100+ Delays Disrupt Flights At ATL Airport On Thanksgiving Eve

Updated 4:06 p.m.

ATLANTA, GA — The eve before turkeys hit the dinner table for Thanksgiving, travelers at the Atlanta airport on Wednesday were faced with more than 100 flight delays and two cancellations.

Around 4 p.m., there were 141 total flight delays at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, according to steadily rising FlightAware data.

Hartsfield, the world's busiest airport, topped several airports globally for the most number of delays by origin (75 delays) and by destination (67 delays), data showed.

Delta Air Lines had the most delays of all other airlines with 71, accounting for 4 percent of its flights. Frontier Airlines followed suit with 10 delays, representing 7 of its bookings.

As of Wednesday afternoon, two flights were cancelled at Hartsfield. Wait times for Transportation Security Administration checkpoints ranged from 0-15 minutes late morning.

On Friday, Hartsfield said it was expecting at least 4 million travelers to pass through its airport for Thanksgiving. The popular airport's busiest day will be Monday, Dec. 1, when 375,000 travelers are anticipated.

Globally, passengers traveling both domestic and abroad were hit with 17,500 delays and 772 cancellations. Of those, 3,116 delays and 97 cancellations were for flights traveling within, to or from the U.S.

Hartsfield shared these tips for holiday air travel:

• Arrive three hours early.
• Check Hartsfield for real-time updates.
• Review TSA guidelines.
• If you see something, say something.
• Guest service representatives in green coats are here to help.

Delta share their own tips, which included the following:

• Update the Delta app and turn on notifications for real-time flight updates and more.
• Add your passport and Known Traveler Number ahead of time in the app for an easy check-in.
• Use the app to pre-pay for your bags, using App Bag Drop, and breeze through security with TSA PreCheck Touchless ID.
• If an unexpected travel disruption happens, view flight options and choose standby for an earlier flight.

RELATED: GA Highways May Be Especially Congested This Thanksgiving: Here’s Why

Georgia residents who are driving somewhere for Thanksgiving should anticipate heavy traffic on both Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the transportation data company INRIX. Travelers returning home on Sunday should expect heavy traffic most of the day.

If possible, Georgia residents should avoid Interstate 16 east from Atlanta to Savannah during the peak congestion period around 3:30 p.m. Sunday, when the estimated travel time is 5 hours and 16 minutes. Traffic is expected to increase by 53 percent.

Here are the worst and best times to travel during the seven-day holiday period:

• Tuesday: worst, 12-9 p.m.; best, before noon.
• Wednesday: worst 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; best, before 11 a.m.
• Thanksgiving Day: minimal traffic impact expected
• Friday: worst, 1-7 p.m.; best, before 11 a.m.
• Saturday: worst, 1-8 p.m.; best, before 10 a.m.
• Sunday: worst, 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; best, before 11 a.m.
• Monday, Dec. 1: noon-8 p.m.; best, after 8 p.m.

Travel delays should be expected in the top 10 Thanksgiving destinations, AAA said. They are Orlando, Florida; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Miami; Anaheim/Los Angeles; Tampa, Florida; New York City; San Francisco; Honolulu; Las Vegas; and Atlanta.