PORTLAND, Ore. — Hundreds of thousands of people will pass through Portland International Airport (PDX) for the holiday. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) expects this Thanksgiving travel season to be one of the busiest ever.
KGW stopped by PDX on the Monday. One traveler, Sandy, was flying to Philadelphia to visit her older sister for Thanksgiving.
"I'm traveling today because I've done airport security before, and this is the best time to do it," Sandy said. "Don't wait (until) the last couple of days. Getting a little bit of a head start."
She added that it was her first time traveling for the holidays.
The Port of Portland is expecting about 350,000 travelers at PDX between Tuesday, Nov. 26 and next Monday, Dec. 2. That's a 3.5% increase over the same time period last year. The busiest travel days at PDX are expected to be the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Nov. 27, followed by the Sunday after, Dec. 1. Both days could see around 57,000 people.
People are encouraged to arrive to PDX two hours early for domestic flights and two-and-a-half hours early for international travel. Rush hour at the airport is from 5 to 9 a.m. Anyone planning to park at PDX can check for available parking spaces ahead of time online.
"If you end up with a little extra time, that's the best case scenario," said Allison Ferre with the Port of Portland. "We have 20 new shops and restaurants for you to enjoy. Just sit down, take a breath and enjoy the local artwork. There's plenty to do if you get to your gate a little bit early."
Overall, auto club and insurance company AAA predicts that nearly 80 million Americans will travel between Tuesday and next Monday, with most of them traveling by car.