America on the move: Record holiday travel and unforeseen challenges

With Christmas and New Year’s Day occurring in the middle of the week this holiday season, record-breaking traffic is expected on the weekends.

The American Automobile Association forecast that more than 119 million Americans would travel to spend time with loved ones over the end-of-year holiday season. Car travel remains the most popular mode of travel, with 107 million expected to drive to their destination.

Air travel is predicted to include 7.85 million passengers — breaking last year’s record of 7.5 million — despite ticket prices being up 4% from 2023.

Holiday travel in Utah

Nancy Volmer, communication and marketing director for Salt Lake City International Airport, said Utah’s heaviest traffic days were Dec. 20 and again on Dec. 26, the day after Christmas.

On both days, thousands of passengers came in and out of the airport, for a combined total of 120,000 passengers.

“To prepare for these busy times, the airport increases its staff as do the airlines, concessions, and agencies such as TSA. We all are working to make sure the passengers experience from curb to gate is seamless,” Volmer told the Deseret News.

She gave the following advice for those involved in the hustle and bustle of air travel:

• Pack smart.
• Check with your airline before leaving for the airport to make sure there are no delays.
• If picking up passengers, remain in the Park and Wait Lot until passengers have their bags and are curbside to help prevent congestion.
• Arrive at the airport at least two hours prior for domestic flights and three hours when traveling internationally.

Phoenix airport Christmas day shooting

On Christmas Day, a shooting occurred at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona. Investigators are still learning details on why the incident occurred. Police reported that three were shot and a fourth was stabbed, which seemed to have been sparked by a family dispute, according to The Associated Press.

Two men who were shot are in stable condition, as well as the individual who was stabbed. However, one woman who was shot is in critical condition.

The incident occurred outside security in a restaurant at around 9:45 p.m. on Wednesday. The group apparently knew each other. After a fight broke out, one of them pulled out a gun and opened fire.

A juvenile girl and an adult man were later detained in an airport parking garage, per CNN. The man appeared to have been stabbed once.

“I believe this was a family dispute that escalated,” Phoenix police Sgt. Mayra Reeson said in a news conference Thursday morning. She emphasized that the issue had been resolved.

“We are still combing through who and what everybody is (to each other),” she said, but “no community members or visitors were injured outside of this group.”

Cops later arrested a man who showed up two hours later “with several firearms after getting a false text alert that there was an active shooting,” according to the New York Post.

“There was no active shooter; there never was,” Reeson said.