CHICAGO (WLS) — The tarmac at O’Hare Airport was a busy place Friday, one of the busiest travel days of the year.
With the start of Memorial Day weekend, many travelers got ready to head out of town and were excited.
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According to the Chicago Department of Aviation, Thursday was projected to be the busiest day at O’Hare, while Midway would see the peak number of travelers on Monday.
This weekend is anticipated to break travel records. Nationwide, AAA estimates that over 45 million Americans will travel, surpassing the previous record set in 2005.
Tiffany Knauer is heading to visit her son in Florida, and she expected the airport to be more crowded.
“I expected worse,” Knauer said. “I am pleasantly surprised. The traffic outside was even better.”
O’Hare Airport was preparing for more than 1.5 million travelers passing through the terminals over the long weekend, marking nearly a 7% increase compared to the same period last year.
American Airlines is expecting a big increase in the number of flights and travelers going through Chicago over this time last year.
“Planning for this weekend started months ago, back in October, as we figured out when we wanted to fly, where we wanted to fly and how we wanted to use our gate space,” said Ben Humphrey with American Airlines.
United Airlines said they’ll fly 67,000 seats on average a day out of O’Hare, with Friday being their busiest day.
This will also be the first holiday travel period with the new Real ID requirement at airports. Travelers were encouraged to arrive early to airports as TSA deals with the new requirements.
With the Kennedy Expressway under construction, officials are urging people to take public transit to O’Hare.
On the roads, AAA says about 87% of travelers, or 39 million people, will be driving between Thursday and Monday, up 1 million over last year. They will enjoy lower gas prices than a year ago at this time, as well as slightly cheaper hotels and rental cars.
That’s good news for holiday travelers like Jen Richards, whose family has a full agenda planned for the weekend.
“We went to the Botanic gardens with the toddler, and now we are going to dinner and my mother has a sweatshirt with all the grandchildren’s pictures on it,” Richards said.
Several events this holiday weekend are allowing people in the Chicago area to bathe in the pre-summer fun.
IDOT and Illinois State Police are ramping up efforts to pull over passengers not wearing their seat belt, part of their “click it or ticket campaign.”
For those staying in the Chicago area, there was no better way to kick off the holiday weekend than music in the streets.
Preparations were underway Friday for the start of The Belmont Sheffield Music Festival. The Lake View event is marking its 40th anniversary with live performances and vendors serving up food and other merchandise.
“Besides the sunshine, we have a great line-up of bands. We have a lot of local cuisine,” said Maureen Martino, Executive Director of the Lake View East Chamber of Commerce. “People come back to this neighborhood, who used to live here many, many years ago.”
It’s one of several events this weekend allowing people to bathe in the pre-summer fun. Another option is to bathe in the waters of Lake Michigan.
The lakefront beaches were officially opened for the summer Friday, and people can take a swim, if it’s safe, between 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The Memorial Day weekend is also bringing the Sueños Music Festival back to Grant Park for Saturday and Sunday. Crews were setting up on Friday for pop star Shakira to take to the stage this weekend.
READ MORE | Sueños Music Festival coming to Grant Park this weekend
It’s weekend of celebration in Chicago no matter what the vibe is.
“And, we still are loving the vibe of being small enough to see your neighbors and talk,” Martino said. “But, it’s actually a big festival”
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