Pittsburgh International Airport Seeing Long Lines As Travelers Head Out To Thanksgiving Destinations

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The busiest travel days for the Thanksgiving holiday have arrived.

Pittsburgh International Airport has been extremely busy with long lines at security checkpoints.

Officials believe there will be another big rush around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday for everyone with evening flights.

They expect to see at least 4,000 more travelers today than any normal Tuesday. Tomorrow is set to be the biggest day so far.

Many travelers said they're leaving today to avoid tomorrow's craziness.

"Get here early. You don't want to have to rush get to your gate. Sit down with a good book and read," Mary Irmscher said.

"Oh, at least two hours. An hour to get everything packed in the car and then at least 2.5 hours to get everything to our gate," Chris Simpson said.

"We're advising people to arrive two hours before their flight, particularly if they're flying out in the morning. The morning time, our busiest time is between 5 and 7 a.m.," Pittsburgh International Airport's Bob Kerlik said.

As of noon, all departing flights were taking off on schedule.

Airport officials don't expect any big delays or cancelations and said they're keeping a close eye on the weather.