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Scrounge up the neck pillow, grab your toothbrush and get an early start if you’re flying today out of Southwest Florida International Airport, where officials say they’re prepped and ready for the busiest days of the year.

Barbara-Anne Urrutia, an airport spokeswoman who poked around the terminal Tuesday and reported that lines were minimal, said travelers should still leave home up to three hours before take-off. Better to spend a few extra minutes milling about the magazine store, she said, than panic in a traffic jam.

“We’d rather have you get here, check in, go through security, relax,” Urrutia said. Particularly for passengers departing in the early evening or around lunch time — the “noon balloon,” as airport folks call it — she said the normal two-hour cushion at the airport should be considered a minimum.

Passengers are also urged to check in with the airlines before setting out to make sure their flights are moving, and on time.

Urrutia said weather problems in the Midwest on Tuesday morning didn’t ripple down in the form of big delays to Lee County. But between now and the end of the year, she said, travelers should make a habit of checking first.

Also before heading out the door, Florida Department of Transportation spokeswoman Debbie Tower said you can avoid traffic problems in the area by dialing 511 for updates.

MIDFIELD TERMINAL INTERACTIVE

MAP: View an interactive map detailing businesses and features of the terminal. (Flash required)

Tower said she doesn’t anticipate construction will cause traffic problems on Interstate 75 this week, though. Work on Interstate 75’s iROX road widening project will come to a halt Thanksgiving Day and won’t begin again until after the holiday weekend.

Once you pull into the airport, parking comes with a few choices — long term, for $10 a day; short term, for $18 a day; or the cell phone lot.

You can also pull up to the curb to drop off a traveler or pick one up. But on these days of holiday bustle, expect to be waved along if you dilly-dally for any length of time, Urrutia said.

A handy extension of the technology era, the cell phone lot is just a quick jog from the airport doors. Urrutia suggested having your traveler call you not only from the window seat upon landing, but also from the baggage claim once all luggage is in hand. That way, there’s no hold-up at the curb.

As for those driving to the airport to catch a flight, Urrutia said the added expense of parking in the short-term lot really mounts up after a couple of days. It offers easier access to the terminal, sure, she said, but a shuttle will scoop you up in the long-term lot right at your car — and deliver you back to the same spot.

Just don’t misplace the little slip of paper they supply that tells you where you parked.

Urrutia said both lots are constantly patrolled and monitored by security and parking attendants, particularly during this season. And when you get back, you’ll find the airport’s newest gift to busy travelers pulling out of either lot: they now have credit card-only lanes.

So you’ve found a spot for the car — double-checking that it’s locked, with headlights off — and you’re on your way.

Urrutia said the airport is so spacious that even when it’s packed, the security and check-in lines don’t seem that long. Nonetheless, it is a busy time, she said, so again with the planning of extra time.

MICHEL FORTIER / Daily News

Lines were short Tuesday afternoon at Southwest Florida International Airport, the day before what is traditionally the busiest travel day of the year. Most of the arriving flights reported minimal or no delays in their travel.

Careful as you hoof it to the gate not to lose track of your jackets, cameras and children. If left behind, they can all be auctioned off. (Just kidding.)

Farther south, AnneElena Foster, spokeswoman for the Naples Municipal Airport, said this is one of the facility’s busiest times. But this year, since it’s without a major commercial carrier, the majority of air traffic will be through chartered flights.

“Our busy activity will be on (charters),” Foster said. “One of the reason people fly charters is it’s so much more effective.”

Foster said the beauty of a charter flight is passengers can bypass the intense security scrutiny they need to go through to catch a commercial flight.

Tuesday began the holiday swell, Foster said, with traffic continuing through the weekend. The airport sees another rush in traffic later in the year, when seasonal residents fly down for an extended stay.

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TRAVEL TIPS:

MICHEL FORTIER / Daily News

Fort Myers Beach resident Priscilla Wonkka, left, greets her daughter Karina Ryan, right, who flew in with her family from Boston to spend Thanksgiving together Tuesday on what turned out to be a light day for travel at Southwest Florida International Airport.

-- Arrive at least two hours prior to your flight departure time. Leave extra time for arriving, parking, check-in and clearing through airport security. Then you can sit and enjoy the airport food and shopping concessions while you wait or take advantage of Southwest Florida International Airport’s free Wi-Fi service.

-- Check with your airline for baggage and travel requirements in addition to flight schedules.

-- Visit the Transportation Security Administration’s Web site at www.tsa.gov for tips on packing and what you can and can’t bring through the security checkpoint.

-- Pack smart. Make sure all straps and hanging pieces are inside your bag or firmly secured to the bag with tape. Also, have identification on the outside and inside of your baggage.

For more travel tips and airport information, please visit Southwest Florida International Airport’s Web site at www.flylcpa.com.

Source: Lee County Port Authority

PASSENGER RIGHTS

Traveling this weekend may leave airline passengers wondering what their right are if they’ve been bumped from a flight or if they’ve been stuck on a plane for hours with no end in sight.

-- If you’ve been involuntarily bumped from a plane, there’s a few things you need to make sure of before you demand compensation. Paul Hudson, executive director of the Aviation Consumer Action Project, said bumped passengers need to make sure they have a confirmed reservation — not flying on standby — and arrived at the airport in a timely manner. Each airline sets what it considers a timely arrival, but Hudson said travelers are generally considered on time if they’ve checked in at least an hour before their flight.

-- If you’ve been bumped, but you’re lucky enough to get on another flight within an hour of being bumped, you’re out of luck when it comes to compensation, Hudson said. Airlines do not compensate travelers if they’ve been delayed less than an hour.

-- If you’ve been delayed for more than hour, airlines are required to compensate you the price of the one-way fare, no more than $200, for your trip. The $200 cap has been in place for about 25 years, Hudson said, but the Department of Transportation has proposed doubling the cap come next year.

MICHEL FORTIER / Daily News

Daughters Toni Nicholson, left and Tonia Howard, right, greet their parents Beverly and Ken Gallant Tuesday at Southwest Florida International Airport on what was a light day for travel.

-- If you’ve been delayed for more than two hours, airlines are required to compensate travelers for two-times the price of a one-way fare, up to $400.

-- Traveling internationally? Add two hours to delay schedule to figure out whether you can get any compensation.

-- Voluntarily give up your seat? Even you have rights, Hudson said. While airlines offer vouchers for those who voluntarily give up their seat, Hudson said its the passenger’s right to negotiate how much their seat is worth.

-- Flight overbooked, or you’ve been bumped and just want to cancel your flight? Hudson said airlines are required by law to give travelers a full refund, on the spot, if they cancel their travel plans.

-- All refunds, whether they be full or partial refunds, should be given on the spot, Hudson said.

-- Once you’re on the plane, your rights are limited. Hudson said travelers have no enforceable rights if they have been held on the tarmac. Hudson did say travelers have the ability to make the case that, if they have been delayed an excessive amount of time and have been held against their will, that they were wrongfully imprisoned.