Watch CBS News

Busiest Holiday Travel Week Kicks Off At Sacramento International Airport

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) -- The Sacramento International Airport is anticipating one of its busiest holiday travel seasons to date and they want passengers to be ready.

The official start to the holiday travel season was Friday, but airport officials say it will be most crowded on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving.

"I figured Sunday would be the best," said passenger Heather Moss.

ALSO READ: Top 5 Winter Travel Tips

Moss is flying to southern California for Thanksgiving. It's not a long flight, she admits, but with two kids in tow, even a short trip to L.A. can be stressful.

"Usually if we're flying into LAX, yeah, but we're going to fly into Santa Ana. It's way less traffic," she said.

Speaking of traffic, airport officials say they've already seen a 12 percent increase in passenger traffic this November compared to this time last year. But they're taking steps to ease the mood.

ALSO READ: America's Best Thanksgiving Day Parades

Pet therapy dogs from Boarding Area Relaxation Corp. (BARC) will be onsite this week, and local musicians will serenade customers in the baggage claim area of both terminals.

"I think Sacramento airport is really nice," said passenger Della Hampton. "They have it well organized."

And it's about to get even better, as plans are in the works to expand security lanes to alleviate backups and congestion.

For now, however, airport officials say it's best to plan ahead, and suggest all passengers arrive at least two hours before their scheduled departure.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.