Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport has already seen hundreds of thousands of holiday travelers flowing through security checkpoints and concourses, with more to come Wednesday as Thanksgiving approaches.
Officials anticipate record levels of traffic on the roads and in the skies over the Thanksgiving travel period. Wednesday is the start of Thanksgiving trips for many travelers, with 91,500 people expected to pass through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints at the Atlanta airport throughout the day.
The Atlanta airport had wait times as long as 40 minutes at security checkpoints at one point Tuesday morning, according to the airport’s website, However, wait times at some checkpoints were less than 15 minutes at slower periods of the day.
Wednesday could bring crowds to the airport, and traffic is also expected to be heavy on Saturday and Sunday as travelers return home from Thanksgiving trips.
Airport officials have warned that parking lots could fill up as more travelers take off. Those who plan to park at the airport should consider making a parking reservation if possible. MARTA is another option to get to the airport.
Hartsfield-Jackson is advising travelers to get to the airport at least 2½ hours before their domestic flight and at least 3 hours before their international flight.
Overall, the Atlanta airport expects to handle more than 4.2 million travelers during the Thanksgiving holiday period from Friday Nov. 22 through Tuesday, Dec. 3.
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