Road and sky jammed for Thanksgiving

November 27, 1996
Web posted at: 9:45 p.m. EST

From Correspondent Marsha Walton

ATLANTA (CNN) -- Are you among the people who will travel to be with their families over Thanksgiving? The American Automobile Association predicts nearly 32 million Americans will be traveling by plane, train, bus or car this holiday weekend.

Air travelers are cautioned to budget some time for extra security questions, and to remember a picture ID.

"We're going to try to do our very best to keep the air traffic control system on time, so I would expect an on-time departure," said Ronald Morgan of the Federal Aviation Administration's Air Traffic Control unit.

"With that on-time departure and increased passenger traffic, I would try to arrive at the airport a little bit early, make sure I had my ID as I checked in and try to plan accordingly."

One charter flight out of Atlanta whisked travelers to the warmth of Jamaica for an exotic Thanksgiving. "We decided a couple weeks ago ... to do the Jamaican thing instead of staying in cold weather. Jerk turkey!" enthused one of the flight's passengers.

Airport workers are also enjoying the spirit of the holidays, although they're braced for the pace of this usually chaotic time as well. "I met a lot of people in the holiday spirit," said one Skycap employee. "Nice folks, everybody is just real happy, talking about cooking, some people talking about being late. It's a lot of fun."

Bus terminals were already crowded by Tuesday afternoon. Bus is the transportation of choice for thousands of college students and their dirty clothes. "Of course, that's all this is right here!" said one student, gesturing to an army-sized duffle bag. "Dirty laundry. That's it!"

The drill starts again Sunday, when millions of families start heading back home. To cope with the stress of the round-trip travel, AAA says, be patient, and have a sense of humor. After all, it's a holiday weekend.

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