Holiday weekend travel rush begins Wednesday
Holiday travel has been picking up this week, and Wednesday is expected to be the busiest day for those flying and driving to their Thanksgiving destinations.
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) officials say they’re ready for the influx, adding they’re expecting tens of thousands of passengers to go through security over the next couple of days.
Lines at the airport were long Wednesday morning, but if you think you missed the rush by not taking a morning flight, not so fast — airport crews say the late afternoon will likely be just as busy. At 6 a.m. Wednesday, there was about a 10-minute wait to get through the checkpoint at the north end of Terminal 1, but on the south side, it was about a 25-minute wait.
“I had no idea… I’ve never seen the airport this crowded,” said Charles Shaw, who is traveling to Hawaii and was surprised at the amount of activity at the airport early Wednesday morning.
Some peak times are getting close to pre-pandemic levels, but TSA officials say Sunday may be the busiest day they’ve ever seen nationally as people head back home after the holiday weekend, adding it’s an all-hands-on-deck affair for staff across the board.
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“We’re telling folks, give yourself plenty of time. Traffic is bad, you’re gonna have to check in, get through security. Make life easier by giving yourself enough time,” said Marty Robinson, the TSA’s federal security director.
“This is certainly the busiest Thanksgiving we’ll see in four years,” said Jeff Lea, the spokesperson for MSP.
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