Labor Day weekend travel rush underway at NYC airports & roadways. Here are the best and worst times.
NEW YORK -- Labor Day weekend is here, and New York City area airports and roadways are expected to see millions of travelers over the next few days.
Experts say it's best to leave early and be prepared for large crowds.
Labor Day weekend travel at NYC airports
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration is preparing to screen more than 17 million people across the country during this record-breaking travel period, which runs from now through Sept. 4.
The federal agency believes around 2.5 million passengers will travel through John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport and Stewart International Airport during the six-day period.
Thursday, Friday and Monday are expected to be the busiest days.
TSA says it is staffed to handle the large crowds, with the goal of keeping wait times under 30 minutes at standard screening lanes. Officials say it's always best to get to the airport at least an hour and a half prior to a scheduled flight.
Check your flight status at JFK Airport using this link here, LaGuardia Airport here, Newark Airport here or Stewart Airport here.
As for the rails, Amtrak expects more than 127,500 passengers to travel through New York City from Friday to Monday.
Labor Day weekend best & worst times for drivers
For those hitting the road, AAA said the best time to travel was before 11 a.m. Thursday, and the worst time is between 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
"It's going to be very busy considering the fact that there will be nearly 5 million vehicles that will use the intra-city bridges and tunnels over the holiday weekend, with the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge the busiest. From Thursday until Monday, it will see 1.1. million vehicles," said AAA's Northeast representative Robert Sinclair.
Gas prices are said to be much cheaper than last year, which could also contribute to busy roadways and packed airports. In our area, gas is 40 to 48 cents less than a year ago, rental car rates are 16% cheaper, and domestic flights are 2% cheaper.
"Gasoline in the Tri-State Area and across the nation is 40 to 48 cents cheaper than a year ago. Rental car rates are 16% less than a year ago. And if we look to the skies, we are seeing that domestic flights are about 2% cheaper than last year," Sinclair said.
AAA says domestic travel will be the focus this holiday weekend, with 9% more people taking to the skies than last year.
