Holiday Travel Rush: Airports Brace For Record Numbers Ahead Of Thanksgiving

The holiday travel rush is ramping up as airports across the country are preparing for record traffic ahead of Thanksgiving.

Severe weather could also hamper travel both in the air and on the ground.

Airlines are expecting their busiest Thanksgiving ever, with more than 10,000,000 Americans already passing through TSA checkpoints since last week.

"So if you're feeling a little stressed about security, give yourself some extra time," said Cyrus Sarkari, Managing Director of Customer Service for United.

With travel well above pre-pandemic levels and nearly 50,000 scheduled flights expected on Wednesday alone, the FAA is opening extra airspace. It's a rare move that's usually reserved for the military.

"We know that people are trying to get from one place to another and it's our goal and hope to get everyone where they need to go as safe as possible," said Monica Tibbits-Nutt, Secretary at MassDOT.

Ground travel will be busy as well. AAA is expecting this to be its third busiest Thanksgiving travel season since it started keeping track in 2000.

Most Americans say they are planning to drive to their destinations between Wednesday and Sunday.

"Everyone's going back to their hometown for traveling purpose so I think there might be some traffic jams," Arthur Chow from Boston said.

But threats of severe weather could interfere with making it to the dinner table on time.

A major storm system moving through the Mississippi Valley and Gulf Coast, combined with a blast of wintry weather in the northeast, is expected to hit Tuesday.

There could be more potential travel troubles as American Airlines flight attendants have asked for permission to strike. The airline insists there is "no possibility" of a walkout over the holidays, but negotiations have stalled.