Chicago airports expecting 3.4 million travelers for Christmas and New Year's
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago's airports are gearing up for what's expected to be a busy holiday travel season. Wednesday is expected to be the busiest day of travel for the holiday season.
The Chicago Department of Aviation is expecting about 3.4 million passengers at both O'Hare and Midway airports from Wednesday through Jan. 2, based on projections from airlines.
With just days until Christmas, some people are heading out of town early to try to avoid possible cancellations or delays at both Chicago airports.
The Southwest Airlines meltdown from last year, when the airline canceled thousands of flights and stranded more than 2 million travelers over the holidays, has some passengers fearing the worst.
The airline agreed to pay a $35 million fine as part of a $140 million agreement to settle the federal investigation into the fiasco, and has promised passengers they won't see a repeat this year.
The Chicago Department of Aviation said both O'Hare and Midway are now seeing travel back up to pre-pandemic levels, and advised travelers to make a plan before heading out on the road or in the air.
"Plan ahead, try to use public transportation if you can. Obviously, the Orange Line connects you right to Midway, the Blue Line will connect you right to O'Hare. Carpool, if possible. We have cell phone lots conveniently located at each airport, so you can kind of wait for your family and friends to arrive before taking that phone call and circling the block around and around. And we have kiss and fly lots, too, so you can drop folks off without having to get in and out of the terminal traffic," spokeswoman Georgiaree Godfrey said.
If you're heading to the airport with the family, Santa Claus will greet kids young and old at O'Hare and Midway over the next three days, as he gets ready head out on his own journey.
