AAA: Travelers should expect increase in air travel, crowded airports

PHILADELPHIA (WTXF) - AAA says to expect an increase in air travel and crowded airports during the Thanksgiving travel rush.

Travelers flying out of Philadelphia International Airport Tuesday evening got a pleasant surprise. Ticket counters were pretty bare, with minimal lines for check-in.

"No problem. Just got right in. Walked right up," said George Yarnell and Sue Lapin. They're headed to Chicago for Thanksgiving and say leaving two days in advance they still expected something different.

"Much heavier traffic in the airport area and in here. So I was surprised that it was not as heavy as it was," said Yarnell. We noticed all flights showing on time on the boards and heading through TSA a steady moving line.

AAA's Thanksgiving travel forecast for this year predicts the largest growth in holiday traffic is by air at 5.4 percent with 4.27 million people flying. They predict heavy crowds today and tomorrow and the lightest on Thanksgiving day. The Shafe family says it was smooth travel for them from Wyoming to Philadelphia. I talked to them just as they arrived tonight.

"He actually had an empty seat next to him," said Teresa. Dwaine said, "Actually it was pretty good. We planned it out to avoid the Thanksgiving day travel because we're not going to fly out till next Tuesday."

They made sure to get here two days early because their 16-year old son has a big event Thanksgiving day here in Philadelphia.

"It's the oldest parade in the United States is what I'm hearing and our son is marching in the Wyoming All State Marching Band," said Teresa. So neither travel woes nor our 30 degree Thanksgiving day high could ruin their holiday. I mean they are from Wyoming.

"When we left it was 6 degrees so this is going to be tee-shirt weather," said Dwaine. Most people know weather and travel predictions are just that. Predictions. Lapin's advice? "Take it as it comes," she said.

If you're driving AAA says expect a lot of congestion this entire week especially in the early evening commute hours.