Fewer Holiday Travelers, Smaller Crowds at NYC Airports

NEW YORK (AP/1010 WINS) -- Holiday travelers leaving the city for Thanksgiving found smaller crowds than usual at La Guardia Airport, with the slumping economy blamed for keeping people at home and federal authorities warning of a possible terror plot against the subways.

John Montone reports.

Anthony Giacinto arrived at the usually jammed Queens airport on a flight from Detroit. ``I thought it would be busier today but we just breezed through,'' he said.

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Barbara Kniffin drove her daughter and grandson to the airport a few hours early, assuming the terminals would be packed. Instead, the 47-year-old Long Island grandmother got a few more hours with her family.

VIDEO: Airport Scene: 'There's Nobody Here'

The concourses were almost empty; plenty of seats were available; airport shops had only a customer or two. One woman, unnerved by the unexpected calm, asked a security worker if everything was all right.

``It's almost eerie,'' Kniffin said, glancing around the sparsely populated food court. ``Other years at this time, it would be a madhouse.''

La Guardia general manager Warren Kroeppel said 8 percent fewer passengers were expected there Wednesday compared to a year ago, with flights reduced from 1,200 to 1,150.

``Eight percent? It feels more like 40 percent,'' said Greg Widersky of Stamford, Conn., who was at La Guardia with his wife and 8-month-old daughter, Sara, to pick up a relative.

``This doesn't look like a day before Thanksgiving,'' said Jodi Widersky. ``It doesn't even look like a normal weekday. It looks more like the airport at 9 or 10 o'clock at night.''

In Newark, ticket counter lines were light to moderate. General manager John S. Jacoby said the airport expected to handle about 4 percent fewer travelers than a year ago.

``All they were talking about on TV was delays, but it hasn't been that at all,'' said Dolores Peters of Hart, Mich., who was enroute with her husband, Randy, to visit their son in Italy.

Train travelers reported similar experiences. Manhattan's Pennsylvania Station was bustling, but not chaotic.

``I was expecting a lot worse,'' said acting student Julia Chan, 25, lugging her suitcase toward a train to Newark airport and a flight to Toronto. ``I always tend to expect, like, sardines.''

Baltimore-bound law student Kate Goldwasser got to Penn Station 90 minutes early and had extra time on her hands. She relaxed, cross-legged, on the floor with magazines and a big cup of coffee.

``It's definitely more crowded than on a usual weekday -- but it's not as bad as I thought it would be,'' said the 23-year-old Manhattan resident.

While most trips were going smoothly, security was a concern after federal authorities warned of a possible holiday season al-Qaida plot against the city's subway and train systems.

Police spokesman Paul Browne said the public could expect to see additional officers at major transit hubs. Gun-toting law enforcers and police dogs were on patrol, but many New Yorkers are accustomed to those sights.

``I gotta live my life. I can't worry about whether that's going to happen or not,'' said straphanger Paul Greenwald, 57.

Of course, not everyone was relying on trains, buses and planes.

Melody Picott, 38, a surgical assistant, compared travel costs until the last minute. ``I wanted to see if the gas prices went down, under $2.''

She figured she could drive from Brooklyn to North Carolina for around $200 -- compared to $500 to fly with her teenage son.

She left work early on Wednesday to start driving.

Holiday Travel Guide: Gridlock Season Is Here

The holiday season can only mean one thing as plenty of people pack their bags and get ready to visit their families: gridlock.

Gridlock Alert Day Calendar (pdf)

Wednesday is the biggest travel day of the year so prepare for long lines on roads, bridges, airports and transit hubs.

Holiday Traffic Plan(pdf)

The New York City Department of Transportation suggests giving your car a holiday and taking mass transit instead.

If you are planning on attending the Thanksgiving Day parade, do yourself a favor and take public transportation, Extended MTA Thanksgiving Day Service.

The following will all run extra trains Wednesday afternoon:

Gridlock Alert Days:

Nov. 26
Dec. 3
Dec. 5
Dec. 11
Dec. 12
Dec. 17
Dec. 18
Dec. 19

Alternate Side Parking Rules Suspended:

Nov. 27
Dec. 8
Dec. 9
Dec. 10
Dec. 25

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