ILM preparing for busy Fourth of July travel weekend

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Millions of Americans are expected to travel to their holiday destination this Fourth of July weekend.

One of the busiest ways to travel will be by air.

The TSA says they expect more than 18 million Americans to fly between Tuesday and next Monday.

This comes after the TSA announced the 7th and 8th busiest days in its history took place last week.

At Wilmington International Airport, July is usually the busiest month of the year, and this weekend is expected to help the airport set a new record for passengers in a month.

Eliot Smith is flying to Chicago and said he’s glad to be leaving before the airport gets busier.

“Yeah, you know, it wasn’t planned, but now that I’ve talked to a few people around here, apparently, sounds like it is quite a rush so I guess I’m lucky that I happen to be flying out before that happens, so you know, maybe just a blessing in disguise,” Smith said.

Already, flights have been delayed or canceled at ILM as a WWAY reporter saw Representative David Rouzer waiting to rent a car, as a storm in Washington, D.C. caused his flight to be canceled.

It’s not just air travel that people will use to get to their destination, as AAA expects more than 72 million Americans to travel for this weekend.