Long lines and crowds were filling the terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Wednesday, one of the busiest days of the Thanksgiving travel period.
Security checkpoint wait times were already 15 to 30 minutes long early Wednesday morning before 7 a.m., and waits can get even longer during the busiest periods.
Airport officials recommend travelers plan to be inside the terminal at least two hours before domestic flights and three hours before international flights, allowing extra time to get through congestion at the curbside due to lane closures for an airport construction project, find parking or get special assistance.
>>For more tips to navigate the airport, check out the AJC’s holiday airport guide.
At times on Wednesday, lines stretched through the atrium at the Atlanta airport, where officials are prepared for the lines to snake further through the terminal into the hallways next to baggage claim as traffic grows.
Airport and Transportation Security Administration officials forecast that more than 80,000 passengers will go through security checkpoints Wednesday at Hartsfield-Jackson, the world’s busiest airport.
Crowds at the airport are expected to be much lighter on Thanksgiving Day itself and the day after, then ramp up to peak levels over the weekend. Sunday, the busiest day, could bring record levels of passengers.
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