Holiday Hack: Why you should try flying on Thanksgiving Day
BALTIMORE -- Some people spent Thanksgiving Day traveling toward their holiday plans.
WJZ's Caroline Foreback talked to people who were thankful to be flying in and out of Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport on Thursday.
The choice to fly on Thursday was a strategic one for many people.
"I think Thanksgiving is one of the best days to travel," said James Schaus of Orlando, Fla. "Not that many people. The plane even had a few empty seats. I haven't seen that in a while."
Schaus said that he and his wife flew into BWI from Orlando on Thanksgiving day to avoid the crowds at the airports on Wednesday.
They expected to arrive at his sister's house just in time for dinner.
"This has been great," Schaus said of the trip. "So far, so good."
Meanwhile, Courtney Jones said she flew in from Atlanta on Thanksgiving Day after making a last-minute decision to go home for the holiday.
"I decided, you know what, I'm going to come home," Jones said. "I moved to Atlanta like a month and a half ago. I'm going to surprise my mom."
Jones said she was apprehensive about traveling on Thanksgiving after booking her flight on Tuesday.
"I was surprised I even got a ticket but today, it was very mellow," she said.
The COVID-19 Pandemic, followed by staffing shortages, put a strain on air travel for the past few years.
But after a high number of delays and cancellations, federal transportation officials cracked down on airlines this fall, beefing up staff to minimize cancellations and improving customer service.
This allowed for more families to get together on the holidays.
"I'm very grateful to be traveling this Thanksgiving because it's been two years," Sonya Gions said. "I was undergoing breast cancer treatments, and because of COVID I couldn't come visit my family in Maryland. So, this is the first time I'm seeing my parents in two years."
BWI Airport had at least three cancellations on Thursday, according to aviation tracking company FlightAware.
While Thursday wasn't too busy, the Sunday after Thanksgiving will be a different story.