Travellers are getting a headstart on their Easter holiday plans, with hundreds of thousands bracing for long queues and delays as they pile into airports across the country.
The Easter long weekend officially begins on Friday, but many Aussies have booked Thursday morning flights to extend their holidays.
More than 130,000 people are expected to move through Sydney Airport in the next 24 hours alone - making it the busiest day of the Easter period.
However, the airport is more than prepared for the increased foot traffic.
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READ NOWA Sydney Airport spokesperson said they are expecting a “longer, but less peaky busy period” this year due to the two-week gap between the school holidays and Easter period.
“The terminals will still be bustling and we’re encouraging passengers to arrive at the airport two hours ahead of domestic travel if they’re checking in luggage, and three hours prior if heading overseas,” the spokesperson said.
Travellers should keep an eye out for staff handing out Easter egg chocolates at the terminals over the holiday period.
There was already some traffic building on Southern Cross Drive at 7am as drivers head towards the airport.
Meanwhile, Melbourne Airport has said they are preparing for 1.7 million people and Brisbane Airport is expecting two million passengers to pass through in the next two weeks.
The latter has gone the extra mile and brought in therapy dogs to help ease the stress of the holiday period for travellers.
Those hitting the skies are urged to leave plenty of time to prepare for any potential delays as the airports work hard to keep up with increased demand.
Checking in online before arriving at the terminal could save a significant time on arrival, with long queues expected to grow throughout the day.
Major roads are expected to start banking up with traffic from Thursday afternoon, as drivers hit the road for weekend getaways.
In NSW, the Pacific Highway heading north through Wahroonga, Sydney and the Princes Highway heading south towards Nowra is likely to be busy.
In Melbourne, the Monash Freeway and West Gate Bridge are expected to be packed.
While in Brisbane, the Bruce Highway heading north and the M1 south-bound will likely cause the most grief for drivers.
The Sturt Highway in Adelaide and in Perth, the Kwinana Freeway will the busiest roads in each of the capital cities.