To grandmother's house we go: Bay Area airports busy for Thanksgiving travel

OAKLAND, Calif. - Airports are still working to handle the millions of Americans traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday as Tuesday and Wednesday will be the two busiest days of the week. 

In the Bay Area, the number of passengers is climbing back to pre-pandemic levels at the three local airports.

Oakland International Airport has about 2% more passengers this Thanksgiving week, compared to last year.

Lee Neal, who is traveling to San Diego, said he's feeling the surge. 

"I think it's good for the economy," Neel said. "That's the first thing that pops up, but it also makes me think of families getting together. It makes me happy inside." 

San Francisco International Airport is seeing roughly a 20% increase for the entire holiday season. 

TSA officials said 2.9 million passengers may hit the skies in a single travel day this week, which would break a single-day record. In addition, 4 million more people are now signed up for pre-check-in, compared to last year. 

And despite those higher numbers, the U.S. government says airlines are handling it well. 

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that so far, this year has seen the lowest cancelation rate in the last five years.