Busy travel season predicted

Long Islanders flying for the Thanksgiving holiday are bracing for one of the busiest travel seasons on record.

The Transportation Security Administration said it expects to screen about 25 million airline passengers at metropolitan-area airports during the Nov. 16-26 turkey holiday season, a 7 percent spike from last year.

The Sunday after Thanksgiving is predicted to be one of the busiest travel days on record for TSA screenings, the administration said. The two days leading up to the holiday also are expected to draw large crowds, officials said.

Kennedy Airport will see the largest volume of passengers, with crowds of 100,000 passengers per day, according to transportation officials. LaGuardia Airport will have about 48,000 daily passengers and Newark Liberty International about 70,000.

Long Island MacArthur is expected to screen more than 34,000, a 1 percent increase compared to last year, an airport official said Friday.

TSA officials didn’t say why the numbers increased but first noticed an uptick in travel patterns last Thanksgiving and expect the trend to continue this year.

The administration said travelers should arrive two hours in advance of their domestic flights and three hours for international.

To expedite travel, airport officials said removing powdered substances from carry-on bags is recommended as elements will result in an alarm and thus a bag check.

Putting large liquids, gels, creams, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, shaving cream and antiperspirant into checked bags also helps. Taking electronics larger than a cellphone from carry-on bags and placing them in a bin with nothing above or underneath them will make traveling easier, too, the TSA said.