EAST ELMHURST, Queens — Millions of people boarded airplanes, hopped on trains and jumped into their cars to travel for the holidays. AAA predicted more than 53 million travelers total — almost back to pre-pandemic levels.
The day before Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel days of the year — roads were expected to be particularly crowded in 2021, but plenty of eager travelers took to the sky instead.
According to AAA, about 4.2 million travelers were expected to fly Wednesday, nearly double 2020’s amount.
Many of them were looking forward to seeing loved ones.
“I’m excited, very excited, it’s been a while,” one grandmother moving through LaGuardia Airport said.
For those traveling internationally, getting a COVID-19 test was a source of stress. To help ease the burden, LaGuardia Airport offered tests on site.
A COVID-19 test is not required to fly within the United States, though the CDC still recommended to do so.