Scott Arnould expected traffic and long lines when he arrived at Chicago O’Hare International Airport more than four hours before his flight home to Gulf Shores, Ala., on Tuesday — as experts warned of the busiest Thanksgiving travel week ever.
But instead of hourslong wait times, Mr. Arnould, 53, found himself sitting comfortably by the airport’s entrance outside of security at 11 a.m., an hour before his flight, biding his time in front of a short queue.
“There’s no line,” he said. “I thought it would be horrible, so I got up early and got over here.”
Whether by rail, road or air, the days around Thanksgiving are among the busiest travel days of the year in the United States, and this year is expected to break records. The Transportation Security Administration said it expected to screen 18.3 million travelers from this past Tuesday through Monday — about 6 percent more than in 2023. AAA, the automobile organization, expects this year’s number of travelers will set records, including nearly 72 million motorists.
This year, winter weather events may also cause delays and hamper plans. The Midwest is expecting a wind chill, while the South and Northeast are expecting a cold, rainy storm system. Snow is also possible for parts of the Northeast.
The T.S.A. “is well prepared for this holiday,” R. Carter Langston, a spokesman for the agency, said on Tuesday. And while Wednesday and Sunday are expected to be the busiest days for air travel, with about 3 million travelers expected on each, Mr. Langston said that agents were still working to meet the wait time goals of 30 minutes for standard security screenings and 10 minutes for T.S.A. PreCheck.
Crowds at O’Hare ebbed and flowed Tuesday afternoon. Melvin Ewulony, 29, of Philadelphia, sat by the window and waited for his moment to join the security checkpoint.
“It’s crazier than I expected,” he said. But he added that the line “moves pretty fast.” Wait times rarely went over 15 minutes.
The record-breaking projections can be attributed in part because more people are expected to travel on the Tuesday before and the Monday after Thanksgiving.
“Remote work has changed things so that a lot of people can work remotely from their destination,” said Aixa Diaz, a spokeswoman for AAA, which also analyzes air travel. She noted that domestic travel was expected to exceed prepandemic levels.
Weather challenges across the United States also threaten travel plans.
Lake-effect snow is expected along the eastern Great Lakes. Travel disruptions are likely, especially on I-90 between Cleveland and Buffalo and on I-81 north of Syracuse, N.Y., forecasters warned.
But at O’Hare, where freezing air blasted into the terminal, as people constantly walked in and out of the automatic glass doors, there was a sense of calm. Lines were never overwhelming, and most travelers — even those with young children and little dogs — seemed relaxed.
Returning travelers said their experience going through security, boarding and flying was a smooth operation. Beth Katona, 55, of Portland, Ore., flew into Chicago on Tuesday afternoon and said that security was fast and that there was even an empty seat next to her on the plane.
“It’s actually been pretty flawless,” Ms. Katona said.
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