Holiday rush causes 4th biggest day in SBN history

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- It's a big week for travel as people all over the country get ready to go see family and friends.
Whether you're taking a plane, train, or automobile, it's a busy time for commuting.

According to officials at South Bend International Airport, the busiest days for air travel this week will be Monday and Friday, but not so much for Christmas Day.

It was an extremely busy weekend at South Bend International Airport, in such a way that it was historic.

"Friday actually came in at the third busiest day of 2025, and our fourth busiest all time ever. Friday and Saturday were both very busy days, Saturday wasn't quite a record breaker but between the two days, it made for a very busy weekend here at the airport," said Julie Curtis, Vice President of Marketing for South Bend International Airport.

Despite the busyness of the weekend, this week shouldn't see the same type of foot traffic at South Bend International Airport.
While nearly 3 million Hoosiers will travel 50 or more miles this week, Curtis tells ABC57 Monday and Friday will be busy, but other days this week, not so much.

On the roadways, things are clearer on I-94 after some chaos Monday morning, involving two semis going up in flames near exit 29 in Benton Township, shutting down the eastbound lanes for several hours.

"We are in a really good place right now, the little warming trend that had is helping clear the roads, we had rain a few days ago, which is weird, but between that and it's been a little windy so that dried it off plows have been activated when needed so we're in great shape heading to the holidays," said Nick Schirripa, spokesman for the Michigan Department of Transportation.

Schirripa tells ABC57 a few multi year projects are still active and may have a single lane closure that results in a slowdown, but no significant delays.
With Christmas being in the middle of the week, Schirripa expects the first few days of this week to be busy on the roads.

"I would imagine a lot of folks, if they're able to take the time off, are taking the whole week off, maybe starting tomorrow they'll be on the road or Wednesday, most people want to be at their destination Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, so I would imagine today, tomorrow, Wednesday might be the heaviest travel days, and then into the weekend for return travel if they're just heading out for a couple days"

For both driving and flying, experts are recommending planning for more time than you think you need to get to your destination on time.