Travelers pack Chicago airports, hit roads with Thanksgiving travel rush underway
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Travelers across the Chicago area are hitting the roads and packing the airports Tuesday, ahead of Thanksgiving.
Travelers should be prepared for what transportation officials said could be the busiest Thanksgiving travel period on record as the holiday travel plans of many take flight.
West Coast native Arshi Baig is traveling with her dog, Porter, to see family in Flint, Michigan.
"I haven't seen my parents in like five months; so, I've been telling everyone at work, with that, I'm going home for Thanksgiving," Baig said.
The Garcia brothers and their family are in town from San Diego.
"The anticipation just makes it so special. And then, when you finally get there, you feel relieved, and you get to see family. And it's nice," Nicoles Garcia said.
The Chicago-area family was among the millions taking to the skies, rails and roads for the holiday.
"We're excited to welcome more than 1.8 million passengers starting today, running through Monday, Dec. 2," said Georgiaree Godfrey, with the Chicago Department of Aviation.
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The Transportation Safety Administration said it's projected to screen 18.3 million people starting Tuesday through Monday; that's a volume increase of approximately 6% from this time last year.
"This is like the Super Bowl, Saturday and Sunday," said Laura Mandile, with United Airlines.
At O'Hare Tuesday, the lines have been quick.
Some travelers said their bags were checked, and they were through security in 30 minutes or less.
"Because of last year, we had to be prepared," Lashonda Modest said. "It was really bad. The lines were long. You had to get here, not just two hours, but many hours way beforehand."
This year, Modest said the short American Airlines lines gave her time to kill after celebrating Thanksgiving early with her family, but it may not last like this.
"We've been planning for months for this. So, we started planning the Thanksgiving holiday season back in the summertime," said Ben Humphrey, American Airlines VP of club operations. "You walk in with a game plan every single day, and right away the game plan gets thrown in the garbage. You have to improvise a lot."
Humphrey said that's why training for the Hub Control Center, otherwise known as the nerve center, is so important.
They oversee all local operations, staying in constant communication with gate agents, crews and ramp team members.
This Thanksgiving week American's nerve center will operate almost 370 peak daily departures from O'Hare and more than 6,500 systemwide.
"All communication flows into it and flows out of it," Humphrey said.
Fabian Muro, the Montez De Durango band vocalist, said they're taking their talents overseas to play in Guatemala.
"We've been here since, like, nine in the morning," Muro said. "You gotta be ready, you know, to stay away from your family during holidays. Today is my wife's birthday, you know, and I gotta head out."
A holiday gig means extra preparation, especially with heavy loads of equipment.
"There's paperwork that you need to fill up before you travel international," Muro said.
But, he made sure to flood his wife with gifts before he left.
Airline officials said the biggest tip is to get to the airport early.
Plenty of people are taking to the roads, too.
"If you look, the economy is good; inflation is down. And people's wallets are looking good." AAA spokesperson Molly Hart said.
AAA issued a warning about expressways jammed with holiday travelers. There could be record-setting travel numbers, with more than 4 million Illinoisans traveling 50 miles or more from home for the holiday.
And while some are traveling for the traditional Thanksgiving dinner with family, Aimee Ibbotson and her mother, Cindy, are headed to New York to spend the holiday as performers in this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
"I have one chance to do this, and I have one person to take. And, I thought, why not take my mom?" Ibbotson said. "We've never done a girls trip. Let's go to New York; let's do this."
Tuesday and Wednesday are expected to be the busiest days on the roads.
AAA projects over 71 million people will travel by car over Thanksgiving, surpassing pre-pandemic numbers.
According to Inrix, a transportation data provider, the worst times to travel by car are Tuesday and Wednesday between 1 and 7 p.m.
The best time to hit the road is actually on Thanksgiving day itself, when interstates and highways are typically clear and less crowded.
AAA says drivers can expect to see lower gas prices this year at the pump, compared to last Thanksgiving.
The national average could drop below $3 per-gallon for the first time since 2021.
It looks like people are also opting to travel different modes of transportation this year.
As for returning home on Sunday, drivers are recommended to leave early in the morning.
If you do decide to leave on Monday, expect a mix of travelers and work commuters back on the road.
