Thanksgiving travel underway at Philadelphia International Airport, but busiest period still to come
The holiday travel blitz in the Philadelphia region is underway, with travelers already taking to the skies for Thanksgiving. This year, the Transportation Security Administration expects to screen more than 18 million people.
"I thought it would be crazy," Jack Yergey said. "We got here in less than an hour from Pottstown, and then up here, this is not what we expected."
The dad from Pottstown is heading to Florida to see his son.
Monday at Philadelphia International Airport is projected to be one of the slowest days of the holiday travel week, but that'll change in just a few hours.
"It's nice right now," Michelle Teed from Lewes said. "We're just going to breeze through this. No waits."
Teed is traveling to see family in Minnesota.
Security lines were relatively short throughout Monday afternoon, moving smoothly and quickly. Although this is not the typical sight at the airport during the week of Thanksgiving, things are about to get busier.
"This year, our holiday actually started last Friday, and it'll run through Dec. 3, Tuesday after Thanksgiving," Heather Redfern with Philadelphia International Airport said. "And our projections are 1.04 million, and that's 12% higher than last year."
The weekend after Thanksgiving is projected to be the busiest time for PHL during the holiday travel period.
Redfern said nearly 100,000 people are expected on Sunday, Dec.1.
This holiday season, the airport offers "PHL Reserve," which allows travelers to reserve a parking spot in advance through the new valet service or the airport's economy lot.
"Give yourself two hours to get here to get through security to get to your gate," Redfern said, "but also give yourself extra time if you're driving to the airport. The roads are going to be very heavily traveled."