HEBRON, Ky. — CVG Airport officials expect Sunday will be one of the airport’s busiest days during the holiday travel period.

WCPO crews saw long lines at airline check-in counters around 5 and 6 a.m.

Flight cancellations are still impacting travelers with thousands of flights canceled across the country. In the last 24 hours, CVG Airport has seen 25 flight cancellations, according to tracking website FlightAware. Cancellations have been caused by winter weather and staffing shortages due to COVID-19 cases.

Overall, travel is up this year compared to last.

“We do expect to serve about 90% of the volume that we saw pre pandemic, so in 2019,” said CVG spokeswoman Mindy Kershner. “We're not quite there yet to normal levels of volume, but we're getting close.”

CVG officials urge travelers to track their flight status online to stay in the loop on delays and closures. Kershner also recommends arriving to the airport early, about two hours before your flight is scheduled to take off.

For drivers, AAA says the worst traffic on the roads will be between 2 and 6 p.m. AAA says drivers will experience the least traffic before 1 p.m.

HEBRON, Ky. — The busiest travel day of the year in Cincinnati ended without major delays Thursday.

AAA predicted most people would be on the roadways between noon and 6 p.m. Lines were long at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport throughout the day.

Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, many families haven't visited since the 2019 holiday season. AAA and the Transportation Safety Administration predicted overall travel to be 90% of pre-pandemic levels.

WCPO anchor Julie O'Neill flew Thursday and noted the airport was more crowded with longer check-in lines than she's seen in years.

Passengers at the airport were arriving early expecting long waits through security. O'Neill said despite the packed airport, people were moving through quickly.

AAA predicted 6 million people would travel the holiday season from Thursday to Monday, Jan. 3. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend being fully vaccinated before flying and having a COVID test before.

Staff photo by Julie O'Neil

Barbara Nethers and her husband left their Tennessee home around 6 a.m. Thursday to make it to family in Ohio without hitting congestion. During that time, the Tri-State saw its largest backup on I-71 North near the Ridge Road exit just after noon.

"Take it easy," Nethers said. "A lot of trucks out there this morning, but they’re traveling well."

AAA said 4.4 million Ohioans are expected to travel the roadways this holiday, a 26% increase from 2020. The next busiest travel day will likely be the day after Christmas, when AAA suggests leaving before noon.

Road trips remain the top mode of travel during the holidays. Average gas prices are at $3.29 a gallon, which is the highest holiday price at the pump since 2008. The current average in Ohio and Indiana is just about $3. In Kentucky, prices are averaging around $2.95.

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