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KCI Airport prepares for busiest travel day of the year

Posted at 1:05 PM, Nov 23, 2016
and last updated 2016-11-23 14:06:30-05

The Kansas City airport is not immune to long lines on the busiest travel day of the year.

TSA said the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, and the Sunday and Monday after are the most highly traveled days of the year.

In the mid-morning hours people flying out of KCI did not wait longer than 20 minutes. Around 11 a.m. some of those lines grew to about half an hour.

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A Southwest employee told us they have about 20 to 30 more people working this Wednesday. He said they usually hire more workers during the holiday time.

The TSA press contact, Sari Koshetz, said more people are leaving guns or knives in their carry-ons. They say this slows the process down because you can't fly with these items and it freezes the entire line.

At that point you will be questioned by TSA and local law enforcement. You could be arrested and face a civil penalty up to $11,000.

Koshetz said during holiday travel time, TSA is typically at full staff everywhere.

By 11 a.m. Southwest airlines had flown 9,000 people out of Kansas City.

One traveler leaving KCI, Keith Fitzsimmons, said he doesn't fly a lot but he does fly on the holidays.

"When you use your head, get here early, you don't have any problems at all. It's a guy who says it takes 20 minutes and gets here in 18. Then they are in line waiting, trying to make things happen. It's just your common sense -- just get here early and be prepared," said Fitzsimmons.

Forty-eight million Americans are expected to travel this holiday weekend.

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Belinda Post can be reached at belinda.post@kshb.com.

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