Prepare for record-breaking Thanksgiving travel week, says AAA: FOX 7 Focus
AUSTIN, Texas - It's expected to be a record-breaking travel week for the Thanksgiving holiday, both here in Texas and across the U.S.
Daniel Armbruster with AAA Texas joins FOX 7 Austin's John Krinjak to talk about what Texans need to know if they're hitting the roads or taking to the skies.
JOHN KRINJAK: I understand you're expecting a record number of Texans to travel this Thanksgiving. What exactly are we looking at?
DANIEL ARMBRUSTER: Yeah, looking at 5.7 million Texans--that's the most we've ever projected--to take a trip 50 miles or more for Thanksgiving. So, you know, AAA is expecting very busy roadways, very busy airports. And certainly it's going to be a Thanksgiving for the record books.
JOHN KRINJAK: If you are driving, what are you expecting? The busiest times, the busiest roadways. Obviously, I-35 is going to be crazy, but you know, the busiest days and times and maybe when might be best to travel.
DANIEL ARMBRUSTER: Yeah, the lightest day for travel will be Thanksgiving Day, which is pretty typical now. Used to it was Wednesday before that was the busiest day for travel. But we predict Tuesday will actually be the busiest day for road travel this year, although Wednesday is expected to be very busy. Also coming back Sunday afternoon and evening will be busy. Monday afternoon will be busy as well because you'll have holiday commuters coming home as well as those coming home from work.
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JOHN KRINJAK: What are gas prices looking like and how are you expecting that to impact the travel picture this year?
DANIEL ARMBRUSTER: These are the lowest gas prices that we will have seen in Texas since the pandemic for Thanksgiving. And certainly that's encouraging for those who want to take a road trip. It's certainly not stopping many people from taking a road trip this year. Gas prices have been below $3 a gallon here in Texas for several months, and we anticipate that it'll stay that way for Thanksgiving.
JOHN KRINJAK: And if you're headed to the airport, ABIA obviously expected to be very busy. What would you recommend for travelers who may be flying somewhere over the next week or so?
DANIEL ARMBRUSTER: More than 350,000 Texans will fly to their Thanksgiving destination. That's the highest number on record since Triple A began forecasting travel for Thanksgiving. And it's going to mean airports are going to be busy starting Sunday. You know, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, all of those days at the airport will be very busy. Get there at least two hours ahead of time. We know that international travel is also going to be very popular this Thanksgiving. So if you have an international flight, you want to get there at least three hours before your time.
JOHN KRINJAK: And what should people keep in mind before they head out the door to do their traveling?
DANIEL ARMBRUSTER: Well, number one, making sure that your vehicle is road trip ready. We're going to rescue more than 29,000 motorists this Thanksgiving here in Texas, AAA will. And the top reasons we saw last Thanksgiving: flat tires and dead batteries. We want to make sure you have good tires, that they're healthy, they have the right amount of air pressure, the right amount of tread. And also just making sure if your batteries over three years old, you have a trusted mechanic take a look at your battery, test it and make sure it's still in good condition.
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JOHN KRINJAK: Given the volume of people expected to travel on the roads, how important are those reminders not to drive impaired, especially over the holidays?
DANIEL ARMBRUSTER: Yeah, it's always important never to drive impaired, but we see an increase over the holidays in drunk driving crashes and in people driving impaired because of celebrations and parties and whatnot. 25% of those killed on Texas roadways are killed by a drunk driver. So we ask everyone if you're going to celebrate with alcohol, please have a plan this holiday season.
JOHN KRINJAK: All right. Daniel Armbruster with AAA Texas. Daniel, thanks as always, for joining us. We appreciate it.
DANIEL ARMBRUSTER Thanks, John. Have a happy and safe holiday.
JOHN KRINJAK: Happy Thanksgiving to you.