Airport Prepares for Record Holiday Travel

CHARLOTTE, NC — The holiday travel rush starts on Friday. A record number of people in the Carolinas will be traveling for Thanksgiving this year. AAA estimates more than 2.2 million people will go at least 50 miles or more.

Charlotte-Douglas is expecting holiday travel to be busier than ever this year, with roughly 30,000 more passengers than usual on peak days. Those days are next Tuesday and Wednesday. Airlines say flights are at near-capacity.

Long term parking lots typically fill up by the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. If you’re dropping someone off or picking them up, use the cell phone lot to prevent traffic.

The TSA is also telling passengers to make sure there’s nothing inside their luggage that can’t be brought on a plane.

“A lot of children, a lot of families are going to be traveling,” says TSA Federal Security Director Kevin Frederick. “If your child is going to pack their own bag, make sure he or she is supervised because we see a lot of toy guns, and any time we see a toy gun on an x-ray machine, we’re going to treat it as if it’s real.”

68 people have been caught with handguns in their luggage so far this year. That’s the same as in all of last year.

AAA says drivers can expect the highest Thanksgiving gas prices in about four years. Regular is averaging $2.50 a gallon in Charlotte. The statewide average is $2.57. Drivers in South Carolina are paying about $2.38 a gallon.

The most popular days to travel are the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after. The busiest time on the roads is usually early evening.