LOUISVILLE, Ky. — At Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport Tuesday morning, Thanksgiving travelers began to trickle in.

What You Need To Know

  • The Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport is expecting the busiest Thanksgiving travel week yet 

  • Travelers are advised to arrive early 

  • Over 100,000 people expected to take off and land from Tuesday to Sunday

  • The busiest days will be Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday

Cerone White managed to beat the crowds in Louisville as he headed back home to North Carolina.

“So far, so good,” he said. “Hopefully, I’m not caught up in what is about to come … I’m here early, so if anything should happen, I can easily adjust until I actually get to my final destination.”

There were no long lines yet as Betty Breeding of Fern Creek prepared to board for a flight to meet family in Texas. 

“It will be the first year that I haven’t cooked Thanksgiving dinner in I can’t even remember when, probably 60 years,” she said with a smile.

Whether you’re driving or flying this holiday week, expect the roads and runways to be busy.

Louisville airport officials said it would likely be the busiest Thanksgiving travel period on record, with over 100,000 people expected to take off and land from Tuesday to Sunday.

Travelers could see full flights and intermittent parking lot closures as they fill up, said Natalie Chaudoin, public relations director for the Louisville Regional Airport Authority.

“In the last two years, we’ve welcomed Breeze, Sun Country (Airlines) and Spirit Airlines, which has really increased that capacity growth,” she said. “The figures that we’re seeing here for Thanksgiving travel, they’re not unexpected. We saw a very busy summer here in Louisville. We saw a very busy fall break and we’re expected to see a very busy Thanksgiving. In fact, we’re trending upwards that we believe 2023 will likely set a new record here in Louisville for passenger traffic.”

The busiest days will be Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, she said. She recommended passengers arrive two and a half hours before their flights if traveling before 9 a.m. and two hours before their flights if traveling at any other time.  

AAA is projecting the third highest Thanksgiving travel numbers on record, with over 54 million people traveling, according to Lynda Lambert, media spokesperson for AAA East Central.

The association expects almost five million people will fly and 49 million will drive, she said.

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