Delta is expecting nearly 9 million customers from Dec. 21-Jan. 7 as the airline builds on a strong November and Thanksgiving holiday travel period.

Final numbers for the full holiday period of Nov. 17-28 are still pending**. However, from Friday, Nov. 17, through Sunday, Nov. 26, Delta carried more than 5.3 million customers on more than 43,000 flights systemwide.

Official Delta projections put the total estimated customer count between 6.2 million and 6.4 million from Friday, Nov. 17-Tuesday, Nov. 28 – averaging 515,000-530,000 customers a day.

Warren Weston, one of Delta’s lead meteorologists, gives an inside look at every role Delta’s in-house meteorology team plays, from updating the Weather Information Tool and helping flight crews avoid turbulence to forecasting the weather both around major airports and up to 40,000 feet.