How to Avoid Thanksgiving Travel Troubles Around Philly

Thanksgiving travel is well underway in the Philadelphia area. Here's what to know if you're taking to the skies or the roads for the holiday:

Air travel through Philadelphia International Airport is poised to approach one million travelers from the previous Friday through Tuesday, Dec. 2. Sunday, Nov. 30, is expected to be the busiest day — surpassing 99,000 passengers, according to an Axios Philadelphia report.

Thanks to recent reopenings, TSA checkpoints at Terminals A-West and F at Philadelphia International Airport are back in operation, and flight restrictions put in place during the government shutdown have been lifted.

Travel experts urge those using airports like Philadelphia this Thanksgiving to arrive at least two hours early for domestic flights and three hours early for international flights.

Across Philadelphia, peak road congestion is expected around 2:15 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 30, as I-95 South travelers head toward Baltimore and Washington, D.C., per an analysis of transportation data by INRIX. Plan for travel times to come in around 2 hours, 38 minutes — 85% longer than usual, according to INRIX.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike is projected to be at its busiest midweek, with about 705,000 drivers on Wednesday, Nov. 26, and nearly 3.4 million drivers using the turnpike from Tuesday through Sunday.

AAA forecasts that nearly 82 million people will travel at least 50 miles this Thanksgiving, with most (90%) traveling by vehicle.