Travelers say return home easier than expected on what is anticipated to be busiest travel day

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Waves of passengers have moved through Chicago's O'Hare Airport Sunday, on what is expected to be the busiest travel day for the airport this holiday season.

As the rush to get home after Thanksgiving wraps up, folks are just grateful to be home.

Packed suitcases moved along a baggage claim at O'Hare as tired passengers recount their Thanksgiving memories after another busy day of holiday travel.

"It was great to see my family again. I haven't seen them since September, so it was nice," said Northwestern University Student Julia Polster.

Polster flew back to Chicago from Florida and said she was pleasantly surprised by how seamless her trip turned out.

"My dad and I were talking about how it would be a pretty busy day of travel, but it didn't seem like it was," she said.

When the Thanksgiving travel week wraps up Monday, Chicago aviation leaders believe nearly two million passengers will have spent time at either O'Hare or Midway.

Airlines projected Sunday to be the busiest day at O'Hare, with the airport expected to see a 3% boost in traffic compared to 2021.

The Weishaar family, who traveled with their 7-month-old son Patrick, returned from their Thanksgiving trip in Georgia.

"It was actually very smooth. The airports were surprisingly not too crowded and Patrick did really great," Casey Weishaar said.

"Same thing on the way back - no delays, no issues. It was perfect," Jeff Weishaar added.

Millions of Illinoisans hopped in the car and braved high gas prices.

"It is what it is, nothing we can do about it," said Donnie Avramov.

Others stayed local to save some money with the price of gas in Illinois still 30 cents higher than the national average of $3.55.

"Gas prices and flights are quite expensive right now, so we are staying in town for the holidays," said PJ Alper.

Whether travelers flew or drove to spend Thanksgiving with loved ones, some said they are just thankful to be home.

"We are going to relax, get some pizza and prepare for the week," Casey Weishaar said.

More than 3,500 US flights delayed Sunday as major storm system hampers travel

Heavy showers and high winds are expected to impact millions of travelers from the Midwest to the Northeast and down to the Southeast Sunday.

A severe weather system across several parts of the United States has prompted the three major airports servicing New York City to urge passengers to arrive early for flights on what is expected to be one of the busiest travel days of the year, CNN reported.

As of Sunday afternoon, 3,507 flights into, out of, or within the United States have been delayed, according to FlightAware, and 86 US flights have been canceled, the website noted.

A rather large storm system will shift from the Mississippi River Valley Sunday morning into the Northeast bringing with it widespread rain and gusty winds. The heavy showers and high winds are expected to impact millions of travelers from the Midwest to the Northeast and down to the Southeast Sunday.

New York's LaGuardia Airport has urged passengers to pre-book parking spaces, which operators said are filling up. "We can't stress this enough - plan ahead and arrive early if you're traveling during the #Thanksgiving holiday travel period," the airport tweeted.

Newark Liberty International Airport echoed LGA in suggesting passengers should plan ahead and aim to arrive at the airport early. It warned roadways into the airport were already congested Sunday morning. "The holiday season means high passenger volumes. If you're planning to travel through Terminal A or B, take advantage of the FREE EWR VirtuaLine service and secure your spot in the security checkpoint line in advance," the airport said on Twitter. "Due to the increased number of travelers during the holiday, allow extra time for travel, check-in and security."

John F. Kennedy Airport also said passengers traveling Sunday should plan ahead and arrive early. JFK tweeted from its verified account, "Budget extra travel time to arrive at #JFK Airport, park in your reserved spot, check in, and get through security."

CNN contributed to this report.