Thanksgiving travel rush underway; Experts say it's the worst time to hit the road so far this year
NEWARK, N.J. - The holiday travel rush is underway as so many of us try to make it home for Thanksgiving.
The roads and airports are expected to be full in the next 24 hours.
As CBS2's Nick Caloway reports, overall, airports are busy. Expect long security lines and full planes.
If you plan to drive, roads are also expected to be jammed.
"I'm going to Maryland. I'm going to see my aunt for the holidays," said New Yorker Tiffany Manley.
Manley got on the road early to beat the massive holiday rush. So did Liz Moynihan, who stopped to walk her dog on their way from Massachusetts to Delaware.
"We tried to time it so we avoided the New York traffic. We hit just a very small amount. So we've been lucky so far," Moynihan said.
AAA estimates about 55 million people are traveling for Thanksgiving this year. The vast majority - 49 million - will drive to their destinations, even though gas prices are high.
"Ehhh, they say they're going down. I don't really know. It's OK. I wish it was like $2 instead of $3.50," Manley said.
"It's a little bit painful. But worth it to see family, for us," Moynihan said.
"This is going to be the third busiest Thanksgiving since we started keeping records," said Robert Sinclair, Jr. of AAA Northeast.
Sinclair said Wednesday afternoon and evening will be the worst time to hit the road.
"It's going to be very busy as holiday travelers mix with commuters," Sinclair said.
This Thanksgiving will likely be the busiest week for air travel since the start of the pandemic.
The TSA expects to screen upwards of 2.5 million people a day on Wednesday and Sunday.
Two travelers Caloway met had very different experiences.
"I gotta tell you that it was very, very smooth and easy, except when we got here to Newark. We sat on the tarmac for about 25 minutes. So not bad," said Rosemary Lizon of Myrtle Beach.
"We were in Colombia. It was my birthday trip. And we were supposed to be in New York for Sunday. And it's, what? Tuesday?" said Harlem resident Brittany Johnson.
Johnson described her trip as "vile."
Hopefully your trip goes a little smoother.