Thanksgiving Travel Rush Begins Tuesday at Airport & on Highways

CHARLOTTE, N.C.- Prepare for packed airports and busy highways. A record number of people are expected to travel this Thanksgiving.

Most will drive, but if you’re flying, be prepared for delays from Wintry Weather in other parts of the country.

Luz Losavio showed up early. She took her son out of school so they could fly out on Monday and try to beat the holiday rush.

“A couple of years ago, we traveled for Thanksgiving and we couldn’t even put our feet, it was so many people, so crowded,” Losavio says.

She and her family are headed to Phoenix to see family and arrived at the airport pleasantly surprised.

“It’s almost nobody. Because, probably because it’s Monday,” she says.

Tuesday and Wednesday will be the busiest days of the week at Charlotte Douglas Airport.

TSA stresses arriving early is even more important during the holidays: two hours before domestic flights and three hours for international.

Each day Tuesday and Wednesday more than 100,000 passengers will connect at Charlotte. Another 30,000 will begin or end their trip there.

“Pack light. Don’t bring a bunch of stuff. Get through security quicker,” suggests Salt Lake City, UT resident Christopher Burton.

Weather is expected to be clear for the most part in Charlotte. But the Midwest could see snow before Thanksgiving and rain and snow in the Northeast.

Lolie Forti’s son and his family came in from Boston on Monday.

“The weather is supposed to be terrible midweek, so this is perfect,” Forti says.

If you’re driving, prepare for plenty of company on the road. AAA says more than two million people across the Carolinas are expected to travel 50 miles or more.

Wednesday will be the worst day for driving.