As the great American exodus for Thanksgiving feast festivities hits its peak, storm clouds are rudely gatecrashing the party, leading to a mashup of delays and cancellations at Logan Airport. According to Boston 25 News, the unfortunate tally at Logan currently stands at 23 delays and 13 cancellations. Meanwhile, the travel gurus over at AAA are spinning the stats, estimating a whopping 55.4 million Americans will be braving the trip of 50 miles or more to gobble turkey with loved ones.
Wednesday's travel chaos is expected to set records, with Terminal A already witnessing a line snaking back to the elevators and escalators, evoking scenes straight out of a Hollywood disaster flick. High spirits seem to quickly and effectively be zapped by the zigzagging queues and the ethereal hope to just somehow make it on board before heaven opens its floodgates. Experts are chiming in, prodding travelers to avoid any last-minute misadventures by arriving at least two hours prior, armed with the sacred ID, as TSA prepares to screen an estimated 2.7 million passengers as reported by NBC10 Boston.
"We do not want to be flying in the middle of a storm," Jacqueline Wiener candidly confessed to NBC10 Boston, evidently one of the savvy ones who decided to cunningly get ahead of the tempest. However, the TSA's sage suggestion to bring an acceptable ID, remain vigilant by reporting suspicious activities, and to overall be patient echoes through the halls as a testament that the holiday spirit is not entirely lost on the journey.
Braving both the elements and the borderline unbearable anticipation, travelers like Makayla Sullivan are meticulously plotting their moves. "Been tracking the weather all week and it’s been pretty nice. I was checking for snow and stuff. We got here two and a half hours early," Sullivan recounted in a chat with Boston 25 News. Nonetheless, consistent with the unpredictability of it all, airline officials strongly advise people to embrace technology and check online for real-time updates before leaving the airport.
Ready or not, Sunday is anticipated to really shake up the record books, with 2.9 million passengers expected to be zipping through the skies post-Thanksgiving festivities. NBC10 Boston fills in the blanks, noting that this could potentially be the largest flock of Thanksgiving air travelers since the golden year of 2005.
