Holiday travelers anxious for Thanksgiving weekend will keep Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport busy today.

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Watch Tribune reporter Nicole Beyer's report

US Airways reported in its November employee newsletter that its goal for the holiday season is to have 60 percent of its 3,500 daily flights depart on time nationwide. At Sky Harbor, that will likely mean many frustrated travelers.

To help navigate the mess, the Tribune will spend the day inside Sky Harbor’s Terminal 4 and send frequent updates on wait times and delayed flights.

1 p.m.: Plenty of parking spaces remain open

More than 3,700 economy parking spaces remain open, airport spokeswoman Deborah Ostreicher said. She said the addition of an extra economy garage in 2006 has eliminated most parking problems.

"So far, we are on track to have plenty of economy parking for this holiday," she wrote in a news release.

As of 1 p.m., the $8 west economy lot, east economy surface lot and Terminal 2 upper level economy lot were all full. About 1,600 spaces remained open in the $10 east economy Garage A, and about 2,100 spaces remained open in the $10 east economy Garage B.

Ostreicher said plenty of spaces remained open in the $20 terminal garages.

Noon: Stowaway dog sneaks on board

Max was a naughty dog Wednesday morning, but nobody caught him.

The puppy hid in a handbag on a Southwest Airlines flight from Orange County, California, and didn't make a sound the whole time. Dogs aren't allowed on Southwest flights, so Max waited patiently for freedom at the Sky Harbor baggage claim area.

"He only barks when he's at home," said Kate, the dog's accomplice in the caper. "He slept the whole time."

Kate said she also put food in her handbag to keep Max happy. "He's easier than a child," she said.

Kate lives in Orange County but grew up in Scottsdale, and she said her mother needed to meet her new "granddog." So she decided to risk the wrath of the Southwest Airlines flight attendants.

She said Max practiced this week for the flight, which was his first.

"We practiced putting him in the bag earlier this week so he wouldn't freak out," she said.

Besides the dog caper, little else seemed out of the ordinary at Sky Harbor as lunch approached. Lines stayed manageable all morning. And, despite some delays, most travelers said airport traffic was better than expected.

11:30 a.m.: Merchants not impressed

The morning rush did not impress some Terminal 4 merchants on a travel day advertised as one of the nation's busiest of the year.

"Today it's sort of slow," said Nichole, a manager at the Arizona Highways bookstore and souvenir shop.

Lina, a store manager across the aisle at OTC Drugs & More, agreed. "Last year it was the same," she said. "Slow."

Restaurant managers at Terminal 4 might have had something different to say. But they were too busy feeding customers at 11:30 a.m. to talk. Travelers filled nearly every table in the food courts as noon approached.

Downstairs, ticket lines had already thinned out by 11:30 a.m. following the morning rush. Lines that had spilled out into the main pedestrian aisles a few minutes earlier were back to a trickle by 11:30 a.m.

Security lines to get to the boarding gates were also thin. In some cases, fewer than 10 travelers waited to get past the federal TSA agents.

11 a.m.: Long lines amuse Tempe traveler

Tempe traveler Nick Haney found himself at the back of a long line Wednesday morning. But he didn't mind.

"It's not as bad as I thought it would be," Haney said, as he waited to check in for his Southwest Airlines flight to Houston.

More than 100 people stood in front of Haney with their luggage at Terminal 4, and the line snaked bath and forth past the ticket counters. Finally, a Southwest agent had to direct customers to stand outside the ropes in the terminal's main walkway.

"It's curving back this way," the agent explained to one cunfused customer.

Electronic boards listed US Airways flight to Honolulu, Houston, Puerto Vallarta, San Antonio and San Francisco as delayed. And a handful of Southwest flights were also delayed.

But Haney remained upbeat. "It's surprisingly good," he said.

10:30 a.m.: Family reunions come one day early

Parents waited with their chidren. Grandparents waited with gifts. College students waited with their cell phones pressed against their ears.

The place for early Thanksgiving reunions Wednesday was just outside the security checkpoints in Terminal 4. Hugs and kisses abounded.

One Phoenix resident named M.J. screamed with delight when her relatives arrived from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. "They're just in time for Thanksgiving," she said. "And they'll be back for Christmas."

Despite a handful of delays, things remain mostly smooth at Sky Harbor. Only 10 travelers waited to get through one security checkpoint about 10:30 a.m., and the wait was less than five minutes.

10 a.m.: Ft. Lauderdale flight disappears

Electronic signs listed several late arrivals and departures at 10 a.m. Other flights were scheduled to arrive early.

But several people waiting for their friends and family to arrive from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., experienced a different problem. Their US Airways flight disappeared off the electronic board altogehter minutes before its scheduled arrival.

After some investigation, the people discovered that the disappearance had nothing to do with the Bermuda Triangle off the Florida coast. The flight simply arrived about 30 minutes early and then sat on the tarmac until the listing disappeared off the boards.

Delayed departures that still appeared on the board included US Airways flights to Houston, Colorado Springs, Palm Springs and Yuma. Southwest Airlines listed late departures to Ontario, Sacramento and Santa Ana.

Late arrivals included US Airways flights from Baltimore, Boston, El Paso, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

9:30 a.m.: Symbol of autumn awaits weary traveler

Stephanie Kay worked hard for the bouquet of flowers she clutched in her hands Wednesday morning at the baggage claim area of Terminal 4.

Fog grounded the first leg of her journey from South Bend, Ind., to Chicago. But Kay, a 20-year-old college student in Michigan, caught a lucky break when she met three other college students who decided to drive to Chicago in time for the connecting flight to Las Vegas.

She said she hitched a ride with the strangers and arrived in Chicago in plenty of time.

"We didn't talk that much because we were all exhausted," she said.

Kay faced further obstacles in Chicago. Once again, weather threatened to force the cancellation of her US Airways flight. With just minutes to spare, Kay said the weather cleared and the passengers shuffled quickly onto the plane in about six minutes.

She said she arrived in Las Vegas about 2 a.m. Wednesday and then finished her journey to meet her boyfriend at Sky Harbor a few hours later. The flowers he gave her were a bonus.

"This is the closest to autumn that it will ever get here," she said.

Kay said her journey still wasn't over in Phoenix. She and her boyfriend, 26-year-old Devon Howard, still planned to drive to Colorado to spend Thanksgiving with his family.

Howard, a doctoral student at Arizona State University studying organ performance, said he moved from Colorado to attend school in Tempe.

Although Kay said she only got about two hours of sleep Tuesday night, she was still smiling as she and Howard waited for the luggage.

Kay wasn't the only one who faced travel challenges on Wednesday. Several flights to and from Sky Harbor were listed as delayed by 9:30 p.m.

9 a.m.: Where's the spa?

One traveler who called herself Lori said she parked "no problem" to drop her daughter off for a Southwest Airlines flight to Los Angeles. And she said her wait at the ticket counter was less than four minutes.

Still, Lori had a complaint. She said Sky Harbor has no spa or place to get her nails done.

Lori said she got through the ticketing process so easily that she will have time to kill until her daughter's flight leaves at 12:05 p.m.

"We left early thinking it would be horrendous here," Lori said. "Now we can go upstairs and relax."

About 35 customers stood in line at the Southwest ticketing counter waiting for an agent at 9 a.m. Across the aisle, about 12 customers stood in line at the US Airways counter.

Lines at Terminal 4 to get through security were starting to fill up, but most travelers seemed to be getting past the metal detectors in less than 10 minutes.

8:30 a.m.: Fast lane for morning coffee

Adam Laskis printed his ticket to Indianapolis online before he left for Sky Harbor, so the first line he had to face was for his morning coffee.

He said that took about 10 seconds.

“Everything’s been good so far,” he said. “Today’s been good. I heard that tonight is supposed to be the worst.”

Laskis said he moved from Indiana to attend Arizona State University, where he graduated in 2006. He now works in the Valley for M&I Bank and visits family in Indianapolis when he gets the chance.

All flights at 8:15 a.m. were listed “on time,” and security lines moved smoothly. In some cases, the wait at Terminal 4 has been less than 5 minutes.

“That might change by the time I finish my coffee,” Laskis said.