PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — As travelers wrap up the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, Sunday is expected to be one of the busiest days on the road and in the sky. Some 92,000 people are projected to fly into or out of Philadelphia International Airport on Sunday — the most of any one day of the holiday travel period ending on Tuesday.
In total, they’re looking at about 905,000 fliers — an 11% increase over last year. According to AAA, this is the third-busiest Thanksgiving holiday week on record, behind 2005 and 2019, which makes it the busiest since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Airport spokesperson Heather Redfern says, while the volume of fliers looks closer to pre-pandemic levels, travelers will still see some remnants of pandemic-era procedures.
“We still have travelers that are masking — but, you know, it's that time of year where people are getting sick, too. So people are just taking that extra precaution,” she said.
Those procedures will go most smoothly if travelers are on their best behavior, she said. “Be kind, be patient, because there are a lot of people traveling today — people who don't normally travel by air, maybe, once or twice a year."
One person who hasn’t taken to the sky in a while is Mark, a Philadelphia resident who is headed to Denver on business. He says most COVID measures are up to the individual traveler these days:
“If the person feels uncomfortable, then they should take whatever precautions they think are appropriate," he said.
"I haven't flown for a while," Mark said, wearily regarding the security checkpoint ahead. "So, it looks like a long line to me, but hopefully it will move fast."
It was a long line — and, luckily, it did move fast.
“TSA is all hands on deck,” said Redfern, "and they're getting people through the checkpoint, but still just leave yourself that little bit of extra time."
Mark said he had no problems on the road during a clear Sunday morning. Redfern says that good fortune has been a consistent theme this holiday weekend.
"The weather's cooperated. So that's a big help. Whenever you throw in that weather issue, it can delay or cancel flights," she said.
Still, she cautions fliers to hit the road early, because traffic may get heavy — and she advises travelers sign up for airline text or email alerts to keep up with unforeseen developments.