
A record 38.7 million US residents are expected to make a journey of 50 miles or more for this year's Thanksgiving celebrations.
And many got underway in the early hours of Wednesday morning to beat the rush, with queues building at train stations and for red-eye overnight flights.
Some 4.7 million people are predicted by the American Automobile Association to be taking flights across the US to visit family and friends for the holiday .
New York City was expected to be particularly busy, with some 3,492 take-offs and landings planned for today at John F Kennedy International, Newark Liberty and LaGuardia airports.
To help ease the congestion in the skies, President Bush announced that two air corridors will be established by the Pentagon to keep space clear of military jets for commercial airliners from Wednesday afternoon through Sunday, creating a 'Thanksgiving express lane'.
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