By Michael Conlon
CHICAGO, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Amid tight airport security but generally favorable weather, millions of Americans took to the roads and the air on Wednesday to join family and friends for the Thanksgiving holiday, the busiest four-day travel period of the year.
Initial reports indicated smooth going for most, the notable exception being New England where a storm dumped up to 10 inches (25 cm) of snow inland and slowed traffic in Massachusetts.
Post-9/11 security measures meant lines as usual at airports. Miami's International airport had some of the worst -- 80 minutes total wait time in Concourse F -- according to Travelocity, the online booking site which deployed monitors to report conditions at 25 major airports.
By comparison travelers were zipping through Baltimore Washington International Airport with only two-minute waits at checkpoints and two minutes at baggage check-ins, Travelocity said.
Passenger lines at Boston's Logan International Airport were lighter than normal as many travelers, fearing complications from the weather, arrived early. Some even changed their travel plans and left on Tuesday night.
A few delays were reported, but generally flights were leaving on time.
Massachusetts State Police reported minor fender-benders on state highways and said some motorists had driven off roads because of the snow, which averaged between three and six inches (eight to 15 cm) across much of the state.
But police expected more accidents as the day went on, as driving conditions were forecast to deteriorate in the eastern part of the state.
An early morning rush at Washington's Reagan National Airport flooded the main parking lot and travelers were clustered by the dozens at security gates.
Crowds eased slightly by midday, with many people milling casually around the concourse, drinking coffee and speaking on cellular phones.
SOME ARRIVED TOO EARLY
Richard Orapollo arrived two-and-a-half hours early for his short-haul flight to Syracuse, New York.
"I heard it was going to be really busy, with people lined up all over the place. That was my expectation," he said. "When I arrived it was fine. I guess I'm too early."
Windy conditions forced some airports to reconfigure runway operations, resulting in delays and some flight cancellations, according to Brian Bicek, air traffic management specialist for Orbitz, another online travel booking company.
He said that was the case at Chicago's O'Hare International and Midway airports where arrival delays were being reported. Nineteen flights had been canceled at the two airports by mid-morning, he said, mainly because of the delays or because of mechanical and operational problems by various airlines.
Flights leaving Cleveland Hopkins airport were being delayed by de-icing operations, Bicek said, and unfavorable winds were also causing some delays at New York's three major airports.
He said 17 flights had been canceled at Boston's Logan International.
The American Automobile Association had estimated that 35.9 million Americans would travel at least 50 miles (80 km) over the four-day period, a 1.7 percent increase over a year ago. But even with the rise the shadow of terrorism was still evident -- this year's figures were nearly a million below pre-9/11 levels.
Most of the travelers -- 30.8 million -- planned to go by car. But the AAA said 6 percent more people were flying this year than last.
A 6 percent increase in air travel was also predicted by Maritz Hospital Research Group, based on a poll of more than 1,000 adults; but it disagreed with the AAA, saying its survey found that only 28 percent of Americans said they would travel this holiday, down from 33 percent a year ago.
Sunday -- when travelers who left on various days the week before all try to return home at once -- is traditionally the single busiest U.S. travel day of the year.