With the Iowa Caucuses behind us now, hundreds of journalists, campaign staff and the presidential candidates themselves are attempting to get out of central Iowa this morning. Roy Criss, spokesman for the Des Moines International Airport, says the facility’s staff is trying to anticipate the challenges that will be created by a sudden deluge of bustling passengers.
“Sometimes when people are running late, they will abandon a rental car at the curb and that creates a problem,” Criss says. “We have some temporary signage up telling people where to park the rental cars. Also, at the security checkpoint, we will have a couple of containers. If people just got here too late and couldn’t return the car to the proper place, they can just throw the keys in one of those containers.”
Twelve-to-thirteen-hundred passengers fly out of Des Moines on a typical weekday morning. Criss says this morning’s total will likely be closer to two-thousand. He says two keys to a successful experience are to check your flight status before coming to the airport, and to arrive well before your flight is scheduled to depart.
“Everybody is saying two hours,” Criss says. “Obviously, it’s going to be a little bit longer wait getting through the security checkpoint. Most of it is not getting out of here, it’s wherever your final destination is. If there’s a weather problem or a mechanical problem between here and there, you want to be here in plenty of time.” A few other tips: Have a government-issued photo I-D ready with your ticket information.
Dress and pack appropriately so you don’t cause a delay at security.
For more information, visit: www.tsa.gov.