Busy Fourth of July travel period takes off at Atlanta airport

ATLANTA – The busy Fourth of July travel period is already taking off, and officials at the world’s busiest airport in Atlanta say they’re prepared for the hundreds of thousands of travelers to hit the skies.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International officials expect more than 4 million passengers to pass through from Thursday until July 7.

What we know:

 Friday is expected to be the busiest day of the season with airport officials estimating that nearly 400,000 passengers will be traveling through Atlanta.

Thursday won’t be far behind. Hartsfield-Jackson officials project that they’ll see about 384,000 passengers.

Nationwide, the Transportation Security Administration is expecting 18.5 million people to fly during the Fourth of July.

Travelers head off at the start of the busy Fourth of July travel period. (FOX 5)

In order to ease these summer travel numbers, U.S. Customs and Border Protection is using new technology at the airport to streamline travelers’ arrivals into the country.

The technology captures the passenger’s image on the move, which speeds up the process of getting through customs.

What they’re saying:

“When you’re looking at an airport as busy as Atlanta where we’ll see upwards of 27,000 passengers on any given summer day, that translates into a 22% efficiency rate where we’re seeing a 40 to 50% decrease in passenger wait times,” said Clay Thomas, the Atlanta-area port director of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

What you can do:

To help travelers navigate the crowds, TSA officials are urging people to plan ahead and arrive to the airport early. 

For domestic flights, passengers should arrive 2.5 to 3 hours before departure, and at least 3 hours early for international travel.

Planning on driving? You should also prepare for delays as travelers pack the roads. AAA expects more than 2 million Georgians to head to their vacation destinations by car this year.