Holiday travel rush on as passengers wait in long lines at Newark Liberty International Airport
NEWARK, N.J. -- The holiday travel rush is on and Americans are getting away in record numbers, according to AAA.
On Thursday, the first of the busy travel days, long lines formed long before dawn at Newark Liberty International Airport.
"I've actually been flying a lot these past couple of weeks. This is definitely the most traffic I've seen," said Wayne Cox.
"No it's insane. Like, if I wasn't early, I'd miss my flight," said traveler Aminah Rhaburn. "It's just a nightmare. I recommend getting here early, like two, maybe two and a half hours early. Maybe more, this is crazy."
Some who thought they arrived early Thursday found out it might not have been early enough. Passenger had to wait in lines to check bags and get through security.
One woman told us her flight to Austin, Texas was canceled and the airline couldn't get her onto another one until Christmas day.
"It's ridiculous. You don't wait until the holidays to do this to people. Then when people get to the counter, they don't even know that there's no flights. There's none, they're all booked. They're refunding people's money. I mean, this is really messed up, this is messed up," said April Diaz. "I've been with Spirit since 2017, I never had any bad experience. I've heard about bad things about them, this is the first time. But they're not trying to accommodate nobody."
The crowd died down significantly as the day went on, however.
"I heard it was crowded earlier. But now it's looking better," said Tasha Wilson. "I've been definitely thinking ahead all week. I've been planning to come here early because I was expecting it to be this way."
"They're pretty busy, you know, holidays and stuff like that. But they're moving kind of quick," said Alberto Meneses.
TSA encourages flyers to arrive at security at least two hours before departure.
"Definitely need extra time, and patience," said Wilson.
TSA predicted Thursday, Friday and New Year's Day will be the busiest travel days this holiday season. The agency expected to screen 2.5 million passengers on each of those days.
Airports could see record numbers. AAA predicted a greater than 2% increase from 2022, or about 115 million people expected to travel at least 50 miles from home.
"This is the first time we'll actually travel in on Christmas season. So I don't know what to expect. This is going to be a new one for me," said Julio Carrion.
Weather has not been a major factor so far, but Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg warned it could be next week.
"So if you are concerned about weather affecting your travel plans, please remember to check directly with your airline for the most up to date information about your flight," said Buttigieg.
Officials said the AirTrain to Newark was running modified service between Terminals C and A, and free shuttle buses were being provided between Terminal C and Rail Link.
The parking lot at LaGuardia Airport was filling up Thursday, officials said. They urged travelers to pre-book parking spaces online or take the free LGA Link Q70 from the subway or Long Island Rail Road.
Travel experts have reported fewer cancelations this year than last. The FAA said it's creating more air traffic routes, especially along the East Coast, to help keep planes moving over the holidays.