With the approach of Fall Break and Thanksgiving, University students are facing the dilemma of choosing alternate modes of transportation because of the recent concerns with the safety of air travel.
The Student Travel Agency in Newcomb Hall has received many calls from students apprehensive about flying home for the upcoming holidays.
Students have expressed more concern, however, over inflating costs of airfare than safety, travel adviser Caroline Buckman said.
At this point, the cost of flying has not changed significantly. But that could change if airlines are forced to cut more jobs and cancel flights. Some students wary of traveling by plane have inquired about Amtrak and Greyhound bus lines as alternate travel modes, she said.
"I'd feel uneasy about going on a plane," second-year College student Amanda Davis said. "I lived close to New York for a while so it sort of hits close to home."
Garland Harper, who has worked as a ticket agent with Amtrak for 26 years, said phones were ringing constantly last week, but the train station has not been as busy as he expected it to be during the past few days.
Harper said he expects to see an increase in travel in the coming weeks, though space presently is available on all of the trains.
September traditionally is a slow month, but students frequently use Amtrak on the weekends and seats on trains always sell out for Thanksgiving, Harper said.
Second-year College student Keith Bergstresser said he would fly if traveling a long distance, but would opt for a train on shorter trips. Charlottesville's Greyhound also experienced a surge in travel last week, and business has been up slightly this week, terminal manager Randy Kirby said.
Though Charlottesville's terminal has not seen a significant increase, the Richmond and Washington terminals have seen major increases in travel activity.
As the holidays approach, Kirby said the Charlottesville Greyhound station will plan to accommodate 5 percent more travelers than last year.
The Charlottesville-Albermarle Airport is maintaining its regular schedule of flights for U.S. Airways Express, United Express, Delta and North West Airlink until further notice from the airlines.
Airport officials did not have to drop any of the flights from yesterday's schedule, said Barbara Hutchinson, director of finance and administration at the Charlottesville-Albermarle Airport. However, the airport has seen a noticeable change in the number of people traveling.
Though increases in security measures and ticketing procedures adds at least an hour to a travelers' flight schedule, some travelers find this an incentive to continue flying.
"I think it's probably the safest time to travel because security has tightened up," second-year College student Julia Williams said.
The Student Travel Agency urges students who plan to fly to purchase paper tickets instead of electronic tickets, arrive earlier to their flights and call ahead to the airport before departure.
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