Holiday travel rush is here: 'GMA' correspondents report on challenges faced by TSA and AAA

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: The December 23 episode of 'Good Morning America' had the co-hosts discussing "the holiday weekend travel rush," which is already in full swing.

Correspondents Ike Ejiochi and Jaclyn Lee joined in live on the show from Washington DC and Los Angeles respectively to report on the traffic conditions about to be faced by commuters across the country.

TSA is expecting its busiest travel season ever

Reporting from Los Angeles International Airport, Lee said that the Transportation Security Administration is bracing for an estimated 7.5 million travelers to take the airway over the holidays. The numbers are "record-breaking" and have not been seen since before the Covid-19 pandemic.

"TSA is screening more than 2.76 million passengers on Friday [December 22], with those numbers expected to jump as we get closer to Christmas."

Lee reminded audiences about the flight cancellations and delays of the previous year which had left over 2 million flyers stranded with Southwest Airlines, but assured that they are "working on improving their operations so traffic nightmares like that do not happen again."

Flyers are advised to reach the airport two hours before their flight is scheduled, with the American Automobile Association recommending that they "reserve (their) parking spot ahead of time" to save the hassle later.

AAA projects second-highest number of holiday drivers ever recorded 

Ejiochi reported from Interstate 395 that the majority of travelers will be driving to their holiday destination in 2023, which according to AAA estimate will be around 104 million. This is second only to 2019's projection of 108 million, which is the highest recorded number.

The worst traffic conditions are expected to prevail on December 23, Saturday, and December 28, Thursday, stated Ejiochi. Travelers may also face heavy traffic on the following Saturday, December 30.

"The best time to hit the road will be before lunch or after 7 pm, but for (December 23), you should try and really get going before 10 am," he advised.

He concluded, "If you're willing to travel closer to the holidays themselves, you'll have the smoothest ride. Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day are all expected to have a small impact on travel patterns."