COLUMBUS – Airports and roads are be jam-packed this Thanksgiving as the auto club AAA predicts travel volume will rebound to nearly pre-pandemic levels.
The organization projects 53.4 million Americans, including nearly 2.2 million Ohioans, will travel at least 50 miles from home between Wednesday, Nov. 24, and Sunday, Nov. 28, the fourth highest Thanksgiving travel volume on record.
Despite gas prices over a dollar more per gallon than they were this time last year, there will be about 7.5% more cars on Ohio’s roadways with the worst congestion on Wednesday and Sunday afternoons, but the auto club predicts heavy vehicle traffic throughout the holiday period.
“If you’re going to be leaving on Thanksgiving, Friday, Saturday or Sunday – any of the days – trying to leave earlier in the day or even later in the evening is going to help you to miss some of that heavy traffic,” AAA Ohio senior public affairs manager Kimberly Schwind said.
Wednesday afternoon and evening will be the worst time to drive as commuters mix with holiday travelers.
AAA expects air travel to almost completely recover from its dramatic fall during the pandemic, up 81.5% in Ohio.
Airlines are responding to rising demand by increasing schedules and adding more staff, but travelers should still be prepared for delays or cancellations.
Adding to the volume at airports: the U.S. fully reopened its borders to many vaccinated international travelers Monday for the first time since the pandemic hit. The U.S. has been closed to millions of people for 20 months.
The auto club recommends air travelers look for early morning flights, check their flight’s status before heading to the airport, and plan on arriving at the airport two hours before a domestic flight, three hours before an international flight.