With another record-breaking holiday travel season in store, according to AAA, the roads and airports are set to be busier than ever.
“We are expecting 81.8 million Americans traveling 50 miles or more during the Thanksgiving travel period,” says Valeria Puma, communications specialist for AAA of Western and Central New York. “It’s another record-breaking year.”
AAA notes the Thanksgiving holiday period ranges from Tuesday, Nov. 25 to Monday, Dec. 1. But Puma said it could start even earlier for some remote workers that can be in a secondary location.
“This year’s domestic travel forecast includes an additional 1.6 million travelers compared to last Thanksgiving, setting a new overall record,” according to AAA. “Thanksgiving is the single busiest holiday for travel compared to others like Memorial Day and July 4.
Turbulence After Shutdown
November began with a government shutdown that led to flight reductions across 40 of the busiest airports in the United States. Now that the shutdown is over, flight reductions are ending.
“Things should be back to business as usual pretty soon. We are expecting a little over six million Americans to be flying during that Thanksgiving holiday season,” said Puma.
More Travelers Staying on the Ground
Despite the resumed operations, AAA expects “an additional 1.3 million people on the road compared to last Thanksgiving. That number could end up being higher if some air travelers decide to drive instead of fly following recent flight cancellations.”
Travel by bus, train, and cruise have also seen an uptick this year by 8.5% to nearly 2.5 million people, according to AAA.
For travelers renting a car, Wednesday is expected to be the busiest pick-up day.
What Syracuse Flyers Should Know
For Syracuse residents, Puma highlighted that some frequent flyers have elected to drive if their destination is within a reasonable distance because of the unknown in the skies. She also noted that air travelers need to allow extra time.
“Here at the Syracuse Airport, we’re a little bit of a smaller airport,” said Puma. “We have a lot of layovers coming through our airport. So make sure you’re getting there early, knowing if you’re going to be checking a bag or just doing carry-on, whatever it may be. Be kind and patient to everyone else at the airport.”
AAA recommends passengers to arrive at the airport two hours before their domestic flight and three hours ahead of their international flight.
Haven’t Booked yet?
Some Thanksgiving travelers have also played the waiting game to see how long the flight reductions and air traffic control shortages would linger, but Puma explains why it’s a good time to finally commit.
“If you were waiting because of the flight reductions and all of the news earlier this month and you haven’t booked your flight yet, definitely start looking,” said Puma. “If you haven’t booked that flight, look at early morning flights because if your flight gets delayed due to weather or another reason or cancelled, at least it’s early in the day and you have an opportunity to get on a different flight or that delayed flight the same day and still get to your destination.”
Be early. Be prepared. And maybe most importantly, be kind.
“We [AAA] like to say, pack your patience,” said Puma.