Busiest Thanksgiving travel days kick off in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Travel experts warn this Thanksgiving will be packed on the roads, in the air and on the train.

"There is this pent-up demand to travel, and we saw that this summer with travel season rebounding throughout the summer. And for a lot of people, this could be the first Thanksgiving where everything is somewhat back to normal," said Jana Tidwell, AAA Manager of Public and Government Affairs.

Action News spoke to the Smiths, who are coming from Atlanta, Georgia. They took a plane and a train to travel the East Coast.

"It's actually been pretty good, we were really surprised that getting around was really easy," said Diane Smith. "We planned early enough and took early flights... especially since we were flying out of Atlanta."

Airport officials say more than 867,000 guests will pass through Philadelphia International Airport from November 18 to November 29. The busiest days are the two days before Thanksgiving and the weekend after.

On Tuesday, nearly 80,000 passengers were estimated to travel through the airport, but passengers said it didn't feel too busy.

"It was actually nicer than we expected," said Barbara Cheever of the Villages, Florida. "We thought it was going to be mobbed and it was not."

And AAA expects more than 670,000 Philadelphia area residents to hit the road, up 1.8% compared to last year.

"If you're traveling by car, we certainly urge you to consider traveling during non-peak times: early in the morning, later in the evening," said Tidwell. "Not only will that cut down on the amount of time you spend in the car, but it will also cut down on the amount of gas that you use not idling in traffic."