PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Wednesday was one of the busiest travel days of the year as people hit the roads, rails and skies to get to their Thanksgiving Day destinations. Through the holiday travel period, Philadelphia International Airport projected 12% higher traveler volume than in 2023 and just 2% lower than pre-pandemic 2019.
People traveling by train to, from or through Philadelphia had plenty of company at 30th Street Station. Travelers who spoke with KYW said they enjoy the experience on the train and it’s a bonus to not have to deal with traffic.
For those who did take to the roads, AAA said gas prices — around $3.16 per gallon in the Philadelphia area — are down 38 cents from last year at this time.
Take a bus, take a train, go and hop an aeroplane
The number of rail travelers using Amtrak is expected to outpace last year which saw more than 1 million passengers nationwide. That influx at 30th Street Station is something Amtrak deals with every year.
“Wednesday is our busiest travel day prior to Thanksgiving,” said spokeswoman Beth Toll. “And then, following Thanksgiving, the busiest day is everyone coming back home on Sunday.”
Toll said there was a dip in ridership during the pandemic, but the railroad company has rebounded and is now seeing passenger numbers close to prepandemic levels. And things have been running smoothly so far, she said.
“We have added capacity to many of our trains on the Northeast Corridor, just to make sure that we have enough space for the extra surge of travelers that we have every year.”
One of those travelers was Carol, who took the 90-minute ride from New York to Philadelphia.
“It was very nice. I went business class,” she said.
She’s visiting her son, who is hosting a small Thanksgiving get-together this year.
“I like everything about it. It’s just my favorite holiday.”
From Atlantic to Pacific, air traffic is terrific
Lines were long early in the morning to get through the Terminals D/E checkpoint at Philadelphia International Airport. Security checkpoints often take the longest, but the wait time displayed on the screens Wednesday morning was 33 to 38 minutes, though the crowd seemed to move more quickly than that.
Hundreds of people flocked to the airport Wednesday evening, looking to make it to their destinations just in time for Thanksgiving. While there were dozens of people at a time heading into their terminals, wait times later in the evening were rarely more than 5 to 7 minutes.
TSA was fully staffed and prepared, according to Gerardo Spero, the federal security director of TSA in Philadelphia and the state of Delaware.
“We offered our officers every opportunity to come in and work extra hours. We have non-screeners that come out and do augmentation, interact with the passengers, help do the things that free up the officers to do their work,” he said.
And this being a time of year when more people than usual may be traveling with food items, TSA suggests checking its website ahead of time to see what can and can’t be carried on.
“There was somebody in line just now — they had a big, ol’ pumpkin pie that looked really, really good,” Spero said. “We’ve seen fully cooked meals, turkeys, gravy, cranberry sauce — the whole nine. But the same rules apply: no liquids, aerosols, gels. Plan ahead.”
Airport officials have projected 1.04 million travelers will pass through its terminals during the Thanksgiving travel period, between Friday, Nov. 22, and Tuesday, Dec. 3. More than 94,000 of those passengers were expected on Wednesday.
The three busiest days are estimated to be Sunday, Dec. 1, when many people fly home (99,312), Monday, Dec. 2 (95,946), and Saturday, Nov. 30 (95,060).
Airport spokeswoman Heather Redfern says there may be more people arriving than there are flying out.
Parvathi, who was waiting in the busy baggage claim area Wednesday night, said she is happy to be back home from a semester of college.
“Luckily, my flight was only like an hour and a half, so I didn't have to worry about being on the plane for too long. Just happy to go home, like, be back in Philly.”
“First time being away from home on a holiday,” said Amber Lachette, of Jonestown, Pennsylvania. She was a bit apprehensive but also excited to be traveling with her daughter to Disney World for the holiday.
“Christmas party at the Magic Kingdom, Epcot for some cookies — and we have some dining reservations,” Lachette said.
Lationya, of Philadelphia, was traveling to Puerto Rico for the holiday. Her daughter is on the Towson University women’s basketball team, which is playing in a tournament in San Juan this weekend. Fortunately, they’ll have some family time on Thanksgiving.
“She’s gonna come over to the place and we’re gonna cook for her. Probably some turkey, macaroni and cheese, yams and whatever her favorite dish is,” she said.
Passengers like Jadon from Indiana said they were surprised by how smoothly things went.
“I actually got here early. l didn't expect it,” he said, waiting in the baggage claim area.
Hannah, on the other hand, described a less-pleasant travel day — “It's been really long,” she said — but her destination should be well worth the wait.
“I've been traveling since 5:30 in the morning. I'm going to see a friend out in L.A., and then I'm heading over to Hawaii after that.”
Flight tracker FlightAware reported no cancellations at PHL throughout the day, with 55 flights delayed. Flights ran fairly smoothly through the evening.