ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Tuesday could be the busiest holiday air travel day in 15 years. The Federal Aviation Administration expects more than 52,000 flights to take off as people travel to their loved ones ahead of Thanksgiving.
More than 100 flights are scheduled to arrive at or depart from the Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport. So, how are the lines looking? News10NBC’s Kristi Blake is live at the Rochester airport on Tuesday morning and sees everything going smoothly, without any delays or cancellations so far.
Why the increase in travelers?
It’s not just air travel that’s expecting strong numbers. AAA predicts that 81.8 million people will travel at least 50 miles from now through Monday, Dec. 1 for Thanksgiving, which would be over a million more than last year. Out of those, 90% of people are expected to travel by car.
Mark Gruba, a communications specialist with AAA, said more Americans have been prioritizing family time since the pandemic. That’s one reason why the number of Thanksgiving travelers has increased every year since 2020.
“When will we crescendo with this drive to travel? I think, what really holds up is this notion that since the pandemic, people are prioritizing not only travel, but time with their loved ones, friends and family,” Gruba said. “So when you look at the holidays, Thanksgiving is the busiest travel day. Travel holiday of the year put Fourth of July Memorial Day as well. People are going to take those trips to get that time with their loved ones and they will sacrifice in other areas of their life in terms of a budget to make that happen. And again, we’re seeing that this year.”
AAA projects that at least 73 million people will travel by car. Wednesday is expected to be the biggest road travel day, so get out the door before 11 a.m. to miss the afternoon traffic.
How’s the travel forecast looking?
Tuesday and Wednesday are looking good, but we’ve issued a Yellow Alert for Thursday and Friday. A strong cold front will arrive on Wednesday night, so we’re tracking wind and localized lake-effect snow on Thanksgiving and Black Friday. If you’re driving west along the NYS Thruway late Wednesday night, expect conditions and visibility to deteriorate. See our latest travel forecast here before you head out.
Has air travel returned to normal after the government shutdown?
Yes, it has. Air travel has been back to normal for just over a week after the longest federal government shutdown in history ended. About a week ago, the Federal Aviation Administration lifted all restrictions on flights to 40 major airports, which the agency enacted because air traffic controllers were overworked and understaffed. Air traffic controllers went without pay for 43 days, but are receiving pay now that the government is funded. The FAA’s list didn’t include the Rochester airport, but it did include several airports that Rochester offered flights to.
Busiest travel surge in years: What to expect at Rochester airport or while driving this Thanksgiving season WHEC.com.
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