With the holidays getting closer and closer, local residents will soon be hitting the roads and the skies.
According to AAA, holiday travelers can expect the same packed terminals and highways they have seen in years past. An estimated 1.23 million Marylanders will be on the go, with 997,000 of those driving and 168,000 opting to fly.
“Those traveling the next couple of weeks will find rental cars down, similar airfare prices and hotel rates up just slightly,” said Ragina Averella, public and government affairs manager for AAA mid-Atlantic.
With the price of rental cars down, driving might initially seem like a good idea, but according to Averella, the price of regular unleaded gas is up 7 cents from last year and 13 cents from last month.Compared with a year ago this month, gas is 10 cents more. As a result, many travelers may look to fly.
“As always, we are prepared to meet the needs of our customers; what we ask is that they come prepared,” said Sheryl Stewart, spokeswoman with the Transportation Security Administration and the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. “Pack smart, pack right.”
From Dec. 20 to 26, BWI is expecting to see 371,551 passengers pass through its gates. On a typical day, the airport would see around 50,000 passengers, but Friday will see more than an estimated 65,600 travelers on the busiest day of the year.
For those locals who do not like flying but hate the driving, buses are an option.
“We just completed a program in the northeast called ?Elevate Everything,? said Anna Folmnsbee, a spokeswoman for Greyhound Lines Inc. “They are going to see a refurbished terminal and refurbished buses.”
Both Baltimore locations for Greyhound now feature refurbishments that might include plasma televisions, new signs and fresh coats of paint. From Dec. 14 to Jan. 3, Greyhound will be hopping, servicing nearly 1.3 million of its yearly 21 million passengers in that three-week span.
