Travel ramps up as holiday season gets in full swing

(NewsNation Now) — Around 4 million people are expected to take to the skies over this holiday weekend.

The numbers are not quite what they were before the pandemic in 2020, but they are ramping up as the holiday travel season gets in full swing.

You can expect some delays at airports all across the nation. However, passengers onboard one of the first Thanksgiving flights arriving at LAX Wednesday report a fairly expedient travel experience.

“Honestly, TSA was pretty straightforward,” traveler Juliette Reed said. “I was kind of worried because I heard that it was a long time. We came here like super early, but we were fine. I didn’t have any trouble at all.”

TSA officers screened more than 2.3 million people Wednesday, the busiest travel day of the year so far.

That represents nearly 80% of the passengers who were screened back in 2019.

Another 2.2 million people passed through security on Tuesday, more than double the number that flew in 2020 when people were wary of traveling given the pandemic’s grip on public health.

The airlines are working to keep up despite staffing shortages. They are on a hiring spree for pilots, flight attendants and other staff.

The airlines are angling to avoid the over 5,000 cancellations that several carriers saw last month.

People who are prepared are going to be better off, whether it’s going to the airport two hours early or getting on the road while it’s still dark.

“Get up early and take it easy,” one intrepid traveler said in an interview during “Morning in America.” “Take your time, be safe and enjoy the holiday.”