TSA projects record-breaking travel for Thanksgiving

BALTIMORE (FOX 5 DC) - Pack light if you’re flying and get on the road early if you’re driving this Thanksgiving.

On Monday, the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) Secretary Pete K. Rahn and representatives from each of MDOT’s six transportation business units kicked off Thanksgiving week with holiday travel tips, including updates on the $27 million deck rehabilitation on the Bay Bridge and its effect on holiday travel.

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According to the Transit Authority Administration (TSA), the number of passengers expected to fly this holiday is expected to be record-breaking with more than 26.8 million passengers and crew members traveling through security screening checkpoints nationwide from Nov. 22 through Dec. 2.

 Travelers flying from Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) need to be well prepared and need to get to the security checkpoint two hours before their domestic flight and three hours prior to their international flight as the airport will be active and congested.

Typically, the TSA screens approximately 32,000 passengers on an average day at BWI. But on the busiest days leading up to and immediately after Thanksgiving, TSA expects to screen up to 40,000 passengers and crew members per day at BWI, which is why it is important for passengers to arrive early.

Speaking with FOX 5, Rahn explained that the record number of travelers going through the airport is also because of the popularity of Southwest and Spirit Airlines.

The airport is also advising local motorists picking up arriving family members or friends to either park in the hourly garage or use the upper level/departures roadway to avoid possible congestion along the arrivals roadway. Commercial vehicles, such as hotel shuttles, off-airport parking shuttles, Uber, Lyft, and others, must use the upper level/departures roadway to provide services.

Through Dec. 6, and then again from Dec. 20 through Jan. 3‬, BWI is providing up to one hour of free parking for customers who enter and exit the hourly garage within 60 minutes. The garage provides an easy option for motorists to meet or drop off travelers. Customers parking in the hourly garage beyond 60 minutes will be charged the usual rate. 

In addition, the airport’s cell phone lot provides a free, convenient location for motorists to wait for arriving passengers. Fifty spaces have been added to the lot for the holiday season.

Some travelers said they’re not only leaving town to spend Thanksgiving with their loved ones but also to spend it somewhere warm.

“We checked the weather in advance so when I packed, I had to actually unpack and pack again,” said Amber McCaskill who was going to Florida with her grandchildren and nephew. “I packed for cold weather and now I have some shorts and sundresses, since it’s going to be in the 80’s.”

“I usually travel quite light and I usually don’t pack all of my toiletries in one, that way the liquids don’t bother us,” said David Wachira who was heading to Disney World for the first time with his fiancé. 

“They ended up cancelling flights for a couple of weeks out of Dulles into Orlando so they switched us to BWI,” said Lindsey Roehner who was also traveling to Florida with her young children, “it’s a little further away for us because we are in Haymarket.”

MDOT State Highway Administration officials urge holiday travelers to be prepared by checking vehicle fuel levels, hoses, the radiator, lights and fluids. Also, pack supplies, snacks, a phone charger and an emergency kit. Motorists should travel during off-peak hours to avoid significant delays. Typically, off-peak hours include Tuesday and Wednesday, before 6 a.m. and after 11 p.m.; and Thursday through Sunday, before 9 a.m. and after 9 p.m.

Work will continue through Thanksgiving week on the deck rehabilitation project at the Bay Bridge, meaning the right lane of the westbound span will remain closed. Crews are working day and night, seven days a week, to expedite the project. Motorists should expect major delays in both directions and plan to leave at least 20 to 30 minutes earlier than usual if crossing the bridge.