or a cab. Logan also recommends that passengers arrive at least a full two hours before their flight departs to allow ample time for check-in and new, beefed-up security procedures. For more information, please call (800)23-LOGAN or TTY (800)262-3335.

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