Thanksgiving air travel was close to the record highs of 2019. More travelers passed through the Transportation Safety Administration checkpoint on Wednesday than on any other day.
The Wednesday before Thanksgiving last year had less travelers than this year. The total for travelers that flew on that day was about 88 percent.
The Wednesday before Thanksgiving was the highest checkpoint volume since April 13, 2020, when only 87,534 people were screened nationwide.
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Lisa Farbstein is a spokeswoman for the TSA.
Social media was abuzz with complaints about the long airport lines and the fact that lines were so short.
Among those travelers sharing a sense of excitement about being able to visit family this Thanksgiving, was one of them, who was known to some as the Bachelorette from Season 17 of that reality show.
She said in a telephone interview that going back to something that feels normal makes her feel emotional, after she said that she cried when she arrived in Seattle to visit her mother and sister and meet her baby niece for the first time.
Hundreds of airport food service workers picketed on Wednesday at San Francisco International Airport over a dispute involving health care. There were no flight attendants or pilots walking off the job at Southwest Airlines on Wednesday.
Attorney General Garland urged federal prosecutors to prioritize the prosecution of passengers that commit assault or other crimes on board, amid concerns that passengers would get aggressive with flight attendants.
The busiest days for air travel during the Thanksgiving period are the Tuesday and Wednesday before the holiday, and the Sunday after it, according to a T.S.A spokesman.
The Sunday after Thanksgiving is expected to be the busiest day since the Pandemic began. The weekend two years ago was extraordinary and the day seemed unlikely to surpass it. T.S.A. checkpoint data shows that more people flew on the Sunday after Thanksgiving than ever before.
Travelers are not likely to face weather delays as they try to get home.
According to the National Weather Service, Sunday is quiet across most of the country.
At the Las Vegas airport, a T.S.A. officer urged people to arrive at least two hours before their flights to be safe.
