Be Thankful if You Make It Home on Time : Holiday: Freeways and airports are sure to be a mess today, always among busiest travel days. Leaving early and being patient is advised.

Brace yourself for Black Wednesday, one of the busiest travel days of the year. And whether you’re going near or far, take this piece of advice: Get started early, or you might not get there at all.

The freeways and even surface streets are expected to be jampacked beginning early on the day before Thanksgiving. The same goes for the parking lots and ticket counters at John Wayne and Los Angeles International airports, where lines may be even longer than usual because of increased security.

“It’s going to be a mess, so just plan on it and take that into account,” said CHP spokeswoman Angel Johnson. “Be patient. Everything is going to take longer than you think, even if it’s going home from work.”

The most congested freeways are expected to be Interstate 5 in both directions and the eastbound Riverside Freeway, Johnson said. Expect a tie-up on the San Diego Freeway and connector roads to the airports as well. Bumper-to-bumper traffic generally means more fender-benders, which in turn means even longer delays.

“Keep away from the car in front of you,” Johnson added. “You don’t want to miss your flight.”

Law enforcement will also be on heightened alert for errant drivers or those driving under the influence of too much spiked cider and other beverages that pack a punch.

Caltrans has no construction planned for the holiday and the Orange County Transportation Agency will be running only 21 bus routes for limited hours on Thanksgiving, officials said. Regular bus service resumes Friday.

But the airports are going to be especially difficult for maneuvering.

Heightened security in the wake of the World Trade Center bombing case may mean longer lines as airport personnel comb through luggage or match tickets with a passenger’s photo identification.

“People need to be ready for that. They should have a driver’s license or other valid form of identification in hand,” said NorthWest Airlines spokeswoman Marta Laughlin.

Parking lots at John Wayne Airport were expected to be filled by late Tuesday, so drivers are advised to go straight to the long-term parking lot on Main Street between MacArthur Boulevard and Red Hill Avenue and take a shuttle bus to the terminal, said airport spokeswoman Pat Ware.

“People should give themselves an extra 90 minutes from the time they get to the [Main Street] lot,” Ware said.

The biggest backups are usually caused by the “unseasoned” travelers, as opposed to frequent travelers such as business people.

They’re the ones who carry on everything except the Thanksgiving turkey, and then wonder why there isn’t enough room in the overhead bins, officials said.

“There’s been a trend toward carry-on luggage, but planes aren’t designed that way,” said Laughlin. “Our advice is to check your luggage, preferably at the curb.”

If there’s too much luggage on board, airport personnel will have to stop the boarding process to check the bags, Laughlin said.

The weather forecast for today and Thursday calls for clear skies, with temperatures close to 80 degrees inland and in the mid- to upper 60s along the coast.

But it doesn’t have to be snowing or raining here for weather to play havoc with travel plans.

“Bad weather in another city could cause delays in takeoffs, landings and connections,” Ware said. “It’s best to call ahead and find out.”

For many people, though, the chaos of holiday travel will be worth the homemade turkey dinner with all the trimmings. Which is just the recipe to store up energy for Friday--traditionally the busiest shopping day of the year.