Chicago Area Local News

CHICAGO (CBS) ― Fewer people are traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday this year, but that doesn't mean travelers can expect just to breeze through airport lines or coast through traffic.

CBS 2's Kristyn Hartman reports that as of Wednesday evening, the flight boards at O'Hare Airport say that most flights are on time. The security line is also moving along quite well. People say it's been taking them about 15 to 20 minutes to get through the lines.

AAA says the number of people flying this year is down by 7 percent nationally from last year; it's down 9 percent at O'Hare.

But just because fewer people are flying, doesn't mean it's not busy. O'Hare will serve 205,000 passengers Wednesday. Midway Airport will serve 60,000 passengers Wednesday. Midway's busiest day was Tuesday. O'Hare's busiest day is expected to be Sunday.

Earlier Wednesday, CBS 2's Joanie Lum reported the energy crisis of last summer and the current financial crisis have produced numerous headlines about the airlines downsizing. But you wouldn't know it based on the volume of travelers at O'Hare International Airport.

While the major air carriers have cut down the number of available flights, they have also cut prices as oil prices have dropped.

Everything was running at O'Hare late Wednesday morning. The volume of traffic was heavy, but most travelers were happy about the start of the holiday vacation.

"We came from Alexandria, Virginia, and we're heading out to Matteson, Illinois, to see grandma," said Debbie Foster.

Grandma is worth it, but the Foster family did think twice about paying for flights.

"It was a tough decision, but we started earlier in the summer and decided that we needed to come, so we planned for it," Foster said.

The same goes for the Ramirez family of Milwaukee. The family of six is flying to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, for a wedding.

"It was hard, though, for a while we were struggling back and forth whether or not we should do it."

Even a short trip to Minnesota can cause stress.

"Hectic – high prices at first. We waited until we thought it would go down before we purchased our tickets," said Andrea Gibson. "It went down probably about 50 bucks."

Passengers arrived early to avoid hassles and surprises, like the new baggage fees.

Other security regulations are the same as last year. Liquids are still limited to liquids in containers of no more than 3 ounces in one clear plastic zip-top bag. Shoes must also come off at security checkpoints. 
New this year are the family lanes the Transportation Security Administration has set up at O'Hare.

"O'Hare, as well as every other airport nationwide, now has a family lane at every checkpoint, which just allows families to go at their own pace, take their time in going through security, and just be able to be in a lane where other people are the same as them," said TSA security officer Annie Gregg.

The family lanes families allow families, people unfamiliar with air travel procedures, and travelers with special needs to get strollers or extra carry-ons through security without hassles, officials said.

At Midway, the TSA operates its "Diamond Self-Select" program, featuring separate lanes for Expert, Casual and Family travelers.

Travelers at both O'Hare and Midway can experience live musical entertainment in the terminals featuring holiday-themed jazz, classical, blues and international selections on Wednesday, from 2 to 5 p.m. Later on Nov. 26, the Radio City Rockettes will kick off the season with an appearance at O'Hare.

Several new restaurants and shops have recently opened at O'Hare, including city favorites such as Garrett Popcorn, Nuts on Clark, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and The Grove, the Chicago Department of Aviation said.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, United Service Organizations (USO) volunteers will provide goodie bags filled with snacks, bottled water and informational pamphlets to military personnel at welcome stations located just beyond security at O'Hare, the department said.

The USO operates facilities at O'Hare and Midway to provide servicemen and women, and their families with a place to relax, enjoy a meal, check e-mail, phone home and re-adjust to life before returning home or being deployed, according to the department.

The Chicago Airport System's cell phone parking lots enable motorists to temporarily park free of charge until friends, family members or business associates have deplaned, collected baggage and are ready to be picked up curbside, the department said. 

City aviation officials expect 2.5 million travelers to use O'Hare and Midway airports during the Thanksgiving holiday. The busiest day at O'Hare is expected to be Sunday, when nearly 223,000 passengers are expected. Midway was forecast to be Tuesday, when 64,000 passengers had been expected to pass through, aviation officials said.

Fewer Travelers On Roads
AAA says this could be the first Thanksgiving in six years that holiday travel declines, due to concerns about the economy. But gas prices are also down, and some people told CBS 2 earlier this week that they planned to take advantage and make road trips.

Nicole Niemi of AAA Chicago advises motorists to expect busy roads.

"We're expecting a decrease in travel for the first time since 2002, but that doesn't mean that it's not going to be very busy," Niemi said. "The roadways, the expressways, are all going to be crowded. Here at O'Hare and at Midway, we're expecting long lines. There are still a lot of people – more than 41 million Americans – who are going to be traveling for Thanksgiving."

Niemi said low gas prices had indeed led some people to take road trips, but the overall economy is still keeping the number of travelers down.

Throughout the Thanksgiving weekend, Illinois State Police are stepping up enforcement on major roadways, including seatbelt enforcement and alcohol concentration zones, along with speed and special traffic patrols.

The Illinois Tollway is suspending lane closures through the holiday weekend, but motorists should keep in mind that the speed limit, whether or not there are workers present, is 45 mph in construction zones.


CTA Encourages Public Transit Use
The CTA encourages Chicagoans to take public transportation, particularly to the airports. Air travelers can reach O'Hare from the Loop in 45 minutes on the Blue Line, and Midway is accessible in 30 minutes on the Orange Line, the CTA said.

The CTA is also notifying customers that it is rerouting several bus routes downtown for the Thanksgiving Day Parade. State Street will be closed Thursday between Washington and Randolph streets from midnight to 1 p.m., and from Roosevelt Road and Congress Parkway from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. All east-west streets from Wacker Drive to Roosevelt Road will be closed at State Street from 8 a.m. to noon.

The CTA is also extending service on the No. 10 Museum of Science and Industry bus, which runs from Jackson Park to the Magnificent Mile, from Thursday through Jan. 2.

Metra has also revised its schedule for the Thanksgiving holiday. There will be extra afternoon trains departing downtown terminals Wednesday afternoon for commuters who want to get an early start on the holiday.

In addition, there will be an extra express train on Metra's Burlington Northern Santa Fe line from Aurora to Chicago's Union Station on Friday morning for holiday shoppers. For a breakdown of the changes on Metra, click here.

CBS 2's Kristyn Hartman, Joanie Lum and the STNG Wire contributed to this report.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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