These will be the busiest days for holiday travel at Cleveland Hopkins and on the roads

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Headed home for the holidays? You’ll be on the road with nearly 120 million of your fellow Americans. So leave early, prepare for crowds and pack some extra patience alongside that package of Christmas cookies.

AAA expects a record 119.3 million people to travel 50 miles or more over the holiday period, which the agency defines from Saturday through Jan. 1. That’s slightly higher than the previous record set in 2019. Nearly 90% of holiday travelers this year will journey by car, according to AAA.

The Transportation Security Administration also expects a record volume of air travel, with nearly 40 million passengers screened at U.S. airports from Thursday through Jan. 2. The busiest days, according to TSA, will be this Friday, next Friday (Dec. 27) and Monday, Dec. 30.

Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, meanwhile, is also expecting high volume. Airport officials are predicting 530,000 passengers will fly to or from Cleveland during the 19-day holiday period, Thursday through Jan. 6. That’s 6% more than the same period a year ago.

“Christmas falls on a Wednesday this year, so the highways and airports are going to be very busy on the weekends before and after the holiday,” said Bevi Powell, senior vice president, AAA East Central.

Nick Otjen, a freshman at Case Western Reserve University, was hoping to beat the holiday rush by booking his flight home to Phoenix on Wednesday. He said he learned his lesson last month, when he flew home on the day before Thanksgiving.

“It was a complete mess,” said Otjen, as he waited for his flight Wednesday morning. “It felt like the world was leaving Cleveland.”

Kelly Godfray also booked her flight home on Wednesday, flying from Philadelphia to Cleveland, where she’ll spend 10 days with family in Avon Lake. Remote work, she said, gives her flexibility on her travel days.

“I always try to fly home earlier to avoid the rush,” said Godfray.

The top three busiest days at CLE are expected to be this Friday, with a predicted 34,000 passengers; followed by Monday, with 33,000 travelers; followed by Sunday, Jan. 5.

To bring some holiday cheer to the travel rush, the airport will host carolers in the terminal from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Dec. 23 and Dec. 24.

Meanwhile, last-minute shoppers can take advantage of a vendor market set up in the Cleveland Hopkins food court from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday and Friday (Dec. 19 and 20), sponsored by Fraport.

The airport offers these reminders for holiday travelers:

* Arrive at the airport two hours before your flight. As was the case at Thanksgiving, TSA will open Cleveland Hopkins screening checkpoints 15 minutes earlier than normal to accommodate the crowds. The South Checkpoint, near the United Airlines counter, will open at 3:15 a.m. and the North and Central checkpoints will open at 3:45 a.m.

* Make a plan for parking before leaving for the airport. (Reminder: You can now make a reservation to park in the airport-owned Smart Parking Garage.)

* Avoid packing wrapped gifts that might set off security alarms; instead, consider gift bags or unsealed boxes.

AAA reminds drivers that getting behind the wheel after 4-5 hours of sleep is as dangerous as driving with a 0.08 blood-alcohol content, which is legal intoxication. “Less than 4 hours of sleep? The risk doubles,” says AAA.

The agency suggests driving during hours you’re normally awake, avoiding overnight drives, taking breaks every two hours on long trips and steering clear of heavy meals, drowsy medications and alcohol.