The holiday travel season is officially underway, and AAA Texas estimates 3.9 million Texans will be traveling this Thanksgiving.
“I’m headed to Atlantic City for a little vacation with my family,” said traveler Warren Armstead.
At Hobby Airport, wait times were no problem, which came as a surprise to some.
“I was expecting at least a two-hour wait in security. But, there’s no line,” said traveler Christel Mervin. “So, I think the off hours are really the way to go.”
Experts warn long lines and delays are expected by the middle of this week.
Daniel Armbruster of AAA Texas told KPRC 2 the busiest travel days will be Wednesday and Sunday.
“We got 230,000 [people] for air travel out of Texas, 4.2 [thousand] total for the nation. So, for Texas you’re looking at about 77% increase in air travel from last year,” said AAA-Texas spokesman Daniel Armbruster.
According to AAA Texas, here’s what Holiday travel numbers looked like in 2020:
AIR: 129,131
AUTO: 3,372,360
OTHER: 4,475
TOTAL TRAVEL VOLUME: 3,516,178
Most travelers choose to drive in 2020, and that will be no different this year.
“We’re looking at 3.6 million that will be driving about 92%, at least 50 miles or more, to their destination,” Armbruster said.
Armbruster expects drivers will also pay more at the pump this year.
“Anywhere from $1.15 to $1.25 more per gallon is what most Texans will travel this year from gasoline,” he said.