ST. LOUIS — The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) predicts today, tomorrow and Sunday will be the busiest days at St. Louis Lambert International Airport for the Thanksgiving travel period.
If you want to know where people are jet setting they'll tell you:
"Washington DC!"
"Portugal!"
"I'm headed to San Diego!"
"I'm headed to Hilton Head, South Carolina to see our Nana and Poppa!"
If you're catching a flight this Thanksgiving you want to make sure you're at the airport two hours before the flight and of course pack your patience.
TSA predicts there to be 21, 502 passengers coming through St. Louis Lambert international today. Tomorrow a projected 22,140 passengers will head through the airport. But the busiest day of the Thanksgiving travel period for Lambert is expected to be Sunday when 24,616 fliers are predicted to return home.
If you forgot to get your calculator, that's a grand total of 202,985 people expect to come through St. Louis.
Lambert's airport director, Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge said officials are continuously working with TSA to meet the demands of passengers as people continue to travel more and more after the pandemic.
"TSA is well staffed and is prepared. And we work really close with them," Hamm-Niebruegge said.
Before you board know what's allowed and what's not
"Depending on what item it is you be summoned or have to appear in court. We always encourage people, make sure you know what you can fly with," Hamm-Niebruegge said.
Passengers have some advice of their own:
"Get here early, that's all."
"Don't wait until the last minute to do anything."
"Just enjoy and relax."
AAA predicts that nearly 80 million people will venture at least 50 miles from home between today and next Monday. And gas prices have fallen to $3.05 a gallon nationally.
Across the country, AAA predicts 79.9 million travelers will head 50 miles or more from home over the Thanksgiving holiday travel period which includes airplanes, cars, buses, trains and cruises.