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Atlanta airport, interstates seeing Thanksgiving holiday travel rush

By FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team
Updated  November 23, 2022 6:25am EST
Atlanta
FOX 5 Atlanta

Atlanta airport prepared for busy Thanksgiving travel rush

Officials say travelers heading out of the world's busiest airport should get to Hartsfield-Jackson at least two and a half hours before their flight time.

ATLANTA - The roads and the skies will be quite busy today in metro Atlanta as eager travelers head out for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Wednesday is one of the busiest travel days of the entire year, and the world's busiest airport is already seeing the crowds.

At Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, security lines headed out well past the atrium, but officials say things were moving efficiently and pretty quickly.

The airport expects about 2.5 million passengers to head to and from its busy terminals in the travel week.

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"It's what we expect, it's the day before Thanksgiving, but we are ready to go," Hartsfield-Jackson's Communications Director Andrew Gobeil said. "You'll come in and see the long lines, but they're moving. Our goal is to get people through here within about 20 to 25 minutes."

Officials say you should get to the airport around two and a half hours early for domestic flights and three hours for international travel.

All the traffic means travelers will also need to plan ahead for parking too. The North and South lanes fill up fast, so officials say travelers may want to give some extra time and park at ATL West.

Atlanta among worst places for Thanksgiving traffic

A study by travel industry technology company INRIX ranks Atlanta among the worst for Thanksgiving travel congestion with Interstate 85 from Clairmont Road to Martin Luther King Jr. Drive expected to be a major headache spot.

Thanksgiving traffic in Atlanta

Along with all the air travel, over 1.5 million Georgians are expected to take to the roads for the holidays, which could cause some major traffic jams.

Travel industry technology company INRIX compiled data from auto club AAA that indicates the busiest highways will be in Atlanta, Chicago, New York City and Los Angeles.

Atlanta, specifically, could see a 105% increase in congestion compared to typical traffic, data shows. The surge in traffic fell short of New York and Los Angeles, which could see close to 150% increases in congestion.

In Atlanta, INRIX's study indicated Interstate 85 south between Clairmont Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive could see some of the worst effects from holiday traffic. 

Data predicts the peak travel time in metro Atlanta to be between 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

In Georgia, the Department of Public safety said Georgia State Patrol will be "highly visible" during the travel period from Wednesday through Sunday.

"Traffic will significantly increase, causing congestion and delays," said Colonel Christopher Wright, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety.

Best and worst times to drive for Thanksgiving

The study shared some of the best and worst windows of time to be on the road during the Thanksgiving travel period. In general driving late in the morning or after dinner time are the best times to hit the road.

Worst driving times for Thanksgiving:

Wednesday, Nov. 23: 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 24: 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 25: 4 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 26: 4 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 27: 4 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Best driving times for Thanksgiving:

Wednesday, Nov. 23: Before 8 a.m. and after 8 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 24: Before 11 a.m. and after 6 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 25: Before 11 a.m. and after 8 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 26: Before 2 p.m. and after 8 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 27: Before 11 a.m. and after 8 p.m.