The Sunday after Thanksgiving is typically the busiest day to travel back home, with the Transportation Security Authority expecting to screen 2.9 million passengers on that day this year. But some travelers at the San Francisco International Airport Sunday said they didn't run into the expected crowds.
Jill Gentry arrived early to the San Francisco International Airport on Sunday, planning to head to Bend, Oregon. She said she was expecting the day to be crazy, but ended up with plenty of time to spare.
“So we’re glad,” Gentry said. “Well, knock on wood. So far, so good.”
By 1 p.m., they were ready for their 4 p.m. flight.
Another traveler, Alexa DiSabato, also found that midday was a smooth time to catch a flight.
“We have been here for like 30 minutes already,” said DiSabato, “because we were anticipating a longer line.”
Outside, the traffic seemed to come in waves. An NBC Bay Area crew learned it was busier earlier in the day and was expected to pick back up later on, too.
Sunday is typically the busiest return day to fly, but Monday is popular, too, according to AAA. The agency expects more than 4.7 million people would fly over Thanksgiving, the highest number since 2005.
Jane Amara flew out to the Bay Area before Thanksgiving, then hit the road to get to Sacramento.
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“I found the drivers even more aggressive than in Massachusetts,” said Amara. “But not very much traffic. And we ended up getting from Sacramento back to this area, to get to the airport more quickly than we anticipated.”
