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Millions of people traveling this Memorial Day Weekend

Travelers head to their gate at the Tucson International Airport
Posted at 5:48 PM, May 25, 2023
and last updated 2023-05-25 20:48:52-04

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — This Memorial Day Weekend is expected to be the third busiest on record for people heading out of town.

Over the next couple of days, 17 million people are expected to travel through the airports with more than 37 million traveling by car.

“We’re going to York, Pennsylvania for our granddaughter’s high school graduation,” said Patricia and Nathanial Belknap.

The Tucson International Airport started filling up with lines of people on Thursday.

The Federal Aviation Administration is expecting Thursday and Friday to be the busiest days to leave this weekend with the most people at airports either early in the morning or early evening.

If you’re taking a road trip, AAA said between 3 - 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday will be the worst time to drive.

Despite Arizona’s cost of gas being currently higher than the national average, road travel is up by 6% compared to last year.

When heading back home, try to leave early Monday or Tuesday morning; and if you’re flying, plan ahead and give yourself extra time.

Travel experts recommend arriving at the airport at least two hours before your flight and three hours before if you’re flying international.

“I think just to spend time with my family, it’s been a long time to hug my mom, so I’m excited to hug my mom,” said Caitlyn Gutierrez.

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Faith Abercrombie is a reporter for KGUN 9. Before coming to KGUN, Faith worked as a videographer for the Phoenix Children's Hospital Foundation and as a reporter and producer on the youth suicide documentary, "Life is..." on Arizona PBS.
Share your story ideas with Faith by emailing faith.abercrombie@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, or Twitter.