Thursday was expected to be the busiest travel day in nearly two years with the TSA saying more people are flying this holiday season than before the pandemic.

From now and Jan. 2, AAA says 110 million people are expected to travel 50 miles or more between airplanes, cars and other modes of transportation. That's almost a 34% increase from last year.

This is the first time many families are reuniting in person since the pandemic started.

“It’s nice because we haven’t seen my sister in two years,” says Amityville resident Anne Garcia. “So, it’s nice to finally be able to get out and travel and actually take a vacation.”

Some who did travel say they just tried to stay with their family and avoid any unnecessary risks.

An estimated 27.7 million more Americans will be traveling this holiday season.

Airlines will see the biggest jump – 6 million passengers is an almost 184% increase from last year. Meanwhile, 100 million will be driving to their destinations.

AAA says the only difference it has seen is people moving cruise line reservations to the summer.

News 12 spoke with Southwest Airlines, which has flights from MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma. It anticipated a normal holiday travel day.