In a very different scene from the same time last year, millions of Americans have begun their Thanksgiving travel plans. The video above includes various travel scenes leading up to the holiday. According to a news release from AAA published early this month, 53.4 million Americans are expected to travel for Thanksgiving. That’s over 6 million more than last year, making it the highest single-year increase since 2005. It’s also down 13% from the last pre-pandemic Thanksgiving in 2019.
“It’s beginning to look more like a normal holiday travel season, compared to what we saw last year,” AAA Vice President of Travel Debbie Haas, said in the news release. “Now that U.S. borders are open, vaccinations are readily available, and new health and safety guidelines are in place, travel is once again high on the list for Americans who are ready to reunite with their loved ones for the holidays.”
The rush to travel this Thanksgiving is especially strong at the airports, a place that was hit hard by the pandemic. AAA had estimated an 80% increase in air travelers compared to 2020, which was itself cut in half from 2019. More than 2.2 million travelers hit airports last Friday. That makes it the busiest day since the pandemic began. From Friday through Tuesday, the number of people flying in the U.S. was more than double the same days last year and less than 9% lower than the same days in 2019.
“The re-opening of the U.S. borders to international travelers means airports will be even busier than we’ve recently seen, so travelers must plan for longer lines and extra time for TSA checks,” Haas said.
Traveler Michael Madelle learned that lesson the hard way Tuesday. He posted a video showing a chaotic scene at a security checkpoint at the Orlando International Airport.
“If you’re traveling for the holidays you better get to the airport absurdly early,” Madelle wrote in a caption on the video. “It’s 6 am and the line for security at MCO is backed up to ticketing. Expected wait is three-plus hours. I had to reschedule my flight from 6 am to 2.”
Meanwhile, AAA predicted road travel was expected to increase a modest 8% from 2020 despite rising gas prices.
“Prices are high, but they’re definitely not deterring travelers,” AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross said Tuesday. “Once people have decided they’re going to go, they go. They just figure out another way of budgeting in the cost.”
