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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, November 28, 2002

US Thanksgiving Holiday Travelers Out in Force

Thanksgiving holiday travelers took to the skies Wednesday in the biggest test of airport security since the federal government took it over last week, while drivers in the Northeast faced heavy, wet snow


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Thanksgiving holiday travelers took to the skies Wednesday in the biggest test of airport security since the federal government took it over last week, while drivers in the Northeast faced heavy, wet snow.

Around the country, only a handful of flights were delayed.

Travelers were waiting an average of less than 10 minutes at major airports' checkpoints, said Robert Johnson, spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration.

While terminals were crowded Wednesday, airlines expected Saturday and Sunday to be even busier.

The AAA travel group predicted air travel nationwide would climb 6% compared to last Thanksgiving, which came 10 weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Just last week, the government finished placing more than 47,000 security workers at 424 airports nationwide. The TSA was created after the attacks prompted concern about inefficient and inattentive private security workers.

AAA predicted that 35.9 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home by Sunday, a 1.7% increase from last year.

Overall, the group said, 86% of holiday travelers will go by motor vehicle, down slightly from 87% a year ago. They will spend about $1.45 for a gallon of gas, 25 cents more than last Thanksgiving.

Amtrak expected to sell more tickets as the weather deteriorated. Spokesman Dan Stessel said the commuter railroad added 58 trains in the Northeast, and some had already sold out.

Source: Agencies




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