With record numbers expected to fly this Thanksgiving, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy asked travelers for patience and Congress for $20 billion to fund the modernization of air traffic control.

Duffy previewed the holiday travel season at a press conference held Monday in Newark Liberty Airport’s Terminal A. He reassured travelers that the nation’s airports are ready for what he called the busiest Thanksgiving travel period so far.

“This will be the busiest Thanksgiving on record with 31 million passengers flying and 52,000 flights tomorrow,” Duffy said. “We anticipate solid staffing in our TRANCONs (Terminal Radar Approach Control) and towers.”

Duffy said he expects no residual effects from flight reductions at 40 airports ordered earlier this month that were lifted on Nov.

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