Friends and families will reunite at O’Hare International Airport for the Thanksgiving holiday. Air travel is expected to be up by 2% compared to 2023.
Daily Herald File Photo
How to characterize this year’s Thanksgiving travel rush? Bigger than a 24-pound turkey, experts say.
In other words, nearly 4.1 million Illinoisans will be hurtling down the highway or charging into the airport between Nov. 26 and Dec. 2 — an increase of 63,275 from last year, AAA reports.
Nationwide, almost 80 million Americans will journey over 50 miles from home during the holiday, compared to 78.2 million in 2023.
“We expect record travel, but the gains will be measured. The crazy swings of the early post-pandemic era are behind us,” DePaul University transportation Professor Joseph Schwieterman said.
“Thankfully, airports should be less chaotic than last year due to having more flights and less severe labor shortages.”
Here are some other getaway takeaways.
Flight deals
About to book a Thanksgiving flight? The optimal time to get a bargain is “the opposite season,” Going.com’s Katy Nastro noted.
But the second-best time is “right now, right away,” she added. “We don’t want anybody waiting a week later than now.”
“Travel numbers have outpaced 2023 and 2019 every single month this year. So we’re anticipating this Thanksgiving that we’re likely to see the single busiest day recorded by the TSA ever.” Going.com projects that will be Sunday, Dec. 1.
Flights Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving and Friday and Saturday after are frequently the priciest and most sought-after, Nastro said. That trend also applies to post-work flights around 5 p.m.
“If you can get a midday flight, that’s typically a less-traveled period.”
And, “be flexible not only on where you’re flying out of but where you’re flying into.”
Another pro tip — “if you travel on Thanksgiving itself, you can often buy 10% to 20% cheaper,” Nastro said.
Gas prices
Expect some relief at the pump if you’re among the more than 3.6 million Illinoisans taking a Thanksgiving road trip, AAA’s Molly Hart said.
In the Chicago metro area, a gallon of regular averaged $3.40 Thursday contrasted with $3.67 in 2023.
“We anticipate gas prices to stay in this range over Thanksgiving,” Hart predicted. “Falling oil prices this autumn may help push the national average below $3 a gallon for the first time since 2021, and that could happen before drivers hit the road for Thanksgiving.”
Lower prices result from “less people on the roads in fall/winter and we have switched to the winter blend of gasoline, which is less expensive,” Hart explained.
Across the Midwest, gas in Michigan and Indiana averaged over $3 a gallon, according to AAA. Wisconsin, Missouri and Iowa showed a range of $2.70 to $2.85 as of Thursday.
Thanksgiving traveler Chelsie Gapes of Chicago checks in at Terminal 3 at O’Hare International Airport while her dog, Ollie, sits on her luggage. Air travel is expected to be up by 2% compared to 2023.
Daily Herald File Photo
Terminal waits?
Expect 2% more passengers catching flights compared to 2023 nationwide, AAA expects. That means getting to the airport two hours in advance, the TSA warned.
“Expect standing-room-only conditions at gates used by the biggest jets on peak days,” Schwieterman said.
Is the aviation industry able to handle the surge?
“Airlines have seemingly ‘turned over every stone’ to understand how to avoid big meltdowns, like the debacles at Delta and Southwest in the recent past,” he said.
“They have new strategies to lessen the ripple effects of cancellations, but almost every year, we have a surprise. It’s anybody’s guess what this year’s surprise will be.”
For people flying on financially troubled Spirit Airlines, Schweiterman thinks “things should be OK through the holidays — a profitable time for the industry — but there’s always a wild-card element associated with Spirit.”
Bus station update
After witnessing thousands of holiday reunions over the years, this likely will be the Chicago’s Greyhound bus station’s last Thanksgiving on Harrison Street.
The lease on the West Loop building is up and the property is expected to be redeveloped. No replacement location has been determined.
“We expect news about the future of Chicago’s Intercity Bus Station by the year’s end,” Schwieterman said.
The station’s demise comes amid a surge in demand for buses and trains, he noted.
“Amtrak and the largest bus companies — including Greyhound, FlixBus, and Trailways — are smiling right now due to strong customer demand. The pandemic is only a distant memory.”
