Oakland International Airport still relatively relaxed despite forecast holiday travel rush
AAA is projecting about 80 million people to travel over this Thanksgiving week, with nearly six million people flying domestically and travel peaking on Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday.
That's a two percent increase compared to last year and an 11% increase over 2019.
At the Oakland International Airport, Tribune Store Clerk Annabelle Tantingco said she's not seeing those numbers just yet.
"Hopefully tomorrow it's going to be busy," said Tantingco. "I'm expecting it. But now, it's not too busy."
Tantingco has worked in the shop for 30 years. She says over that time, she's seen people's travel habits change.
"Like 10 years, 20 years ago, it was so busy," said Tantingco. "Thanksgiving was more busy than December, Christmas."
Now, the holiday feels less significant for her, and more like a regular day at the office.
"It's like all the same, especially my store," said Tantingco.
John Foston heard the AAA report forecasting increased travel, which led him to fly on Tuesday instead of Wednesday. He got to the airport three hours early for a flight to Las Vegas.
"I thought it was going to be crowded. Listened to the news, I thought we were going to be super busy. But we're not here," said Foston. "It's a breeze. I just walked right up to the kiosk and I'm good to go."
Foston wasn't mad about his early arrival and said it was better than the alternative.
"I'm on this side of 50, so I've been young, not knowing and been running through the airport to try and catch my flight," said Foston about his past experiences. "That's for the birds. I know now to get here early. If I'm an hour, two hours early, got time to kill, it's better than running through here trying to catch a flight or -- worse still -- miss a flight."
The Oakland Airport is expecting 340,000 passengers over the Thanksgiving holiday period, which started last Friday and ends Sunday. That's a slight decrease from last year.
Despite many travelers enjoying the smooth and efficient travel experience, Tantingco is hoping for things to get a little busier.
"I want rush," she said. "Because I've been working here for a long time. I'm used to it now. I want busy."
It is still recommended that people arrive early during the holidays and be patient, because lines may get long.