Sky Harbor packed ahead of Fourth of July weekend

An extra long holiday weekend means more people plan to travel. Whether it's the road or the skies, AAA is expecting five million more people will venture 50 miles or more from home through Monday. That's the highest travel volume of any Fourth of July on record.

On Friday, it appeared many of them were flying in and out of Sky Harbor International Airport and it was a busy morning. Folks flying American Airlines had to pack extra patience. The line to check bags wrapped around the escalator inside Terminal 4.

Airport officials say July is one of the busiest months at Sky Harbor. On July 1, they expect a significant increase. The airport was fully staffed so lines could move quickly.

"On an average day, we have about 120,000 passengers come through the airport. Today, that's about 20 percent higher," said Sky Harbor Airport's Heather Lissner.

Airport security is on high alert this Fourth of July weekend as a record number of travelers take to the skies just days after the deadly terror attack at an airport in Turkey.

"We comply with multiple levels of security and it's always a great idea if travelers see something to report it," said Lissner.

Lines at checkpoints at Sky Harbor were expected to be as long as those to check in, but appeared to be moving very fast.

Airport and airline officials say show up two hours early for domestic flights, three hours early for international flights at Sky Harbor.