Here’s how you can travel efficiently this Memorial Day weekend

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) – It’s the start of Memorial Day weekend, and this year is predicted to be the busiest year to travel in almost 20 years.

Clay Ingram with AAA said 44 million people are expected to travel 50 miles or more this Memorial Day weekend. That is an increase of 4% from the past year.

“Four percent doesn’t sound like much,” Ingram said. “But when you’re talking about holiday travel, that’s, that’s a lot. We typically see about a one percent increase from one year to the next. So having four times that amount is pretty significant.”

Due to the large number of people traveling, he said it is best to get on the road early in the morning, or in the evening when there is less traffic.

The state average for gas is $3.20 a gallon for regular unleaded gas.

This has gone down by five cents in the past month.

Ingram encourages travelers to get their car checked before getting on the road.

“Check your tires, your tire pressure, your fluid levels, all your turn signals and headlights, and even your wiper blades,” Ingram said. “Also check your belts and hoses too. That’s something that tends to deteriorate from the inside out. It looks perfectly fine on the outside, but could be about to go out on you.”

Ingram said planning ahead with your travel plans makes a big difference.

“You need to plan your route to make sure you stay away from some of the more metropolitan areas if possible,” Ingram said. “And for example, if you don’t have to go through Atlanta, then don’t, because it’s going to be busy and packed. And you’ll probably see a lot of gridlocks over there. So, pick your route carefully. Planning with all your travel plans really makes a big difference.

Huntsville International Airport said it’s expecting a busy holiday weekend.

AAA said over 3.5 million people will be flying somewhere for the holiday weekend.

There are some things you can do to make sure you get to your intended destination on time.

The airport says you should arrive 90 minutes to two hours early before your flight leaves.

You can track any flight delays by downloading your airline’s app.

It’s also important to remember that you can’t bring any large liquids through TSA.

Mary Swanstrom with Huntsville International Airport said people should expect full flights to, and from, their destination.

“We’ve got capacity for about 14.7% more seats and more passengers than we did last year,” Swanstrom said. “And one thing we know is that Monday is expected to be the most heavily traveled Memorial Day with about 5,700 seats available. We don’t know if all those seats will be filled. But if it’s any indication on the last few flights I’ve been on, it’s going to be a full flight.”

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