CHICAGO (WBBM) – While travel in U.S. airports is expected to increase this holiday season, those at Chicago’s airports say they’re surprised at the smooth sailing this Christmas Eve.

As WBBM Newsradio 780’s Mary Frances Bragiel reports, there was a sense of ease Friday among travelers at O’Hare International Airport.

LISTEN: Newsradio 780′s Mary Frances Bragiel Reports

Joe Adams came in from Dallas, where he says the airport was packed on this Christmas Eve.

“There’s nobody here,” Adams said. “This is the first time this year. I’ve been traveling here for 14 years. I’ve never seen it like this.”

From the airports to the roadways, traffic was certainly light Friday morning. Anike Pearson can attest to that.

“There was nothing on the roads, either, coming here, which is abnormal, because it normally takes you ages to get here, and it was the quickest trip that we ever had,” she said.

Melanie Taylor and Jason Sharamick also admit they were a bit shocked this morning at the lack of holiday traffic.

“Smooth sailing. There was nobody on the roads, and everything was very smooth,” Sharamick said.
The two arrived extra early for their flight to New Jersey, but found themselves sitting in Terminal 2, with quite a bit of time on their hands. A woman who was heading to Milan, Italy, was in a similar situation.

“It’s empty, thank God – that’s what I thought, and you know, the weather’s pretty good,” she said.

But snow is expected to begin falling as the afternoon goes on, which could put a damper on holiday travel.