South Florida Airports Seeing Busy Holiday Travel
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- It's that time of year again. In the air and on the road, millions of Americans are heading out for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Airports from coast to coast will be busy and the highways won't be much fun either, so pack your patience if you plan to travel over the holiday.
AAA said this year's Thanksgiving holiday period, from Wednesday to Sunday, will be the busiest in the last nine years. They predict more than 48 million people will travel over the holiday.
"It's been very easy," said traveler Ellen Cohen. "No lines at all."
Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Miami International Airport, combined, expect about a million and a half people to move through during the Thanksgiving holiday travel period.
Richelle Selekia, with her daughter in tow, was flying for the first time on the Thanksgiving holiday. It was a special surprise for her boyfriend in Missouri. She said even before she got to the airport she knew there would be long lines.
"Two and a half hours they said to be here, so we're here," she said. "We usually stay home but since he's coming home from Afghanistan we're going to meet him."
Kelly Krauss-Samansky and her family travel every Thanksgiving. They say they learned their lesson the hard way last year and this year arrived three hours before their flight.
"Just to make sure there were no problems," said Krauss-Samansky. "We made sure to get here really early. Last year we flew out of Ft. Lauderdale and we missed our flight."
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport saw smaller crowds at the beginning of the week but are expecting a sharp increase on Wednesday. Like MIA, they expect to see more travelers pass through the airport this year compared to last.
Another problem travelers may encounter before Thanksgiving are storms, particularly in the Pacific Northwest and in the Upper Midwest.
Check Out Our Tips For The Holidays
If you plan to catch a flight over the holiday, be prepared.
Arrive early - get to the airport roughly two hours before your flight. If you plan to park at the airport, give yourself even more time.
Make sure your phone is charged and the airline has your number just in case there are a change in plans.
If you're hitting the road, expect to encounter a lot of traffic. If you get stuck in a traffic jam, you can dial 5-1-1 and find out in real time what's happening.
