Thanksgiving travel expected to break records in Texas and nation-wide
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The kickoff to the holiday travel season is off to a strong start, with a record high number of people taking to the skies, roads, and everything in between surrounding Thanksgiving.
"This is going to be a record breaking travel weekend," said Doug Shupe, spokesperson for AAA Texas. "This Thanksgiving, in fact, AAA Texas is projecting 5.7 million people here in the Lone Star State are traveling at least 50 miles or more away from home this week. Now, the vast majority of those travelers, 5.3 million will be taking a road trip. About 315,000 are flying somewhere this week, and then about 129,000 are taking another mode of transportation, like a train, a bus or a cruise."
Across the country, nearly 80 million are on the move around the holiday. 5.8 million people are expected to be catching flights and 71.7 million are hitting the roads through the holiday weekend. That's up 2.1% from last year, and a 2.7% increase over 2019 overall. And if you're planning Christmas and New Year's trips, book early - it's expected to be crowded then as well.
"If what we've seen so far this year," Shupe said, "which was record breaking travelers on Memorial Day and 4th of July and now Thanksgiving, were anticipated to be a very busy holiday season of travel for those year end holidays as well."
For those taking to the roads, AAA Texas is urging proper preparation and safety precautions before and during your trip, including checking basic maintenance such as tires and battery condition. AAA expects to respond to more than 29,400 calls for help in Texas over the Thanksgiving holiday travel period. More details on road safety and auto repair can be found at AAA.com/AAR.
AAA also recommends that air travelers should plan to arrive at the airport at least two hours before domestic flights and three hours ahead of time for international departures. Specifically, it's advised that if you're planning to park at the airport, reserve a parking space to make sure you have one, download your airline’s app and check-in for your flight at home to avoid long lines at kiosks in the terminal.
According to the transportation analytics firm INRIX, Tuesday, Nov. 27 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. was anticipated to be the overall busiest time to travel by car, with an average 38% increase in travel time compared to typical traffic volume. The worst traffic congestion in Texas is expected to be on the afternoon/evening of Monday, December 2 on northbound Interstate 45 between Galveston and Houston, when the traffic volumes are expected to be 30% higher.
