Smooth Sailing For T-Day Travelers

The Thanksgiving travel weekend got off to a smooth start Wednesday thanks to clear skies across much of the country and short lines at most airport security checkpoints.

The improving economy and flat gas prices were expected to make this the busiest Thanksgiving weekend since the 2001 terrorist attacks. The AAA travel group expected 36 million people nationwide to travel 50 miles or more from their homes over the weekend.

"This is perfect weather for traveling either by air or car," said AAA spokesman Mantill Williams. "Apparently, they don't anticipate any type of inclement weather throughout the weekend, so we're confident the travel is going to live up to our expectations."

Some travelers seemed surprised by how smoothly their trips were going.

"I think a lot of us are smarter about how we have to travel now. I just check everything," Mary Thomas of Oxon Hill, Md., said as she waited for her bags in Atlanta after a flight from Baltimore. "We're all getting accustomed to the security process. It makes it a lot less chaotic."

Checkpoint wait times were shorter than last year at most airports, according to transportation officials who credited a better-educated flying public and more efficient screeners.

Travelocity editor Amy Ziff told the CBS News Early Show that airline passengers should make an effort to speed their way from the terminal door to the airplane cabin. Check in from home if possible, or use curbside baggage check-ins. Then head to the metal detectors.

"Now is if there is a line, be sure to get yourself ready as you walk up to the security area" Ziff said. That means removing all metal — pens, jewelry, belts, watches — and taking off all outerwear. It also means taking kids out of strollers so the strollers can be screened.

"It seems like there is much to do, but this will make your life easier today and all of the travelers behind you will thank you," Ziff said.

Wait times for early-afternoon flights Wednesday ranged from one minute in Chicago to 15 minutes in Atlanta. In Denver, travelers waited three minutes, and in Minneapolis-St. Paul, five minutes.

Brian Turmail, a spokesman for the Transportation Safety Administration, said the percentage of passengers who set off metal detectors and then have to be searched was running about 8 percent to 10 percent by mid-afternoon Wednesday, down from 16 percent last year.

"People are showing up early, prepared and patient," Turmail said.

Some airports are hoping the combination of the busiest travel weekend of the year with the busiest shopping weekend of the year will help airport stores, which are becoming an increasingly large part of many airports' business.

The Pittsburgh International Airport, for instance, started a free shopping shuttle on Wednesday, said Tina Richardson, spokeswoman for BAA Pittsburgh. It will tow passengers from their gates to shops and restaurants and back again.

Amtrak spokesman Cliff Black told the Early Show that passengers should arrive at least 30 minutes before departure if they plan to use ticket machines, or an hour ahead of time if they intend to buy their ticket from an agent at the window. Train passengers must carry photo identification. Passengers traveling on Wednesday or Sunday are advised to try to take morning trains, because the afternoon runs are typically the most crowded.

Travel, of course, is a Thanksgiving tradition made of necessity more than choice. From America's homes to its streets, from military bases to church basements to the gridiron, other rituals will also be observed.

New Yorkers will line the streets of Fifth Avenue to watch the giant floats of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Chicago and St. Louis will also welcome marchers and bands. Albuquerque celebrates the struggles of indigenous Americans.

At North Carolina's Fort Bragg, turkey and trimmings will be prepared for the troops. At St. Augustine's Church in Cleveland, the needy will be fed. The Detroit Lions will host the Green Bay Packers, and the Dallas Cowboys will welcome the Miami Dolphins.

For some the trip home was longer than others'. In Louisiana, National Guard troops of the 1086 and the 1084th transportation company returned after nine months of duty.