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Thanksgiving travel ramps up with a record number of people expected to be taking trips

More than 1 million people in Arizona will travel for Thanksgiving, according to AAA.

PHOENIX — A record number of people are expected to take to the sky and roads ahead of Thanksgiving, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).

Tuesday, Wednesday and the Sunday after Thanksgiving are historically the busiest travel days of the year and experts predict 2023 won’t be any different.

AAA predicts 1.12 million Arizonans will travel for the holiday.

“Wednesday is absolutely going to be the busiest day when it comes to traveling," AAA Spokesperson Julian Paredes said.

Most people are expected to drive with roads being congested between noon and 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

"You really got to give yourself extra time," Paredes said.

RELATED: No closures on Arizona state highways over Thanksgiving holiday weekend, ADOT says

A near-constant stream of planes took off and landed at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on Tuesday.

"This as been our record-breaking year," Sky Harbor spokesperson Eric Everts said.

Everts said the airport sees a 25% increase in passengers the week of Thanksgiving.

“That’s pretty typical for this time of year," Everts said. "Thanksgiving holiday is usually our busiest time of year.”

Passengers told 12News they were relieved to see lines weren't as long as expected.

“I thought it was not as bad as I thought it was going to be," Dawn Duane said. "Although, I’ve been sitting here for a few hours and it’s definitely getting more and more crowded.”

Everts said showing up prepared will help the airport experience move swiftly.

Travelers can also reserve an appointment online to skip the line at security checkpoints.

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