Airports are busier than usual this Thanksgiving. Arrive 2 hours early if leaving KCI

Nov. 22—Flying this Thanksgiving holiday? Kansas City International and other airport officials urge travelers to arrive at least two hours before their flight leaves — and they are not joking.

Security checkpoints are expected to be crowded and busier than usual as passengers flock to airports in numbers not seen since before the pandemic. For some of these travelers, this is the first they have flown in a year or two.

The Transportation Security Administration earlier this month said that it expects to screen about 20 million passengers during the Thanksgiving travel period, which started Friday and runs through Sunday.

Although this year's travel volume is not expected to reach pre-pandemic levels, it is expected to be considerably higher than last year.

"On Thanksgiving week, get to the airport well before your flight, #MaskUp and make sure you have no prohibited items with you," said Lisa Farbstein, a TSA spokesperson for the Northeast region, on Twitter.

Holiday travel at KCI is expected to be busy, with Thanksgiving 2021 being about 85% of pre-COVID-19 levels and 40% busier than last year.

An estimated 312,000 passengers are expected to pass through KCI's gates from Friday through Nov. 29. The busiest days are expected to be Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, according to Justin Meyer, deputy director of aviation for the Kansas City Aviation Department.

Because of the expected volume of travelers, airport officials were urging travelers to arrive at least two hours prior to departure time for domestic flights and two and a half hours before international flights.

In a message on Twitter on Friday, Meyer said, "The recommendation to arrive two hours before departure isn't a joke."

KCI Airport Police Traffic Control Officers will strictly enforce parking restrictions, which include no parking or idling at the curb, to keep things at the terminal running smoothly.

KCI officials also warn that a lot has changed since last Thanksgiving at KCI, so travelers should be aware of new roadway patterns to and from the terminals that include roundabouts.

To make way for the construction of the $1.5 billion new terminal, traffic use a new roadway in and out of the terminals. Motorists first encounter the Terminal C roundabout and then Terminal B roundabout. Drivers are urged to go slow, be alert and follow the signs.

A video demonstrates how to use the roadway.

KCI officials also reminded passengers that federal requirements require people to wear mask inside terminals, buses and aircraft.

The holiday travel rush boomed to start, with the TSA screening more than 2.2 million people at airport security checkpoints on Friday, the highest checkpoint volume since air travel tanked in early 2020 because of the pandemic.

The TSA screen more than 2 million passengers on Saturday and 2.2 million passengers on Sunday, the fourth consecutive day with checkpoint volume topping 2 million.

The highest travel day in TSA's history was the Sunday after Thanksgiving of 2019 , when nearly 2.9 million individuals were screened at TSA security checkpoints nationwide.

This story was originally published November 22, 2021 11:17 AM.

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