A big travel weekend is coming up and, officials with the Philadelphia International Airport are expecting about 484,000 travelers to pass through from Thursday, May 21, 2026 through Monday, May 25, 2026.
And, on Thursday alone, airport officials expect to see over 100,000 travel through the airport on their way to celebrate the weekend.
Yet, NBC10’s Neil Fischer met travelers in South Philly who found the airport relatively easy to move through with short waits at flights on schedule.
“I was expecting a big line. Last time we were here it was all the way down the concourse,” said Cliff Furniss, of Glenside.
For Ryan Collins, a Maryland resident headed to Mexico for the weekend, seeing things moving smoothly at the airport on Thursday morning was a relief.
“I’m very surprised to see that, on holiday weekend. It’s a lot of space to move around,” Collins said.
More than 100,000 travelers are expected to move through the airport again on Friday, as well, ahead of the holiday weekend.
For those who plan to travel by automobile for the weekend, the American Automotive Association believes that more than 470,000 people will hit the roads for the holiday.
Jana Tidwell, a spokesperson for AAA said the numbers show a strong demand for travel ahead of, what is set to be, a busy upcoming summer.
“The good part is we are seeing a strong demand for travel,” said Tidwell. “And, hopefully that’s indicative of what we will see going into summer as this is only the first of the holiday weekends. We’ve got July fourth and Labor Day coming up.”
In fact, according to airport officials, the upcoming year will be busy with more than nine million people expected to travel through the Philadelphia International Airport this year alone.