Holiday travel begins across Milwaukee County

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- According to Amtrak, Nov. 22 is the second busiest day in the busiest season for holiday travel. 

They said they were prepared to take on the crowds.

"The Wednesday before used to be the busiest day, but more and more people are taking all week off, and more and more colleges and universities are letting people out for the whole week," said Marc Magliari, Senior Public Relations Manager with Amtrak. 

The Hiawatha line is coined as Milwaukee Amtrak's most popular line.

"This is awesome," said excited train passenger, 11-year-old Jake Hurst.

Hurst is traveling to Chicago with his mom for Thanksgiving, and he said he loves to travel by train.

"I just like how the trains feel, you get to pass traffic, you get to do all that," said Hurst.

The boy was not alone in choosing Amtrak as his mode of transportation.

John Akstulewizz from Appleton said his holiday travel came down to the dollar and cents.

"I would rather just take a train because it's cheaper and affordable, it's something new, an experience," said Akstulewizz.

Still, others prefer the open road.

AAA predicted more than 55 million Americans are driving this Thanksgiving.

"I kind of need my car to move around when I get to the city, so the train is nice, but I still got to be mobile," said Marsha Pearson, a woman traveling by car.

Mitchell International Airport officials expected more than 20,000 travelers a day.

"We had a short amount of time and we wanted to see family that lives in Madison, and I love the Milwaukee Airport it's so accessible," said Kathleen Hurley, a woman traveling by plane.

To keep spirits bright, experts said to leave early and be prepared for traffic and delays.

Amtrak is expecting their next busiest day of travel to be Sunday.

While at the airport, all fights appeared to be on schedule.