The lure of Thanksgiving usually means some of the busiest travel days of the year, but the souring economy appears to be keeping more people at home.
Nearly 12,000 fewer people will travel in the Washington region around Thanksgiving compared with last year, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic estimates, despite gas prices dropping below $2 a gallon, the lowest in four years.
Still, experts are cautioning that airplanes could still be crowded and roadways may be clogged. More than 765,000 area residents are expected to drive more than 50 miles from home, according to AAA. Airlines are booked, while rail and bus services are expecting 16 percent more travelers than last year.
“For many Washingtonians, it was a hard choice between the purse strings and the heart strings,” Mahlon G. Anderson, AAA Mid-Atlantic’s director of public and government affairs, said in a written statement.
More travelers will take to the roads instead of flying or riding the rails, with AAA estimating that 11 percent of Washingtonians are planning to drive 50 miles or more.
Virginia road officials will open lanes that have been temporarily closed for construction from noon Wednesday until noon Friday to help traffic flow. (Long-term lane closures will remain.)
Still, they urge drivers who plan to depart Wednesday to schedule their trips before noon to avoid historically congested afternoon travel hours. Virginia officials have studied traffic patterns for more than five years and found the noon-to-8 p.m. stretch the day before Thanksgiving to be the busiest time of the holiday week.
Meanwhile, Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport expects its busiest day to be Nov. 30, when travelers return home. Yet overall, BWI spokesman Jonathan Dean said, the airport estimates 2.5 percent fewer passengers during the holiday week than last year’s.
Even without those big crowds, airport officials realize nerves may still fray as travelers embark on their holiday journeys. Dean said the airport will offer some entertainment Monday through Wednesday, including singers and magicians.
