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Thanksgiving travel: Record crowds are expected to take to the air and roads

By David Koenig
Updated  November 22, 2023 5:16pm PST
Travel News
Associated Press

Thanksgiving traffic in LA in full swing

Here's a look at the 5 Freeway in East Los Angeles as commuters are suck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

(AP) - Despite inflation and memories of past holiday travel meltdowns, millions of people are expected to hit airports and highways in record numbers over the Thanksgiving break.

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The busiest days to fly will be Tuesday and Wednesday as well as the Sunday after Thanksgiving. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen 2.6 million passengers on Tuesday and 2.7 million passengers on Wednesday. Sunday will draw the largest crowds with an estimated 2.9 million passengers, which would narrowly eclipse a record set on June 30.

Meanwhile, AAA forecasts that 55.4 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles (80 kilometers) from home between next Wednesday and the Sunday after Thanksgiving, with roads likely to be the most clogged on Wednesday.

LAX on the morning of Thanksgiving Eve

Stu Mundel in SkyFOX gives a look at LAX on the morning before Thanksgiving.

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Passengers pack LAX ahead of Thanksgiving

FOX 11's Mario Ramirez reports from LAX the morning before Thanksgiving.

The weather could snarl air and road traffic. A storm system was expected to move from the southern Plains to the Northeast on Tuesday and Wednesday. Parts of Maine, Vermont and northern New Hampshire are expected to get 3 to 7 inches (7 to 17 centimeters) of snow between Tuesday night and Wednesday.

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Travel nightmare before Thanksgiving

'Twas a traffic nightmare two days before Thanksgiving as commuters sat through bumper-to-bumper traffic on the 405 Freeway in West Los Angeles.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said during a news conference Monday that the government has tried to better prepare for holiday travel by hiring more air traffic controllers, opening new air routes along the East Coast and providing grants to airports for snowplows and deicing equipment. He warned travelers to check road conditions and flight times before leaving home.

"Mother Nature, of course, is the X factor in all of this," he said.