Thanksgiving travel fever begins with snowy weather threatening the Northeast

Interest in latecomers is gaining momentum, with about 2.7 million expected to board planes on Wednesday and tens of millions more planning to go to Thanksgiving celebrations.

Airlines officials say they’re confident they will avoid the massive disruptions which have plagued previous holiday seasons, similar to the crash at Southwest Airlines last Christmas.

However, heavy rain and snowfall on the east coast may cause delays. The National Weather Service predicted snow would accumulate across northern New England on Wednesday, with as much as 8 inches (20.3 centimeters) falling in northern Maine. Snow was also expected to fall in the northern Rockies on Thanksgiving Day, with as much as 1 foot of snow expected in parts of Wyoming by Friday.

But as of Wednesday morning, U.S. airports had only reported nine flight cancellations and 260 delays, in line with FlightAware. Airlines have hired tens of 1000’s of staff over the past few years, and Southwest says it has purchased more winter equipment to maintain planes moving even in freezing temperatures.

Security lines at airports will be long resulting from crowds. Delta Air Lines advises passengers to reach at the airport at the very least two hours before their flight if traveling inside the United States, three hours earlier if flying internationally, and possibly earlier on Sunday and Monday.

The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen 2.7 million passengers on Wednesday. It expects 2.9 million viewers on Sunday, which might exceed the previous record set on June 30.

The holidays may also be a test for the Federal Aviation Administration, which is struggling with a shortage of air traffic controllers at key facilities that has resulted in limited flights to the New York area over the summer and fall.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said during a press conference Monday that the government had prepared for holiday travel by hiring more air traffic controllers, opening latest air routes along the East Coast and providing subsidies to airports for snow plows and de-icing equipment.

Meanwhile, AAA predicts 55.4 million people will drive at the very least 50 miles from home from Wednesday to Sunday, the third-highest forecast in the auto club’s history. AAA says most of them – 49.1 million – will drive.

Drivers will get a break from last 12 months’s gas prices. AAA says nationwide coverage average for gas dropped to $3.28 a gallon on Wednesday, down from $3.63 a 12 months earlier.

Air travelers may also enjoy lower prices. Airfare prices in October were down 13% from last 12 months, in line with government data, and fares around Thanksgiving were about 14% lower than a 12 months ago, in line with travel site Hopper.

Still, high costs for rent, food, health care and other expenses hampered people’s travel plans.

Jason McQueary, a 25-year-old social employee and graduate student, said rent and other obligatory expenses take up most of his paycheck, and he was grateful for bank card points that reduced the cost of his round-trip flight from Denver to Chicago from $450 to $150. dollars.

“I thought to myself, ‘Man, I’m glad I only go home once a year,'” said McQueary, who was waiting to be picked up Tuesday after arriving at Chicago O’Hare International Airport to spend Thanksgiving with family in his hometown Byron, Illinois.