Travelers and TSA share tips for smooth Thanksgiving airport travel

Travelers and TSA share tips for smooth Thanksgiving airport travel TSA officials and travelers offer advice on packing, arriving early, and using touchless ID technology to navigate airports during the busy Thanksgiving travel period Advertisement Updated: 6:28 PM EST Nov 12, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ Kaye Paddyfote Reporter Travelers and TSA share tips for smooth Thanksgiving airport travel TSA officials and travelers offer advice on packing, arriving early, and using touchless ID technology to navigate airports during the busy Thanksgiving travel period Updated: 6:28 PM EST Nov 12, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ Kaye Paddyfote Reporter PITTSBURGH — As Thanksgiving travel picks up, TSA officials and travelers are sharing tips to help navigate airports during the busy holiday season. The Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving are typically the busiest travel days, making preparation essential. Advertisement "Making sure you're traveling with an empty bag. Making sure that nothing is in there that isn't supposed to be in there coming to the airport. Having an acceptable ID ready out at the checkpoint will help speed things along as well," Eric Guthrie, TSA regional spokesperson, said Thursday at Pittsburgh International Airport. This year, TSA PreCheck members can take advantage of touchless ID technology, which allows travelers to complete the verification process without removing their ID. "Eligible members of TSA PreCheck can participate in a couple ways. They can sign up with the eligible airline in their frequent flyer program, providing some passport information there, or you can sign up through Google Wallet," Guthrie said. Travelers also shared their advice for holiday flying. "Pack early. Don't wait until the last minute to pack. I don't know who did that," one traveler said. Another traveler suggested letting family members handle travel arrangements. "Have your nieces book everything for you. It's amazing," they said. "We just showed up. They picked us up in the car. That's the best way to do it. Have everyone else book it." Guthrie also reminded travelers about TSA's 3-1-1 liquids rule. "That's 3.4 ounces for liquids, gels, pastes, aerosols, creams like that. They need to be under 3.4 ounces. One quart-sized clear container or quart-sized bag per passenger allowed through the checkpoint," Guthrie said. For those with questions about travel, TSA offers assistance via text by sending "TRAVEL" to 275872. Make WTAE a preferred source on Google Add Preferred Source Share Infinite Scroll Enabled Top Picks Anthony Clark, a comedian and actor who starred on 'Yes, Dear,' dies WATCH: Baby bear captured on Ring camera 'ding-dong ditching' home at 2 a.m. Teen who has autism found alive after missing for nearly a week in the Australian woodlands Microsoft confirms Outlook outage affecting users worldwide