Rain delays flights to Northeast, but holiday travel moves along briskly

U.S. airports were busy as travelers made their way home Sunday after the Thanksgiving holiday

In this story: Delayed flights in parts of U.S. Amtrak sees minor delays RELATED STORIES, SITES

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Rain, ice and cold earlier Sunday delayed holiday travelers headed to the Northeast, but early reports indicated no major snarls during what's predicted will be the United States' busiest air travel day on record.

In the New York metropolitan area, rain delayed air traffic for 2 1/2 hours at LaGuardia Airport, but flights were on schedule at Newark (New Jersey) International Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport, said John Collins, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

In Connecticut, at Hartford's Bradley International Airport, a spokesman said departures were slightly delayed because airplanes had to be de-iced. But flights were on schedule during the afternoon after temperatures rose late in the morning.

In parts of New England, morning ice covered some roads, making driving treacherous. But by noon most of the ice had melted.

At Logan International Airport, in Boston, Massachusetts, morning rain showers caused 30-minute delays, Massachusetts Port Authority spokesman Jose Juves said. On Sunday, 82,000 to 85,000 passengers were expected to travel through the airport -- 10,000 to 15,000 more than usual.

In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, morning rain ended by 1 p.m., and flights were on schedule, said Philadelphia International Airport spokesman Mark Pesce. "It's been real smooth since Wednesday," he said.

On a normal Sunday, 65,000 passengers use Philadelphia's airport, Pesce said. He predicted 91,000 travelers would use it Sunday.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority said there were no significant delays in the Washington, D.C., area. "Other than being very busy, we're operating very smoothly," he said.

Delayed flights in parts of U.S.

Rain in New England caused a backup in departures to New York-area and New England airports. Planes taking off from San Francisco, California; Los Angeles, California; and Chicago, Illinois, also were facing departure delays averaging four hours, the Federal Aviation Administration said on its Web site.

But Los Angeles International Airport was on track to handle record crowds of travelers, spokeswoman Nancy Castles said. With holiday travelers adding to the usual flow of business travelers, the airport was expecting 205,000 passengers on Sunday versus the usual 170,000 to 175,000, Castles said.

Amtrak sees minor delays

Amtrak spokeswoman Cecilia Cummings blamed morning rain for minor delays in the nation's passenger rail service, "but nothing extraordinary."

More than 40 trains were added along the popular Northeast corridor route to accommodate a predicted 30 percent increase in passenger volume reaching to 150,000, she said.

Greyhound spokeswoman Kristin Parsley said the bus line, based in Dallas, Texas, anticipated carrying more than 1 million riders over the six-day holiday period that ends Tuesday. That would be about 400,000 more than travel on the buses during a routine six-day period.

The Air Transport Association predicted about 2.2 million Americans would travel home Sunday, 4 percent more than last year.

The American Automobile Association had estimated 31.6 million Americans would drive 100 miles or more during the holiday weekend, a 5 percent increase over last year.

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Air Transport Association
American Automobile Association

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