Airports and roads are expected to be crowded this Thanksgiving season as hundreds of thousands of individuals travel out and in of the Bay Area.
As regional airline hubs prepare for an influx of Thanksgiving passengers, the number of individuals flying to and from local airports still hasn't reached pre-pandemic levels. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of individuals will likely be traveling by automotive, congesting highways and increasing the chance of traffic accidents.
The American Automobile Association predicted that 71.7 million people nationwide will travel by automotive on Thanksgiving, a rise of 1.3 million from last yr. This forecast surpasses the figure of 70.6 million who drove home throughout the same period in 2019.
AAA predicted the worst days and times for driving before Thanksgiving can be Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, but highways and interstates are expected to be clear on Thanksgiving Day itself. AAA also said drivers returning Sunday should plan to go away early within the morning and that drivers should expect a combination of travelers and work commuters on the road Monday.
In the Bay Area, Interstate 80 eastbound from San Francisco to Sacramento was expected to be at its most congested around 7:30 p.m. on November 26, with an estimated travel time of three hours and two minutes.
Bay Area drivers may additionally face rain on the way in which home. California Highway Patrol Sergeant Andrew Barclay told the Bay Area News Group that each one CHP offices will monitor current weather conditions and adjust coverage as vital. He said the variety of patrols tends to be higher during stormy weather, not only due to accidents but in addition due to localized flooding, debris and other people needing assistance on highways.
“We know that almost all wet weather accidents are caused by drivers driving too fast for the prevailing conditions, resulting in skidding and being unable to stop in time to avoid an accident,” Barclay said.
Barclay really helpful that drivers avoid accidents by driving slower, increasing their following distance and allowing longer travel times during storms. He also encouraged people to winterize their vehicles by ensuring they’ve good windshield wipers and enough tire tread and that each one exterior lights on the automotive are working.
In addition to the tens of hundreds of thousands of drivers on the road, AAA predicted 5.84 million people within the U.S. will travel home by plane for the vacations.
Oakland International Airport reported an expected 340,000 passengers between November 22 and December 1. San Francisco International Airport expected 6.3 million passengers between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. Although San Jose International Airport didn’t release projected passenger numbers, a spokesperson said it expects “a busy 2024 holiday season.”
Oakland International Airport spokeswoman Kaley Skantz said the variety of passengers this Thanksgiving season was down barely in comparison with last yr, which is “somewhat consistent with what we saw last year.” She attributed the decline to airlines planning fewer flights, which she said was to be expected based on the numbers in recent months.
“The airlines are the ones that schedule flights, so this is an expression that the schedule is a little lower,” Skantz said.
Skantz said Oakland International Airport doesn’t expect any significant inconvenience or delays for the vacations but is addressing ongoing renovations of some restrooms and ticket counters in Terminal 1.
“Due to the phased approach we are taking to this construction, we do not anticipate this will have a significant impact on passengers,” Skantz said in an email.
San Francisco International Airport spokesman Doug Yakel said the variety of passengers traveling over the following few months for the vacations is up an estimated 15% in comparison with last yr.
“We expect this season to be at 97% of pre-pandemic (2019) holiday traffic,” Yakel said in an email to the Bay Area News Group.
He said the busiest day was expected to be November 24, when a complete of about 164,000 passengers would go through the airport.
To accommodate the increased variety of passengers, Yakel said the airport held vacation planning meetings with airlines, the Transportation Security Administration and other organizations to make sure they’ve adequate staffing to administer the activity.
Around 1 million passengers traveled out and in of San Jose International Airport in November 2022. The following yr, these numbers fell to around 966,000, a 6.3% decline in passengers. In 2019, almost 1.3 million passengers used the airport in November. A spokesman for San Jose International Airport said the airport's passenger numbers are lower than in pre-pandemic years and attributed that to lower airline capability.
“SJC's November/December passenger traffic fluctuates due to a variety of factors, including the timing of the Thanksgiving holiday (it is as late as possible this year), making it difficult to directly compare year-to-year data,” said a San Jose airport representative in an email.
The airports really helpful travelers arrive early before their departure time – three hours for international flights and two hours for domestic flights – and check in with their airline before arriving. Airport officials also encouraged the general public to order and pay for parking online, with Oakland International Airport and San Jose International Airport offering discounts for parking reservations.
Originally published:
image credit : www.mercurynews.com