PHOENIX (3TV / CBS 5) – After many travelers went flying in the skies this Thanksgiving holiday week, a local travel agent said this weekend gave many travelers a good look at what to expect for Christmas. “It was full. The planes were full.” Penelope Abad said. The busy Thanksgiving weekend vacation trips are coming to an end. “We left a little earlier. Parking was full in the economy so we had to use covered parking, which was fine, but it was busier,” Abad said. More than 2.2 million travelers passed the airports yesterday alone and more than 10 million since Friday. “I was really shocked. It was really normal,” said traveler Jordan Hicks. “We got to Seattle Airport three hours early and it only took 10 minutes to get through, so we expected the worst.” For some, it was easier than others. “I was really shocked. It was really normal,” said traveler Jordan Hicks. “We got to Seattle Airport three hours early and only took 10 minutes to get through, so we expected the worst.” On Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, more than 2.3 million people traveled by plane, making it the busiest day of travel since February last year. With Christmas now less than a month away, people look forward to these travel plans. Phoenix Travel Advisor Nancy Melton said travelers should expect busy airports during Christmas week this year. “It will be full. The planes will be full,” Melton said. “The fewest travel days are the holidays themselves.” Melton recommends going on vacation if you want to avoid large crowds. “Usually Christmas Day itself is less crowded than a day or two before or a day or two after,” Melton said. “Our passenger numbers have grown steadily since the pandemic began,” said Greg Roybal, Sky Harbor Public Information Officer. Melton said if you haven’t already bought your plane tickets for Christmas, you could face some repercussions. “A lot of lower tariffs will be gone by this late tariff,” Melton said. “You just have to be prepared that you might not take the ideal flight time and probably pay more.” While some travelers are more comfortable flying this year, Melton said they should be patient and plan ahead. “I would do it again in a heartbeat,” said Abad. “Arrive early,” said Melton. “Get in extra early, maybe an hour and a half earlier than an hour.” One concern ahead of the bank holiday weekend was whether there would be enough TSA staff working on security checkpoints. Employees had to get vaccinated or be unemployed by Monday. TSA said no Sky Harbor employee has been fired as a result of that mandate. HMS Host concession workers in Sky Harbor officially on strike
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