Record Number of People Traveling for Thanksgiving Holiday
CHARLOTTE, NC -A record number of people in the Carolinas are traveling for Thanksgiving this year. There is no way around it, there is traffic for many trying to get to their destination.
“We tried to get here early, but all the traffic coming from South Carolina, it’s just been crazy,” said Woodrow Blair.
He says this is the first time he and his family have traveled to the airport the day before Thanksgiving.
“We’re educated now,” said Blair with a smile, “we’ll know what to do and might come in the day before.”
He says they felt like they left with enough time to get to Charlotte Douglas, but then… parking. Just finding a place to park is a challenge for travelers. By 2 o’clock on Wednesday, all the lots were full. The airport had to open an overflow parking lot.
“Circling round and round, trying to find a place to park,” said Blair.
Once inside, things calmed down.
“The traffic has been bad, but not horrible, so we’re here,” said Tracie Davis. She’s traveling with her husband and three children. “So now we just need to get through security,” Davis continued.
Back out on the roads, millions of people trying to get somewhere for turkey day: 2.3 million people are expected to travel in South Carolina alone.
“Almost the equivalent of half the state could be traveling somewhere more than 50 miles this weekend,” said South Carolina Trooper Gary Miller.
He says they have extra officers looking for speeders and drunk drivers.
“We’re trying to have an officer minimum every ten miles on all the interstates throughout the state of South Carolina,” said Miller.
But despite being one of the busiest travel days of the year, there was still time for a miracle when a woman on a flight from Tampa went into labor. MEDIC tells us she gave birth on a jetway after the plane touched down this afternoon.
A passenger snapped a picture, which shows a healthy mom and baby girl.
