Thanksgiving travel this year some of the busiest on record

Millions take to roads, rails and air over 10 days of busy travel to make it home for the holiday

People wait for their flights at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey on the day before Thanksgiving, one of the busiest travel days of the year in the US. AFP

Travellers step off an Amtrak train at 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the day before Thanksgiving. AP

Traffic moves along the 110 Freeway in Los Angeles, California. AP

Amtrak increased train services for the Thanksgiving holiday. AP

Travellers queue to board an Amtrak train. AP

Heavy traffic moves along the 101 in Los Angeles. AFP

The American Automobile Association predicts nearly 55 million people in the US will travel at least 80km for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. AFP

A traveller at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. EPA

A traveller bids farewell to a loved one before departing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. EPA

Travellers wait to go through a security checkpoint at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois. AP

Philadelphia's 30th Street Station. AP

Travellers try to maintain a positive 'New York state of mind' while packed in on the New York State Thruway. Reuters

Travellers move slowly through security checkpoints at Denver International Airport. Getty

Despite the continued spread of Covid-19, these Washington airport passengers choose not to wear masks. Getty

Members of the US Army National Guard remain vigilant as travellers pass through Grand Central Terminal in New York. Reuters

This Washington passenger will not be leaving their four-legged friend behind. Getty

New York's Grand Central Terminal is not the worst place to get stuck on the floor. Reuters

US President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden are travelling to Nantucket, Massachusetts, for the Thanksgiving holiday. AFP

A grandmother greets her grandchildren and her daughter after the family lands at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the country's busiest. Reuters

Close to 55 million Americans are taking to planes, trains and automobiles as the country marks the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday.

The American Automobile Association (AAA), a privately held non-profit agency, projects this year's holiday travel period to be the third busiest since it began records in 2000.

“Families and friends are eager to spend time together this Thanksgiving, one of the busiest for travel in the past two decades,” Paula Twidale, AAA’s senior vice president of travel, said in a statement.

With more than 48,000 flights, Tuesday was the peak day for airline travel before Thanksgiving, the Federal Aviation Association (FAA) reported.

A total of 45,721 flights are expected to take off on Wednesday, the day before the holiday.

The FAA said there are 46,790 flights scheduled on Sunday as people rush to return home before the work week begins.

The air travel sector is keeping an eye on how things develop after a rough summer saw high demand and many cancellations in the US and globally.

AAA also says travel this week will reach at least 96 per cent of pre-pandemic numbers, showing a return to normality for leisure travel following the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“With travel restrictions lifted and more people comfortable taking public transportation again, it’s no surprise buses, trains and cruises are coming back in a big way,” Ms Twidale said.

Amtrak, the country's national passenger rail service, has increased its number of available trains over the 10-day period around the holiday.

Families and friends traditionally gather and eat big meals, as well as watch American football or holiday movies on Thanksgiving, which commemorates the “first” meal shared by the Pilgrims and the Native Americans.

US President Joe Biden and his family joined the masses in holiday travel by decamping from Washington to the island Nantucket in Massachusetts on Tuesday, pardoning turkeys Chocolate and Chip before their departure.

US presidents pardoning Thanksgiving turkeys over the years — in pictures

The annual turkey-pardoning ceremony is a lighthearted event as Americans prepare for Thanksgiving. AP

President Ronald Reagan in 1987. National Archives / Getty Images

The first formalised turkey pardoning ceremony came when George HW Bush was president. Photo: George Bush Presidential Library and Museum / NARA

Presidents have been given turkeys since the 19th century and the origin of the pardoning festival may have begun with Abraham Lincoln in 1863. AP

President Barack Obama after pardoning the Thanksgiving turkey at the White House in 2016. Reuters

The national Thanksgiving turkeys, Chocolate and Chip. AP

According to the National Turkey Federation, Americans eat 46 million turkeys every Thanksgiving. AP

Donald Trump with first lady Melania Trump as he pardons the National Thanksgiving Turkey named Corn in 2020. Reuters

Mr Trump and a turkey at the ceremony in 2020. Reuters

The birds are typically the centrepiece of the Thanksgiving Day feast, which often includes a host of side dishes including stuffing and sweet potato. Bloomberg

President George W Bush carries a platter of turkey and fixings as he visits US troops for Thanksgiving in Baghdad in 2003. AP

Corn and Cobb, a pair of turkeys that were pardoned by Mr Trump, inside their room at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel in Washington in 2020. AFP

President Bill Clinton, holding his nephew Tyler, smiles after granting a Thanksgiving pardon to a turkey named Jerry in 2000. Mark Wilson / Newsmakers