2.3 million Marylanders expected to travel to holiday destinations, AAA estimates

BALTIMORE — Millions of Marylanders are hitting the roads, rails and skies for the holidays. AAA estimates that 2.3 million people from Maryland will travel with the majority driving to their holiday destinations.

More than 119 million Americans are packing up and hitting the roads this holiday season, a new record according to AAA. TSA estimates 40 million people will be screened at airports between Dec. 19 and Jan. 2, capping off what’s already been a record-setting year in the skies.

On Tuesday, American Airlines experienced a technical disruption, causing some flights nationwide to be delayed. The issue was resolved later Tuesday morning.

The freezing rain earlier in the day didn’t slow down anyone who was heading out just one day before Christmas and the first night of Hanukkah, and just days away from the start of Kwanzaa.

BWI Thurgood Marshall was quiet by Tuesday evening. Stacy Cain was traveling from Maryland to California to visit family. She said she was pleasantly surprised by her quick experience at BWI.

“I definitely was expecting mayhem and a lot of people, that’s why we got here pretty early,” Cain said.

WJZ issued an Alert Day for part of Tuesday because of freezing rain that moved in overnight and in the morning. The weather cleared, improving road conditions for drivers during the afternoon. AAA Mid-Atlantic estimated that approximately two million Marylanders will drive to their destinations. Others are traveling to this region to spend time with loved ones.

“It was snowing in New York when we were leaving, so the roads were a little iffy. But other than that, once we got about an hour away, it was pretty good,” said Ethan Reid, who drove to Maryland from Upstate New York. “The drive was better than I expected. There was a little bit of traffic, but overall, it went well.”

After significant service delays earlier in the week, Amtrak Northeast is back up and running as of Monday night. Downed wires stopped some tracks on Sunday, Dec. 22 as crews worked to restore all train service.

“I was a little concerned about that because I didn’t know whether or not the train was going to leave on time,” said Cecilia Giles-Caple, who took her first train to visit family in Virginia. “It’s a little late, but it’s not bad.”

“After having read the news yesterday about Amtrak having significant delays and cancelations, I was a little concerned, but today it looks like everything’s cleared up,” said Nancy Lee, who is traveling to New Jersey from Baltimore.

No matter how they are traveling, passengers are patient and kind this holiday season.

“Be prepared with kindness. It’s okay. We’ll all get where we need to get,” Cain said.

Others said they are grateful to spend quality time with family and friends.

“Spending time with my family, getting to see everyone. I’m just excited to be with other people instead of being at college doing a ton of work,” Reid said.

Tara Lynch

Tara Lynch is an Emmy-nominated reporter who is excited to share the stories of Baltimore.