Chicago Travel Alert: July 4th Holiday to Bring Crowds to Airports and Highways on Wednesday

CHICAGO (WLS) — Chicago airports were crowded Wednesday morning as people get away for the Fourth of July weekend.

It’s also the busiest day on the roads, since so many people are off work Thursday and Friday.

The hustle and bustle of holiday travel has landed at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport.

The Chicago Department of Aviation anticipates over 1.5 million passengers to pass through O’Hare from Wednesday through July 7, marking an 11 percent rise compared to the same period last year.

While down south at Midway, 320,000 travelers are estimated to catch a flight during the same six day time period.

“The crowds have definitely increased here over the last few hours with people making their way out for those holiday destinations,” stated Georgiaree Godfrey with the Chicago Department of Aviation.

At the crack of dawn, O’Hare’s was packed with passengers…checking in for those early morning flights with plenty of bags in tow.

For those planning on getting into the fray Wednesday or in the coming days, the CDA is offering up this advice.

“Arrive early,” Godfrey advised. “We always recommend passengers arrive at the airport two hours before their flight for domestic travel and three hours for international flights.”

American Airlines is now using new technology to help streamline the process for passengers trying to make connecting flights during the busiest Fourth of July travel period on record in Chicago for the company.

“We’re flying over 31,000 customers and the timing of our connection tool couldn’t come at a better time,” Ben Humphrey, VP of American Operations in Chicago, said.

Humphrey gave ABC7 an inside look at the Hub Control Center, where the tech is now being used to save precious time and help passengers make those holiday flights.

“We basically juggle about 30 airplanes an hour coming in and out with connections,” Humphrey said. “If one of those is late, we have to make a decision do we want to hold outbound flights or not…We’ve automated that to help connect more customers.”

Humphrey said it’s already been rolled out in Dallas-Fort Worth and Charlotte, helping thousands of customers who would have otherwise missed a connecting flight.

“We’re making more connections for customers so they can make their weddings and vacation plans,” Humphrey said.