Thanksgiving travel expected to rebound to near pre-pandemic levels
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The coronavirus pandemic dampened holiday travel last year, but that's changing this year. AAA tells ABC 17 that the name of the game this Thanksgiving is patience. People will need to secure all the needed travel accommodations so they won't run into many issues.
According to a AAA, more than 53.4 million people are expected to travel nationwide, with the 13% increase over 2020 marking the highest single-year increase since 2005.
"The main form of transportation that were expected to see this Thanksgiving is road trips. That will account for about 95 or so percent of all thanksgiving travel," said Nick Chabarria, AAA Spokesman.
Chabarria says if you plan to drive a personal car, the days before leaving, get the main components such as the battery, fuel system, tires, and fluid levels inspected.
"Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday is a good time to make sure that your tires are properly inflated. If you haven't had an oil change recently and you're due, maybe get it in, see if they're still time to get your oil change," said Chabarria.
Experts say that the increasing number of people being vaccinated against the coronavirus has led more people to plan holiday travel. According to state health department tracking, more than half of Missouri's approximately 6 million people have been fully vaccinated. About 59% of Americans are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.
The increase brings travel volumes within 5% of pre-pandemic levels recorded in 2019, AAA says, with air travel almost entirely recovering from its fall during the pandemic. AAA recommends planning for crowds at airports and arriving earlier than usual for security checks.
AAA is expecting to see an 80 percent increase in flyers. When using air travel, Mike Parks, Columbia Regional Airport manager, says to always plan for the unexpected.
"Make sure you show up at least an hour before your boarding time, not your departure time. So just allow yourself plenty of time because there are always things that take a while during the screening checkpoint and you want to make sure you allow yourself plenty of time to get through that." said parks.
AAA also expects busier highways this Thanksgiving, planning for at least 400,000 calls this Thanksgiving weekend from people asking for help.
According to the AAA report, Missouri is expected to see 1 million travelers between Wednesday and Sunday -- a 13% increase over last year. More than 51,000 Missourians are expected to travel by air.
AAA highly recommends using travel insurance to cover unexpected delays or trip interruptions.
Chabarria added that AAA has seen an increase in canceled flights recently but because the pandemic caused businesses to change a lot of rules, people won't lose their money.
"if an airline does cancel your flight or change your flight time that doesn't work with your travel plans, travelers need to know that they are entitled to a full refund from the airline," said Chabarria.
