Americans hit the roads, railways and airports ahead of Thanksgiving

Motorists in Philadelphia on Interstate 76 (Matt Rourke/AP)

The late crush of holiday travellers is picking up steam, with about 2.7 million US people expected to board flights on Wednesday and millions more planning to drive or take the train to Thanksgiving celebrations.

Airline officials say they are confident they can avoid the kind of massive disruptions that have marred past holiday seasons, such as the meltdown at Southwest Airlines over last Christmas.