COLUMBUS – Friday is getaway day for thousands of holiday travelers as airports gear up for their busiest season in nearly 20 years.
The auto club AAA predicts that nearly 7 million Americans will travel by air to their holiday destinations during the 12-day travel period that began Thursday and continues through Jan. 1, the highest holiday air travel volume since 2003.
The 258,000 Ohioans who will travel by air represent a 4.9 percent increase over from last year, AAA Ohio spokespersom Kimberly Schwind said.
Although Schwind says the heaviest travel day prior to Christmas will be Sunday, officials at John Glenn Columbus International Airport say the 32,000 travelers who will pass through the airport on Friday make that the busiest day.
Schwind says next Friday, Dec. 27. will be the busiest single day of the entire period for air travelers.
A robust economy and greater consumer confidence are fueling the 11th straight year of holiday travel growth, which includes an increase in highway travel as well.
Motorists can expect to pay more for gas than last year’s average price of $2.37, Schwind said. The statewide average retail price of $2.59 a gallon Friday morning was 42 cents higher than the price on the same date in 2018, according to the auto club’s daily survey.