BWI travelers say airport "not as busy as I thought" days before Christmas
BALTIMORE -- BWI Airport had only a few delays and TSA lines were moving on Sunday as travelers departed for their holiday destinations.
"I expected it to be a little busier. It's not as busy as I thought," said Atheana Pierre, who was traveling to Boston.
Some traveling to BWI on Sunday said they didn't expect delays in the terminal, but the left early because they anticipated traffic on the highways.
"We left very early because we were afraid maybe we would get stuck in traffic, but it was very good," said traveler Leslie Frazer. "We're very pleased so far."
Ben Hoyle and his family are flying to North Carolina to spend time with family. They plan to beat some holiday traffic and fly back on Christmas Day after a family party.
"My family will have a party Christmas Eve and then kind of quiet family time Christmas Day," Ben Hoyle said. "Later on Christmas we'll fly back up here."
Busiest travel days of the season
More than two million Marylanders are expected to travel this holiday season with the majority taking to the roads, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic.
The weather cooperated in Maryland on Sunday, making it easy on the roads and skies with few delays.
Nationwide, 40 million passengers were expected to be screened by TSA from Dec. 19 through Jan 2, capping off an already busy travel year. So far, 850 million people have been screened this year, and all of the top 10 busiest travel days in the agency's history happened in 2024.
"Hopefully security is not too bad, get through there quick and then try to relax after that," Hoyle said.
AAA says it expects every mode of travel to be busy this December, but unlike other holidays, travel will be spread out. December 22 was expected to be the busiest day of the two week stretch.
"If you're traveling, the earlier you get out, the better.," said Ragina Ali, of AAA Mid-Atlantic. "We know that, but we're expecting Sunday to definitely be the busiest day on the roads."
Amtrak delays
On Sunday, Amtrak service was significantly delayed on the Northeast corridor after wires were down on the tracks between New York and Philadelphia. Trains from Boston to Washington, D.C. were either delayed or canceled.
As of Sunday night, one of the tracks is fully open and crews are working to get the other three operating again as quickly as possible.