Fasten Your Seatbelt, Holiday Traffic Begins

And so it begins.  Get ready for long lines at security checkpoints at airports and bumper to bumper traffic during peak travel times on the nations highways and interstates.  For some, the Thanksgiving holiday begins this weekend and continues through next week.

Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta is expecting more than 2.5 million passengers during the holiday period, which begins there today and runs through Tuesday, November 29.  Overall, more than 4.5 million people are expected to fly to their destinations nationwide.  That's an increase of over 330,00 people over 2019 levels.  Due to the heavy volume of air traffic, the Transportation Security Administration says passengers should plan on at least 30 to 40 minutes to get through security during peak times.  Passengers are being advised to arrive at least two-and-a-half hours before their scheduled departure time for any domestic travel.

Officials at Hartsfield-Jackson International just opened an overflow checkpoint this morning, due to some wait times exceeding 40 minutes.  The new checkpoint is on the lower level of Terminal North and will be used throughout the peak travel times to keep lines moving.

In general, AAA Auto Club estimates that more than 54 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home over the Thanksgiving week, a slight increase over last year.  The group also says this is expected to be the third busiest for Thanksgiving travel since they started recording numbers in 2000.

If your schedule is flexible, Monday, November 21, and Friday, November 25, are the days motorists will likely find less traffic on the roads.