Record high numbers for traveling Fourth of July weekend
The Transportation Security Administration said they screened more than 2.4 million people ahead of the weekend.
The Transportation Security Administration said they screened more than 2.4 million people ahead of the weekend.
The Transportation Security Administration said they screened more than 2.4 million people ahead of the weekend.
The Fourth of July holiday weekend is on track to set record-breaking travel numbers across the nation.
The Transportation Security Administration said roughly 2.4 million people went through security checkpoints at airports ahead of the weekend. Reaching a number higher than the same Friday before July Fourth in 2019, before the pandemic.
Roughly 48 million people nationwide traveled for the holiday, with about 90% traveling by car, according to AAA East Central.
"Gas prices are crazy, especially with bigger cars it's super hard, but it's worth it getting to adventure and see what the world has to offer, I like it," said Mia Cork, a driver.
"I mean I'm not liking the high gas prices and we have two vehicles so it's double the cost, it's definitely put a damper on what we can do," said Chris Brooks, who was driving with his family to Virginia on Saturday. "I think it's important to always have a summer vacation, the kids need it, think we need it. So it's more expensive but it's not stopping me."
Pittsburgh's Action News 4 also spoke with people flying into Pittsburgh International Airport. Some flyers said they experienced delays due to the staffing shortage or weather conditions, while others said they had no issues.
"We were in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, heading home to Pittsburgh and got to the airport and it was two hours delayed," said Melanie Berry. "There were only a couple other flights maybe delayed but not many — we had to be one!"
Michael Walsh said gas prices played a factor into why he decided to travel by air, rather than by road.
"The gas did factor in a little bit for my decision to fly, normally when I make this trip, I do drive out to Ohio," Walsh said. "I worked out the cost a little bit and it was definitely going to be significantly cheaper for me, in this case, to fly."
AAA expects roughly 1.4 million Pennsylvanians to be traveling for the holiday.