Travelers head home early to avoid post-Thanksgiving chaos expected Sunday
RIDGEFIELD, N.J. -- Thousands got an early start to the return home Saturday, flying and driving back after the Thanksgiving holiday.
Travelers told CBS2's Kevin Rincon they're working to avoid the chaos that's expected on Sunday.
"I'm just happy we're almost home," said Tonya Rose, traveling from North Carolina.
Rose was making a quick pit stop at the Vince Lombardi service area, the last one before getting back. She was in the car for more than 12 hours after spending the Thanksgiving holiday with her son and grandkids.
"I just wanted to go home just to have the Sunday to relax and then go back into work," she said.
As people grabbed some gas, stretched their legs and got set to sit back in the car, the idea of leaving early has its appeal.
"We were trying to avoid the traffic tomorrow and the rain," one traveler said.
Down the road at Newark Airport, it was smooth sailing with little-to-no delays.
"I haven't been home since COVID, so I was expecting it to be a little bit more congested and it's not," said Eva Cieply, traveling from Malta. "It's actually been quite easy, surprisingly, and there's been no lines for everything. Security is quite quick, so no delays."
"Traffic, a lot of people coming in and out, a lot of people with their bags just all over the place, but it was nice. It was sweet. I came in early. Probably early bird catches the worm on this point," said Anderson Hines, who was visiting from Oakland.
"Not bad at all. It was actually pretty smooth, not much congestion on the roads. Flight was on time," said Cooper Reid, from New Jersey.
"Customs is usually way worse than today," said a traveler from Germany. "I wanted to avoid the whole Thanksgiving hiccups."
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Travelers at Newark knew that in a matter of hours, it would be a very different story.
"Last year, I was in the security line for, like, three hours on my way here, but it's been pretty smooth," said Lupita Galvantinoco, traveling from Austin, Texas.
"It was a conscious effort because we traveled transatlantic flight, so we wanted to get an extra day of rest before school starts," said Francescea Gatt, traveling from Malta.
Those who decided to cut their trips a little short also got the benefit of spending less.
"The price was a little better than Sunday," one traveler said.
"I kinda went based off price. Today was the better day to come with better timing and everything ended up going really well," said Lizbeth Frausto, traveling from Austin, Texas.
Sunday is usually among the worst travel days of the year, and things really don't get back to normal until about Wednesday.
In all, 4.5 million Americans chose to fly for Thanksgiving, but the vast majority of travelers drove.
All non-emergency lane closures at Port Authority crossings have been suspended until Monday morning.