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Ayden Bintz and his trusty pal, Scout, embarked on a great adventure Wednesday morning.

The 13-month-old from Lehigh took off on his first airplane ride, traveling from Fort Dodge Regional Airport en route to his grandparents' home in eastern Pennsylvania. He was accompanied by Scout, a green stuffed dog, and his parents, Russell and Melissa Bintz.

They were among the tens of millions of people on the move Wednesday. The mass movement of people on their way to family gatherings and home-cooked feasts has given the day before Thanksgiving the reputation of being the busiest travel day of the year.

''The airports are normally crazy before holidays, so I'm expecting it to be hectic,'' said Melissa Bintz moments before boarding an 11:36 a.m. flight.

Ayden Bintz clutched Scout and looked around the airport terminal while waiting for the plane. His parents wondered how he would behave while flying.

''We don't know how he's going to react,'' Russell Bintz said.

Taylor Hancey, an Iowa Central Community College student from Layton, Utah, was also on the 11:36 a.m. flight out of Fort Dodge. He was flying home for the holiday for the first time.

''All the family's getting together,'' he said. ''It's going to be fun.''

Hancey and his fellow passengers were part of the 38.4 million people the AAA predicted would be traveling during the Thanksgiving holiday.

However, the AAA projected a 6.7 percent decrease in air travelers.

Despite the drop in those flying, the total number of travelers is predicted by the AAA to increase by 1.4 percent. That increase reflects improved consumer confidence and better financial market performance, the AAA reported.

Hancey and Melissa Bintz both said they had no trouble getting the plane tickets they wanted.

Jared DeHart, an Iowa Central student from South Jordan, Utah, booked his flight from Fort Dodge in September. He was taking a trip home for the holiday for the first time.

''I am way excited,'' he said.

He acknowledged that there's nothing like ''Mom's turkey.''

Contact Bill Shea at (515) 573-2141 or bshea@messengernews.net