“The military will make available some of it’s airspace over the East Coast for civilian airspace this Thanksgiving,” Bush said this week. For five days, airspace not used for conventional traveling will be open to all from Maine to Florida. The decision is expected to impact large hubs like Atlanta and New York, but not so much in Charlotte.”Our real problems are the [Transportation Security Administration] and not being able to through people at the check points which can result in huge lines and the air traffic system that can’t handle the volume,” said Jerry Orr with Charlotte-Douglas International Airport.

AAA expects a record 39 million people will travel 50 miles or more in the next few weeks for holiday plans, so President George Bush has ordered several steps be taken to reduce air traffic congestion and long air travel delays.The FAA hopes to re-route airspace and try to use more direct routes for takeoffs and landings. Bush announced that there will be a holiday halt on non-essential maintenance projects so the FAA can be staffed and focused. To address the volume or congestion problems at places like Charlotte-Douglas, the Federal Aviation Administration is planning to cut back on non-essential flights, trying to make things more efficient.