Thanksgiving Travel: Tuesday expected to be busiest travel day of holiday week

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — Thanksgiving might be two days away, but Tuesday is expected to be the busiest day of travel of the holiday week.

According to AAA, nearly 80-million Americans will be on the move for Thanksgiving. That number is a record and nearly one-quarter of the entire U.S. population.

Across the country, AAA says almost six-million people are expected to fly to their holiday destinations.

2.8-million of them will leave for their destinations Tuesday. That’s a 2% increase from last year.

At Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) in West Palm Beach, officials say a little more than 100,000 people passed through for Thanksgiving last year. And they expect even more this week.

That’s why they have their holiday plan in effect to keep things running smooth.

“As part of our holiday plan, we always have additional officers to make sure we have additional lanes open for people. We do outreaches through our airport, through our local public affairs, making sure people know about the TSA app, what can I bring on TSA.Gov. Pretty much getting the word out, being here early. Expect lines that are abnormal for palm beach, but we’re still going to get you through. Experience under 15 minutes in pre-check and generally under 30 in standard,” said Joseph Aiuto, the Transportation Security Manager at PBI.

Travelers CBS12 News spoke with at PBI on Tuesday agree, it’s smooth sailing so far.

“PBI is great. It’s a really small airport, so it’s really easy to get in and out of pretty quick,” said Andrew Pettengill, a traveler from Boston.

“Fantastic. We love it here. It’s been smooth. It’s a nice airport. Absolutely,” said Brian Murphy, a traveler from Rhode Island.

But the roads will be even busier.

A record 71.7-million people will be traveling by car, according to AAA. That’s about one-million more than last year.

The good news, it’ll cost you less to fill up your tank this holiday weekend, with prices down compared to last year. The average price per gallon could dip below $3 by Thanksgiving.

AAA also released their list of the top Thanksgiving destinations in the country.

Florida tops the list of course, with Orlando, Miami and Fort Lauderdale taking up the top three spots.

PBI officials also tell us they do not expect any impacts for the strike that started Monday morning at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The only impacts they expect are from weather across the country, so it’s important to check the status of your flight before you leave for the airport.