Craziness at O'Hare? It didn't happen

Amber and Russ Wasendorf were prepared for the worst when they brought their two kids to O'Hare International Airport Wednesday for a trip to Orlando, Fla.

"We have enough to eat in the diaper bag for three days," Amber Wasendorf said.

But the crowds at O'Hare were smaller and the lines shorter than they expected, and there were only a handful of flights showing minor delays.

And the kids even got to have their pictures taken -- with four Rockettes, no less.

"This is gonna be the best holiday card ever," Wasendorf said as four members of the famed dance troupe stopped to let 9-year-old Zac and 2-year-old Erik stand near their famous legs for a photograph.

Other travelers, even those who didn't get any of the candy canes passed out by the Rockettes, weren't prepared for what has become an increasingly rare experience: an enjoyable trip to the airport.

"This is hardly anything," Mary Daumen said of the crowds. Daumen had brought her 7-year-old daughter, Kate, from their home in nearby Palatine to pick up relatives.

In fact, travelers' eyes weren't deceiving them. Not only were there fewer people at the airport than they expected, but according to the city's Department of Aviation, there were expected to be fewer people at O'Hare than a typical weekday.

Aviation department spokeswoman Karen Pride said about 206,000 travelers were expected to go through the world's second-busiest airport Wednesday -- about 3,000 less than an average day. Delays averaged 30 minutes by Wednesday evening.

Across town at Midway Airport, the day was expected to be busier than normal. But the 73,000 people expected to come to the airport, though about 21,000 more than normal, was not overwhelming and Pride said Midway was running relatively smoothly, with delays averaging 45 minutes, she said.

A key reason there wasn't a crush of people, said Pride, is that more and more holiday travelers are leaving earlier -- sometimes days earlier -- than they used to. What used to be an eight-day travel window is now an 11-day window, she said.

"It looks like people started the holiday on the 16th, the Friday before," she said.

So unlike a typical morning before Thanksgiving, reporters roaming the terminals had trouble finding angry and harried travelers. What they got instead were relieved parents and excited kids. And talk about holiday traditions and sunny vacations far from the gray, wet and cold plaguing northern Illinois this week.

"We're going to California -- just say the word," said Pam Girard, who was checking luggage for a trip with her husband and daughters, ages 3 years and 4 months, after driving to the airport from Huntley. "It's not raining, it's nice, it's got mountains, it's got the beach. C'mon, it's California."

Seven-year-old Benjamin Comins had other things on his mind as he waited with his 4½-year-old sister, Lucy, as his parents, Michael and Janet Comins, took care of their bags.

"It's my favorite time of the year," he said, as his father explained the boy's answer changes with the holiday.

But Benjamin has a reason. It seems that along with the traditional turkey he eats at his grandparents' home outside Boston, there is an even better bird.

"He really loves Thanksgiving because of the chocolate turkey his grandparents have," said his mother. "He thinks it's every year."

"It IS every year," Benjamin corrected her.