Planning ahead is key

The holiday travel season will be here before you know it. Whether you’re flying to one of our six nonstop destinations or connecting virtually anywhere else in the world, we want to ensure you’re prepared and have a smooth and easy experience when using Shreveport Regional Airport (SHV).

A few things to remember:

• Book tickets early. Ticket prices for flights are based on demand and availability and are set by the airlines. The earlier you book, the more likely you will find lower fares. Seats on flights in and out of SHV are usually near or at capacity, so when you book a last-minute ticket, you’ll likely be paying more than if you booked sooner. Fall is usually a slower travel time than summer, but this year, demand has not decreased as it traditionally does. That means more people on planes and almost no empty seats out of SHV.

• Get to the airport early. If you’re flying on Allegiant, you should arrive at least two hours before your scheduled departure time. If you’re flying on American, Delta or United, get to the airport at least one hour before your departure time. Due to higher demand, airlines send larger planes to Shreveport, like the Canadair Regional Jet-900, with 76 seats. That means, in most cases, 75 other people are trying to get checked in at the ticket counter, processed through the TSA checkpoint and on to the departure gate, and all that takes time.

• Be patient. When you land back in Shreveport at the end of your trip, the last thing you want to do is wait for your checked bag to come out on the baggage carousel. Each airline is responsible for delivering passengers’ luggage to the carousel. When two flights on the same airline arrive at the same time from two different hubs, like Dallas and Charlotte, baggage delivery may take longer than if that ground crew was only working a single flight. Once your bag is delivered on the carousel, and you think the wait was too long, reach out to your airline’s customer service department and let them know about your experience.

In case you missed it: Earlier this year, we announced three national restaurant brands are coming to SHV for the first time in the airport’s 70-year history! Uno’s Pizzeria and Grill, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, and LaMadeleine’s French Bakery & Café will all open inside Shreveport Regional Airport next year. The current restaurant space just past the TSA Checkpoint will be doubled in size and feature a full-service Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf location. If you’re not familiar with that brand, think along the lines of Starbucks. Their menu features a variety of coffee, espresso, ice-blended drinks and teas. Their café menu features bagels, coffee cakes, muffins, breakfast sandwiches and wraps. In addition to their full-service location, restaurant locations on concourses B & C will also be pouring The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf beverages. We’ll share more details on the additional restaurants in our article next month.

Mark Crawford is the marketing and public relations manager for the Shreveport Airport Authority. In this role, he is responsible for all the marketing, air service development and customer experience at Shreveport Regional Airport.