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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's roads and skies are expected to be busy this week as tens of thousands of people are projected to travel for Thanksgiving, the start of the holiday travel season.
In fact, Salt Lake City International Airport officials project about 30,000 people will head through the airport's front doors and through Transportation Security Administration lines on Tuesday and Wednesday leading up to the Thursday holiday. About as many are expected to arrive in Salt Lake City, while "many more" people will reach connecting flights at the facility.
While there isn't a definitive way of projecting when TSA lines will be the longest, airport spokeswoman Nancy Volmer told KSL.com that 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. are "peak" times for when flights take off on both days, meaning lines will likely be long before both of those periods.
"It will be really busy at the airport, and we have definitely staffed up," she said. "It's always a good idea for passengers to allow for extra time because the lines may be a little bit longer than they typically are."
Airport officials suggest passengers:
- Check their airline's website or app before they leave to see if their flights are on time and not delayed by factors like the weather. Salt Lake City's weather conditions are good for traveling, as the next storm isn't expected to reach Salt Lake City until Thursday. Most storms in the forecast through Wednesday are on the East Coast.
- Check-in online before leaving for the airport to speed up time in lines.
- Arrive at least two hours before your flight's boarding time, or three hours before any international flight.
- Reserve airport parking in advance, so you know you have a spot to park before arriving at the airport. The Utah Transit Authority's green line TRAX light-rail train also goes directly to the airport.
- Look up what is and isn't allowed on a flight prior to heading to the airport.
Volmer said the airport has recently expanded its "Park and Wait" lot for people who are ready to be picked up, in addition to the completion of the Concourse A-East project last month. Delta Air Lines also opened more counters for Delta passengers to check bags before boarding.
Salt Lake's airport isn't the only one busy this week. AAA released its Thanksgiving travel outlook last week, projecting over 55 million Americans will travel in some form over the holiday weekend. Should the forecast come to fruition, it would be the third-busiest Thanksgiving travel period since 2000.
TSA officials expect security lines to be "busier than ever" as a result. The agency expects to screen more than 30 million passengers between this past weekend and Nov. 28.
"We have already seen seven of the top 10 busiest travel days in TSA's history. We are ready for the anticipated volumes and are working closely with our airline and airport partners to make sure we are prepared for this busy holiday travel season," TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in a statement last week.
Even more travelers, however, will avoid the airports, opting instead to drive. AAA says Wednesday should be the busiest day of the week on U.S. roads.
