The Transportation Security Administration is warning travelers to prepare well and be patient for the Thanksgiving holiday period.
It projects at least 25 million people will travel by air from Friday, November 16 through Monday, November 26, extending the usual holiday travel period, as more people seek to escape the airport crush.
"People are trying to get a jump-start, head start on the crowds, but actually it’s just as busy the Friday before Thanksgiving and the Monday before Thanksgiving," TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein told CBS.
"It starts to ramp up on Tuesday (November 20). Wednesday is huge, of course, the day before Thanksgiving, and Sunday, right after Thanksgiving, is probably one of the busiest days."
The TSA advises fliers to arrive early and ‘prepare, prepare, prepare.’
That means IDs at hand, laptops and other devices out of carry-on bags and liquids like shampoos in checked bags.
The agency says passenger traffic will be up about 7% compared to 2017 and New York area airports alone are expecting more than 200,000 travelers daily during the holiday period
