EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – The week of Thanksgiving is known as one of the busiest travel dates of the year and as the holiday inches closer, El Paso International Airport and AAA want to make sure that travelers are well prepared. Whether they decide to go by car or by plane to their holiday destination, timing will decide how and when they get there.
AAA is expecting around 54 million travelers this Thanksgiving season with at least 3 million on the roads. Travelers are expected to start heading on the road or to the airport Wednesday afternoon through Thursday morning.
With the abundance of expected drivers on the road, Daniel Armbruster, the Texas and New Mexico AAA representative, expects delays closer to the larger cities and suggests leaving earlier than planned.
“I would really try to avoid traveling Wednesday afternoon (or) evening if you can especially around major metro areas because you will have regular commuters coming home from work and then you’ll also have people traveling so its just a lot of people on the roadways,” Armbruster said.
However, some travelers are optingair travel as their main transportation. Marsha SanFilippo, who was traveling with her husband to Denver, says while driving is an option, they would rather spend extra time with family.
“As far as driving, it is a long drive and we just find this much more convenient. It enables us to get there faster and really spend less time traveling than actually being there,” SanFilippo said.
The El Paso International Airport is expecting a few thousand travelers arriving or departing at in the next few days. Assistant Director of Aviation Terry Sharpe is urging those traveling by plane to get to the airport at least two hours before as to not miss your pending flight.
While delays and cancelations are common during this time, if you do fall victim, Sharpe says you need to act quickly if you need to get to your final destination.
“Reach out to your airline immediately, whether that’s going back to the ticket counter or if you’re in the terminal. If you get a text that your flight’s been cancelled, I encourage you to go online and look for instructions on how to rebook your flight and see when they can get you out on the next available flight.”
For flight information you can check on the El Paso International Airport website for updates and for road trip information, AAA has those resources on their website for travelers.
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