Security Lines Shorter Than Expected

If you flew commercial last week to visit family or friends for Thanksgiving, you may have noticed something... the experience wasn't quite as bad as you had braced yourself for.

You wouldn't be alone... as across the country during the recent holiday travel weekend, airports say travelers were met with shorter-than-expected security lines, and even -- dare we say -- early flights.

A spokeswoman for Boston's Logan Airport said many people spread out their travel plans over several days, instead of hitting the airport in one massive rush of people. That helped... so did relatively calm weather conditions throughout the US, although weather did cause lengthy delays along the East Coast on Wednesday.

Even the TSA got in on the act, with airport volunteers walking ahead in security lines to warn travelers of the so-called "3-1-1" rule for carry-on toiletries. The agency says travelers got the message -- with fewer issues nationwide than even the TSA had expected.

Many airports also made efforts to keep travelers in the holiday spirit.

Dallas-Fort Worth International provided breakfast from a local donut shop to travelers waiting in line. The airport also enlisted the help of the Radio City Rockettes to greet passengers flying from the airport's international terminal, as well as soldiers returning home to spend the holiday with family.

All in all, not a bad way to kick off the holiday travel season...

FMI: www.tsa.gov