Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport started to get its holiday buzz as travelers headed out for the Thanksgiving weekend. According to AAA, more than 42.5 million people are expected to travel 50 or more miles away from home between Wednesday and Sunday.
Of those, more than 38 million are expected to drive and almost 3.4 million leisure travelers will take to the skies. The AAA holiday forecast predicts a 4 percent increase compared with 2010 in travel during the Thanksgiving weekend. The Air Transport Association of America predicts 23.2 million travelers will fly between Nov. 18 and 29, a 2 percent drop compared with 2010, because airlines have been cutting back on flights.
Experts warn that the holidays bring more seasonal travelers to the airport, who might not be as familiar with the security drill as frequent fliers.
New since last holiday season: Kids 12 and younger are less likely to be given a pat-down search and won't have to remove their shoes when they go through security checkpoints. A handful of airports also have a pilot program in place to prescreen some travelers and get them through the airport process more quickly.
Still, even occasional travelers shouldn't find too many surprises this year -- other than fewer planes in the sky and fuller flights.
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