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Holiday travel set to break records as passengers flock to Philadelphia International: 'Just crowded'

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Published  December 20, 2023 11:01pm EST
Philadelphia International Airport
FOX 29 Philadelphia

Holiday travel set to break records as passengers flock to PHL

While the roads will be busier for local travelers, AAA says overall air travel will set record levels, eclipsing pre-pandemic air travel numbers.

SOUTH PHILADELPHIA - A little bit of turbulence heading into the holiday rush as 82 flights were delayed Wednesday and three canceled entirely.

"Scale of one to 10 on my travel home? I'm tired, so I'm gonna give it a five," laughed Alexis Miller. She arrived at Philadelphia International Airport Wednesday night behind schedule after a two-hour delay.

"First it was the possibility of the captain wasn't here, then it was possibility of maintenance of the plane and then they switched our gate," she said. Alexis and her friend from Australia spent a week in Disney on a girl’s trip.

They're back in Philly mid-week to spend Christmas with Alexis's family.

"I just wanted to make sure we were home in enough time to enjoy the holiday season here," said Alexis.

According to AAA about 1.3 million Philadelphia area residents in the five-county region will travel for the holiday.

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"Of that number, about 90 percent will be traveling by car. That's up more than two percent over last year and about seven percent traveling from our area will go by plane. That's up more than five percent over last year," said Jana Tidwell, public relations for AAA.

While the roads will be busier for local travelers, Tidwell says overall air travel will set record levels, eclipsing pre-pandemic air travel numbers.

"They're going to be the busiest they've ever been for the year-end holiday period," she said. But with some challenges, like a major shortage of air traffic controllers.

The FAA says they're understaffed by at least 10 percent, which might translate into longer wait times once a flight has been boarded.

That said, not everyone's holiday travel is off to a rocky start.

"Just crowded. That was the worst. The good part would be the environment. People got good spirits," said Talent Tillman. He’s traveling with his girlfriend, Denajaha King. They flew from Jacksonville, Florida with one connecting flight to get here to Philly to spend Christmas with his mom.

"The flight was good. It was smooth. Everybody was good vibes. I'm in the Army and they was telling me thank you for your service. It was good vibes," said Talent.

Getting picked up at Philly International will be a challenge, though, with cars bumper to bumper and parking lots full.

"My husband is battling traffic right now to come pick us up. He said the parking lot is extremely full. Even in the cell phone lot," said Alexis.

AAA says air travelers should download airline apps for alerts on flight changes and arrive two to three hours early at the airport.

TSA says Thursday will be the busiest travel day.