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SALT LAKE CITY— A large storm is causing delays for Thanksgiving travel in the northeastern part of the country, but many Utahns are reporting travel has been unusually smooth for a holiday weekend.
The Salt Lake International Airport officials have reported few problems despite large numbers of travelers going through the airport.
"It's going very well. There's brisk traffic and things are moving very smoothly," said Barbara Gann, spokesperson for the Salt Lake International Airport.
However, that's not to say there have been no problems.
Victoria Serre said the new check-in policies at Frontier Airlines contributed to her missing a flight in Las Vegas on Tuesday when the service desk was closed an hour before flight time.
"We had to re-book a flight. Cost us $100 more a person to book a flight for today," Serre said. "We have our (new) flight tickets. We'll see if anything goes wrong."
However, other travelers were happy with the way their travel had been moving Wednesday and were happy that security lines weren't longer.
"I'm surprised at how it is for Thanksgiving. I was expecting a longer line," said Cameron Neilson who is headed to California.
"People are staffed-up all around the airport, and we're doing a lot of extra things to make it smoother," Gann said.
Other travelers were just anxious to get their travel out of the way.
"I'm just scared of missing my flight," said Rosa Yzaguirre. "Honestly, (I want to) get it over with. It's going to be a long day."
Although Thanksgiving is commonly thought of as the "busiest travel time of the year," the airport is often busier on Fridays during the summer months.
For travelers driving through Utah Wednesday night, UDOT estimates the peak traveling time at about 5 p.m. with about 20 percent more traffic. The Utah Highway Patrol will have about 300 additional overtime shifts this weekend to help keep an eye on the roads.
