ATLANTA -- On Friday morning, airports around the nation, including Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, were busy with travel patterns comparable to some of the major holidays like Christmas.
Hopper, the travel app, said a record number of passengers were traveling through the airport on Friday.
So that made us wonder: was the airport busier Friday ahead of the Fourth of July than Thanksgiving or Christmas?
"We're busy during Thanksgiving; we're busy during Christmas; during the Fourth of July we're going to be just as busy," said airport spokesman Andrew Gobeil. "As a matter of fact we expect that this may be one of the busiest travel periods nationwide in quite some time."
Airport officials said 2.3 million travelers will be passing through Hartsfield-Jackson from June 28 through July 8, making it as busy as the weeks surrounding Thanksgiving and Christmas.
But while Friday saw the highest number of passengers ever pass through the airport ever on June 29, it's not in fact the overall busiest day of the year.
But still, why are we seeing an influx of passengers around the Fourth this year?
First, the holiday falls in the middle of the week. Officials said because of that, more people will either take the entire week off, meaning they're more likely to travel and the holiday "period" is taking up two weekends.
Gobeil also said ticket prices are also a factor.
"We think it's a combination of a pretty strong economy at this point and also a great opportunity for people to fly," he said.
TSA officials are expecting to screen about 90,000 travelers on Sunday, July 8, the last day of the holiday peak traveling period.
So while Atlanta's airport is not as busy over the Fourth of July as Christmas, there are still millions of people coming through, which is why airport officials are advising travelers to arrive two hours early for domestic flights and three hours early for international ... and pack your patience.
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