(WXYZ) — Friday is expected to be the start of a busy holiday travel season throughout the country.
It comes amid the chance that the U.S. government could shut down, with the deadline for a deal at midnight.
TSA agents, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents and air traffic controllers are depending on that deal for a paycheck, otherwise, they will be working without getting paid as they are considered essential employees.
However, during the last government shutdown, many called in sick, and that could throw a wrench in a busy holiday season.
As the morning goes on, things are expected to get busier and busier at Detroit Metro Airport. Our Ryan Marshall is at the airport and noticed the significant increase in people between 5 a.m. and 5:30 a.m.
“We haven’t really had any issues or heard anything. We just wanted to make sure that we got here with plenty of time to where, it can be a relaxed experience instead of being rushed and really running here back and forth and trying to bust through the gates and all that. Get here early enough. And, we get to relax now and just enjoy it," Noah Guck from New Boston said.
AAA released its final travel forecast for 2024, projecting that more than 3.8 million Michiganders will travel over the year-end holiday season.
That projection would be a record high for the state by nearly 100,000 people compared to the previous high last year.
Across the country, AAA projects 119.3 million people will travel, meaning roads, airports and more will be crowded throughout December.
