LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Whether you're flying to grandma's house or if family is coming to visit you this Thanksgiving, then buckle up, because one of the biggest travel periods of the year has arrived.
AAA is projecting nearly 82 million people nationwide will be traveling this week for Thanksgiving, and while 90% of travelers will be hitting the road, more than 6 million people are expected to take to the skies.
VIDEO | Guy Tannenbaum talks to travelers about Thanksgiving travel rush
At Harry Reid International Airport, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials tell Channel 13 they expect to screen more than 500,000 passengers this week alone.
Despite the expected increase in passenger volume, across the country, Tuesday travelers getting a head start on their Turkey Day trips say so far so good.
"Believe it or not, it's very nice and smooth," said Gail R. Martin from San Diego, who's in town visiting friends for Thanksgiving. "Very smooth, everyone is being kind to everybody."
"TSA in San Diego was a little bit backed up because it was morning, but coming here was super smooth," Las Vegas local Kali Jones said. "For Thanksgiving, everyone's going to see family, it's really nice."
When it's the holiday season in Las Vegas, you never know who you'll run into at the airport — on Tuesday I ran into one of my college baseball teammates who's in town visiting his family for Thanksgiving.
"It was awesome, I came in from Omaha and it was easy peasy," Bryce Rheault said. "Two and a half hour flight, straight shot, no issues."
It's only expected to get busier at Reid Airport from here on out, though, but fresh off a government shutdown which held up their paychecks for more than a month, TSA agents say they're ready for the challenge.
"Usually we're prepared for the holidays, it's usually the busiest time of the year for us," TSA Lead Transportation Security Officer Jason Ihle said on Tuesday. "We know that people don't fly all the time, so we give them a little bit of patience, and we try to work through them so they can get through seamlessly."
Ihle is one of the more than two dozen local TSA employees given a $10,000 bonus check by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at Reid Airport on Saturday, recognizing their continued service without pay during the shutdown.
"It still hasn't hit me," Ihle said. "It's just a real shock and honor, a privilege."
TSA officials project Sunday to be the busiest travel day across the country as people rush home after the holiday, with more than 3 million people expected through checkpoints nationwide on Sunday alone.
More than 90,000 travelers are expected through checkpoints at Harry Reid Airport on Sunday, which is why Kali Jones is making sure her family, who are visiting her for Thanksgiving, get to the airport with plenty of time to spare.
"I always tell my family to come [to the airport] at least two hours early," Jones said. "If you're early, you can grab coffee at one of our shops over here, or get something to eat or drink if you feel crazy."
In addition to getting to the airport early this week, something else you can do to make your travel experience easier is have some extra patience and kindness for not only the TSA agents getting you through security, but also for your fellow passengers.
For the latest flight and parking information at Harry Reid International Airport, visit their website by clicking here.
