Hartsfield-Jackson International expects to handle 2.8 million to 2.9 million travelers over a 10-day Thanksgiving travel period.
The busy period begins this Friday and runs through the Sunday after Thanksgiving.
Last year, Hartsfield-Jackson became the first airport in the world to handle more than 100 million passengers in a single year, hitting a record 101.5 million.
This year, interim airport general manager Roosevelt Council expects the airport will handle close to 105 million passengers this year. For the year through September, passenger counts at Hartsfield-Jackson were up 2.9 percent.
AAA says it expects to see the most Thanksgiving travelers since 2007, with 48.7 million Americans traveling at least 50 miles for the holiday. AAA, whose projections are based on research by IHS Markit, defines its Thanksgiving holiday travel period as Wednesday Nov. 23 through Sunday Nov. 27.
Of the national total, 43.5 million are expected to travel by car, while 3.7 million are projected to fly. Leisure airfares are projected to be up 21 percent this Thanksgiving, according to AAA.
In Georgia, 1.4 million people are expected to travel for Thanksgiving, up 3.4 percent, according to the AAA statistics. Of the total in the state, 102,000 are expected to fly.
About the Author
