HONOLULU (KHON2) — Travelers from Oahu have another reason to be thankful. For many of them, the departure was surprisingly smooth. Officials said many travelers planned ahead and departed earlier this week.
On what is said to be the busiest day of the Thanksgiving weekend, travelers were in for a pleasant surprise.
“Check-in was easy and we got to talk for about five minutes. I thought it was going to be worse, but no, I didn’t see any security yet, but everything seems to be progressing,” San Jose said. Henry Adaniya, who is going there, said.
“So far so good!” says a traveler upon checking in. The line was shorter than I expected and I can only hope things go just as smoothly when I return home.
Speaking of surprises, traveler Aaron Goodstein is planning one for his mother in Washington.
“On Thanksgiving morning, you’ll knock on the door and say, ‘Happy Thanksgiving.’ Is there room for one more person?” he said.
For him and many others departing Wednesday, the potential for chaos at the airport was not a deterrent to reaching their destination.
“It’s not scary at all. I’m all for it. I love it, but people get stressed out.” “I think so,” Goodstein said.
“It’s been six years since we’ve traveled as a family, because my son is coming from Omaha to pick us up,” said Dara Miyamoto, who is heading to Washington.
“So it’s a family gathering of sorts?” KHON2 asked.
“Yeah, I guess it’s a family gathering,” she said.
“We do it because Thanksgiving is a time for family and we’re willing to jump through any hurdle just to get to our families,” said Arlene Lopez, who flies to Hilo.
TSA said it appears many travelers left the country earlier this week, but it is preparing for crowds for the rest of the weekend.
“We have fully staffed all of our locations and are opening lanes based on ridership forecasts. Things are going very well and we expect the weekend to go pretty well.” said Nanea Vasta, TSA Federal Security Director for Pacific Airports.
But Vasta says travelers shouldn’t expect the rest of the weekend to be this easy. She says she should still arrive at the airport early.
“As long as you get here with enough time to check in at the ticket counter. Some airlines add extra flights. “They may try to check in,” she said.