ROMULUS, Mich. (WXYZ) — Holiday travel is in full swing at Detroit Metropolitan Airport where an expected 45,000 people took to the skies Thursday and 2.5 million people were expected to take to the skies nationwide.
AAA predicts 3.6 million Michiganders will be traveling this holiday season, with more than 200,000 flying.
It’s the last rush to get home for the holidays and just days before Christmas, airports are filling up with families waiting to be reunited.
Susie Edwards of Romeo was at DTW Friday picking up her mom Barbara Roehlc, who now lives in Florida. Roehl made the trip back to spend Christmas with her kids and grandkids.
“It means everything,” Roehl said. “The most important thing is family.”
“She's the matriarch of our family,” Edwards said. “We lost my father about 22 years ago so when you are able to be with the people you love at the holidays, it’s what it’s meant for… We're so happy to have her home.”
Those meaningful moments is what brought thousands of travelers to DTW Friday. Cynthia Morgan from Troy is flying to Atlanta to visit family.
“It’s very important,” Morgan said. “My mom passed away last year, so we always get together as a family. There’s 33 of us.”
It’s also why the Milam family from Ann Arbor is flying to Georgia too.
“I’m excited because I get to see my cousins that live in Texas and not here,” John Milam said.
“It's hugely important, obviously,” mom Nora Milam said. “A, it's warmer than it is here and B, just being with family is really important to us.”
But with crowds comes long lines. The Transportation Security Administration is urging passengers to know what's in their bag before entering security. They’ve confiscated over 100 guns from carry-ons at DTW this year and are two shy from the record. This summer, they added new X-ray machines, hoping to keep the lines moving.
TSA says if you are bringing a gift, make sure it’s unwrapped because if it’s wrapped and it has to go through a secondary check, you may have a TSA agent opening that gift instead of family.
“Obviously, that's a situation no one wants to do,” TSA Michigan Federal Security Director Reggie Stephens said. “That's why it's important if you are traveling with gifts to leave it unwrapped or use a gift bag.”
Arrive early and follow instructions, and security should hopefully be a breeze. But flying with kids can have its own headaches too.
“Come prepared with electronic devices fully charged and have snacks,” Milam said before her youngest son chimed in to separate the brothers.
“Separate them — separate the children,” Milam laughed.
While Thursday was one of the busiest travel days TSA is anticipating at DTW, they also say Dec. 29 will be a busy travel day as well. Not only for New Year's and Christmas but also because a lot of Michigan fans will be flying out to California for the Rose Bowl.
