Holiday travelers see some delays, but mostly smooth sailing at Sacramento International Airport
It is a rush to get home after a busy week of holiday travel for millions of Americans.
Travelers braced for long lines at TSA and bag checks but were pleasantly surprised by what they discovered at airports this holiday season.
"We were expecting a lot of congestion, a lot of confusion and nothing," said Sandy Bird, who was flying home to Salt Lake City from Sacramento Sunday.
There were large crowds at the Sacramento International Airport Sunday, but there was not much chaos.
"Everything has been very, very well organized and smooth sailing coming in and, on our way, out," said Bird.
Departure and arrival boards showed over a dozen flights were arriving early into Sacramento Sunday, but FlightAware said over 70 flights were delayed.
"The weather has been literally crazy," said Vincent Landerth, who works at the Sacramento International Airport.
Landerth said the winter storms across the country cancelled flights and caused the most delays at the start of the holiday week, impacting some people's luggage making it on time.
"Some people have had to even come back to the airport for their bags," said Landerth.
By Sunday, some of the storms had settled down and most people CBS 13 spoke with were overprepared.
"We are actually way ahead," said Maurice Mujanay, who was flying out of Sacramento Sunday. "That's why we look kind of bored."
Mujanay and his son were in town from Southern California for a basketball tournament. It was their first time flying in or out of Sacramento.
"We were just like, let's just get there because you never know," said Mujanay.
As the holiday travel season comes to a close, travelers we met said the hardest part was not navigating the inevitable large crowds but saying goodbye to their loved ones.
"Makes it kind of hard to leave, but it was awesome," said Bird.
The TSA expected 2.86 million people fly in the U.S. on Sunday, thousands of those travelers made their way through Sacramento.