BUFFALO, N.Y. — It’s becoming almost as much of a tradition as Thanksgiving turkey itself: AAA is once again projecting another week of record-high holiday travel.
Nearly 80 million Americans are expected to hit the skies and the roads to get to grandma’s house for turkey day.
The roads are expected to see most of the action with 71.74 million saying they are planning to drive this week, up 1.9% from last year. But skies are also seeing their fair share with nearly six million planning to travel by air, up 2.1% from last Thanksgiving.
Airlines are also preparing to deal with some potential hiccups out of their control with a weather system moving from the West to the East Coast Monday night, possibly creating some delays.
On top of that, an ongoing air traffic control staffing shortage could also contribute to some delays for safety reasons.
But Buffalo Niagara International Airport reported just one delay on Monday.
“As long as you're prepared and you stay with your family and give yourself time, it's not too bad,” said traveler Lucas McKay.
Travelers 2 On Your Side spoke with at Buffalo Niagara International Airport Monday and were very much aware of all this week can bring, saying they’re trying to keep as much as they can in their control by traveling Monday rather than Tuesday or Wednesday, which are expected to have the greatest passenger volumes ahead of the holiday.
“I didn't want to be with all those people because I'm not a frequent traveler, so it was scary for me,” said traveler Mike Williams.
But travelers also said all the potential headaches are worth it to be able to sit down with family come Thursday.
“It's absolutely tense,” traveler Tim Ford said, “But once the plane starts getting ready to land, it's like, everybody's just smiling. Everybody's happy to be with family, which is outstanding.”