Tulsa International Airport seeing heavy spring break travel
March 16-- Lines are long at airline ticket counters and airport security checkpoints, and there is hardly an empty seat on flights leaving Tulsa International Airport, travel officials said Thursday.
Welcome to spring break 2012, which began Thursday and runs through March 25 for many Oklahoma and Texas students.
"You can definitely tell there's increased activity," said Alexis Higgins, deputy airports director of marketing at Tulsa International Airport, just before noon Thursday. "Normally, this is a quieter time. But there are 200 people -- a lot of young people -- at the United, American and Delta ticket counters right now."
In a meeting last week with airport officials, airline representatives said load factors -- the percentage of seats filled -- on American Airlines and United Airlines flights were nearly 100 percent while they were 92 percent at Delta Air Lines through Monday.
"Every flight is sold out," said Nancy Winn, a travel agent with Travel Leaders/Spears Travel in Tulsa. "If you can get to Chicago you're lucky, but you'll pay quite a bit of money."
Round-trip air fares at spring break this year are $75 to $100 higher than a year ago, Winn said.
"Last year, a round-trip ticket to Seattle cost you $350 to $400. Today, you're looking at $450 to $500," she said. "Last year, Las Vegas was $300 to $350 round-trip. Now it's $400 and up."
A year ago, airlines paid about $3 a gallon for jet fuel, which accounts for nearly 40 percent of a carrier's budget. Today, jet fuel prices are above $3.20.
"There have been some fuel-price-driven fare increases since the first of the year," said American Airlines spokesman Tim Smith. "We are busy. Spring break is a pretty strong tradition for travel. We've taken steps to manage load factors by managing capacity."
Daniel Meier, air service & business development coordinator at Tulsa International, said large passenger volumes expected during the next few days emphasize the need for passengers to arrive at the airport at least 90 minutes before their scheduled flight for domestic travel and two hours early for international travel.
"All airlines serving TUL (Tulsa International) allow online check-in for those passengers not planning to check bags," Meier said. "This can help passengers avoid lines at the ticket counters."
Before leaving for the airport, travelers are advised to:
--Pack in checked luggage liquids and gels in containers larger than 3.2 ounces.
--Pack in carry-on bags liquids and gels in containers 3.2 ounces and smaller as long as the containers fit into one quart-sized or smaller zip-top plastic bag, one bag per passenger.
--Carry onboard one bag that fits in the overhead bin or under the seat, plus one personal item. Personal items include purses, briefcases or laptops.
A list of permitted and prohibited carry-on items is available at the website of the Transportation Security Administration at
Spring break(down):
Air fares: up 10 percent, or from $75 to $100 per round-trip, compared with a year ago.
Load factors (percentage of seats filled): 92 percent to 100 percent.
Most popular destinations: 1) Orlando, Fla., 2) Las Vegas, 3) New York, 4) Fort Lauderdale, Fla., 5) Cancun, Mexico, 6) Los Angeles, 7) Phoenix, 8) Fort Myers, Fla., 9) Tampa, Fla., 10) Denver
Sources: Travel Leaders/Spears Travel, Tulsa Airport Authority, Orbitz Worldwide
D.R. Stewart 918-581-8451
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