Pack your patience! Thanksgiving travel period begins at Philadelphia International Airport

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The Thanksgiving holiday travel period officially began on Friday at Philadelphia International Airport.

"This is the perfect time for vacation," remarked Soumitra Roy of Chester Springs.

With days off from school and work, the Roy family was off to Florida.

"We didn't travel for the last 18 months. This is the first travel after the pandemic," Roy added.

Philadelphia International Airport is expecting more than 848,000 travelers to pass through between Friday and November 30.

The busier days during the travel period are expected to be the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and both the Saturday & Sunday after.

Some decided to travel Friday to miss the main rush.

"We avoided the actual Thanksgiving weekend, so this is the weekend before. We thought it would be safe, and it looks like it is," said Howard Bensel of Swedesboro.

"I chose to get out of there early. The earlier the better, less traffic, and especially by flight, the best option," said University of Delaware student Connor Jones, who was headed to Florida to see his family.

AAA Mid-Atlantic is projecting more than 630,000 Philadelphia area residents will travel by roads, rails, or the sky over the long Thanksgiving weekend.

That's up 14% from last year but still down 6% from 2019.

Specifically, AAA said air travel is up more than 80% from last year.

As far as transport to the airport, it's important to know the economy lot is closed and that on-site airport garages will be at capacity over the holidays.

Plan to park at an off-site location, use public transportation, a ride share service or get a lift with friends and family.

Airport representatives are urging passengers to arrive at least three hours early.