Airport Officials Prepare for More Than 1 Million Thanksgiving Passengers

Officials at San Francisco International Airport expect nearly 1.2 million travelers to pass through the airport this Thanksgiving holiday, a 4.5 percent increase over 2010.

The passenger numbers were released today in advance of the Thanksgiving holiday travel season, which officially began Friday and ends Nov. 27, SFO spokesman Mike McCarron said.

More than 140,000 passengers were expected to pass through SFO last Friday, making it the busiest of the 10-day Thanksgiving travel window, McCarron said.

Passenger estimates are calculated by the Transportation Security Administration, which obtains reservation information from individual airlines, McCarron said.

To get into the Thanksgiving spirit, SFO Twitter followers can enter a contest to win an iPad and other prizes.Contestants who pass through SFO from Nov. 21 to Nov. 23 can search for clues to help a turkey named "Pardon" catch a plane to escape being Thanksgiving dinner.

Contest details are available on the airport's website, www.flysfo.com.

A free iPhone app is available to help travelers get updated flight details, as well as information on parking, stores, restaurants and finding friends at the airport.

The app can be downloaded from iTunes at: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/flysfo/id406375995?mt=8.

SFO officials remind passengers to check with air carriers for any flight changes before leaving for the airport, and to arrive at least 90 minutes before domestic departure times and two hours before international departures to get through security and ticketing lines.

-- Bay City News