WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT -- Plenty of people are already headed home for Thanksgiving by car and by plane in northeastern Pennsylvania.
Traffic along Interstate 81 near Pittston was moving slowly around 4 p.m. on Wednesday.
Not too far from there, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport was also packed with travelers.
The airport is actually on track to have a record-breaking year for the highest number of passengers.
Michelle Rovner and her family flew into the airport from Charleston, South Carolina Wednesday afternoon for the first time. Her family is coming from all over for a Thanksgiving dinner in the Poconos.
“We were actually quite surprised how small it really was. There's only one terminal. Although Charleston is not that much bigger, this is pretty tiny,” Rovner said.
It may be small, but it sure is mighty. The airport is on pace to break its record for the most passengers flying out of the airport in one year.
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“You can get in in the morning and get out pretty quick, so it's never a problem,” Ken Bevan of Hunlock Creek said.
Bevan and Bret Politz use the airport about twice a month for business. They said it is always quick and reliable.
“It's a lot better than Philadelphia, I'll say that. I haven't lost my luggage yet here,” Politz said.
According to airport officials, more than 25,000 passengers flew out of the airport last month. That is about 4,000 more than last October.
“I'm glad to see everybody is coming to this airport and traveling in and out. It helps the economy and works out well for everyone here,” Bevan said.
Airport officials said part of the reason for their success is advertising. It helped bring in more travelers from the Lehigh Valley and the Southern Tier of New York.
Lots of out of towners said they would use it again.
“It's really nice. People are nice. It's been really nice,” Rovner said.
As of October of this year, 224,775 passengers flew out of the airport.