Calm before the storm: Atlanta airport approaching busiest holiday travel days

ATLANTA - The holiday travel season is in full flight. Tuesday and Thursday are expected to be two of the busiest days to fly over the Thanksgiving weekend. 

TSA predicts it will screen more than 30 million passengers between now and next Tuesday. More than 3 million of those travelers are expected to pass through Hartsfield-Jackson.

But the main security checkpoint was astonishingly quiet Tuesday evening as families happily reunited for the holidays.

Helen Lynch, who flew in from New Jersey with her 5-year-old son Henry, was looking forward to spending quality time with her loved ones.

"We’re so happy," Lynch said. "We have a big extended family here. So we’re going to see everyone tonight and over the next few days. Henry will get to play with his cousins."

Terry Pershaw, who flew in from Seattle with her husband, was dreading the meltdowns of holidays past.

"I was freaking out over all the travel reports we’ve been hearing," said Pershaw. "I went online and thought, ‘Oh my god. Severe weather. This is going to be a nightmare.’"

Wet weather around the nation threatened to wash out thanksgiving plans. Passengers like Pershaw feared hiccups, headaches, long lines and massive delays.

"It’s been amazingly, easily fun!" she said.

Pershaw says the train to the terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson was more like an amusement-park ride.

"I got the best seat on the train. It was like being on a rollercoaster. It was so much fun," Pershaw said.