Record number of Thanksgiving travelers expected at Atlanta airport

A record number of travelers are expected at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport security checkpoints on the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

The most recent one-day record was set over the Memorial Day travel period this year when more than 93,000 passengers were screened in a single day at Hartsfield-Jackson.

Over the Thanksgiving travel period from Nov. 16 through Nov. 26, a total of more than 3 million passengers are expected to pass through the Atlanta airport. Airport officials plan to discuss their plans to handle holiday crowds at a press conference Wednesday.

Nationally, the Transportation Security Administration also expects a record-breaking Thanksgiving travel season. At a Tuesday press conference at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, TSA Administrator David Pekoske said the agency expects to see a 5 to 6 percent increase in the number of passengers at checkpoints over the holiday season compared with last year.

The U.S. airline industry expects to fly a record 30.6 million people over the Thanksgiving travel period, up from 29 million last year, according to industry group Airlines for America.

The Sunday after Thanksgiving will be the busiest day, while Thanksgiving Day itself will be the lightest, according to the airline industry group. The total daily passenger count on all U.S. airlines will reach as high as 3 million during the peak period.

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