Highways and byways could well be a lot more crowded this Thanksgiving week than they were last year.
AAA says travel as a whole will be up 13 percent, bringing travel volumes almost back to pre-pandemic levels and possibly the biggest single-year increase since 2005. Manager of Public and Government Affairs Shawn Steward:
Airport volumes will be up even higher — likely up 80 percent from last year.
Given the travel volumes, Steward is asking people to be patient. He’s encouraging drivers to make sure their vehicles are roadworthy. He’s also encouraging flyers to plan ahead and get to airports early, perhaps as much as two hours for domestic flights and three hours for international travel. AAA also encourages travelers to take care of other related activities like car rentals, accommodations and other items as early as possible.
For day-to-day travel this holiday weekend, INRIX, in collaboration with AAA, has predicted the best and worst travel times. Best times are after 9 pm Wednesday, before 11 am Thursday and Friday and before noon Saturday and Sunday. Worst times: 12-8 pm Wednesday, 12-3 pm Thursday, 1-4 pm Friday, 2-7 pm Saturday and 1-7 pm Sunday.
Average airfare is actually over 25 percent cheaper than last year, but gas prices, hotel rooms and rental cars are all higher than at this time last year. Gas is up over $1, although Kansas has the fifth-cheapest gas in the country. Mid-range hotel rooms are up almost 40 percent and rental cars are up four percent.
