The late holiday travel craze is gathering pace, with about 2.7 million people expected to board planes Wednesday and millions more planning to drive for the Thanksgiving festivities.
Airline officials say they are confident they can avoid the massive disruptions that have marred past holiday seasons, such as the Southwest Airlines debacle last Christmas.
Airlines have added tens of thousands of workers in the past few years, and Southwest says it has purchased more winter equipment to keep planes moving even in sub-freezing temperatures.
Airport security lines can be long because of the crowds. Delta Air Lines tells passengers to arrive at the airport at least two hours before their flight if they’re traveling within the United States, three hours earlier if they’re flying internationally — and perhaps earlier on Sundays and Mondays.
In Illinois, the Chicago Department of Aviation says more than 1.65 million passengers are expected at O’Hare and Midway International airports through Monday. Sunday is expected to be the busiest travel day with more than 226,000 passengers at O’Hare and 59,000 passengers at Midway.
The holiday will also test the Federal Aviation Administration, which is facing a shortage of air traffic controllers at key facilities that has led to a reduction in flights to the New York area this summer and fall.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said at a press conference Monday that the government has prepared for holiday travel by hiring more air traffic controllers, opening new air routes along the East Coast and providing grants to airports for snowplows and de-icing equipment.
Nearly three-quarters of flight delays are caused by weather, according to the FAA. The agency’s data shows that the rate of canceled flights is down this year from last year, when airlines were understaffed to handle a strong recovery in travel following the pandemic.
The Transportation Security Administration projected it would screen 2.7 million passengers on Wednesday and a record 2.9 million on Sunday, the biggest return day. That would narrowly surpass the TSA’s all-time record set on June 30.
What the roads will look like
AAA predicts 55.4 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home between Wednesday and Sunday, the third-highest forecast by the auto club. AAA says most of them — 49.1 million — will drive.
According to INRIX, the worst time to travel on freeways in the Chicago area will be between 2:00 PM and 6:00 PM on Wednesday, with I-94 from Chicago to Milwaukee expected to see the heaviest congestion.
Drivers will get a break from last year on gas prices. AAA says the national average gas price fell to $3.29 a gallon on Tuesday, down from $3.66 a year ago.
Air travelers will also enjoy lower prices. Air fares in October were down 13 percent from last year, according to government data, and fares around Thanksgiving were about 14 percent lower than a year ago, according to travel site Hopper.
However, the high cost of rent, food, healthcare and other expenses weighed on people’s travel plans.
Jason McQuarrie, a 25-year-old social worker and student, said rent and other essentials eat up most of his paycheck, and he’s grateful for his credit card points, which reduced the cost of his round-trip flight from Denver to Chicago from $450 to $150.
“I thought, ‘man, I’m glad I only get to go home once a year,'” said McQueary, who was waiting to be picked up Tuesday after arriving at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport to spend Thanksgiving with family in his Byron’s hometown, Illinois.
