Buckle up for travel season
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Thanksgiving travel is expected to see nearly 55 million Americans traveling from beginning to the end of the holiday weekend, per AAA predictions.
Why it matters: The projections mirror pre-pandemic travel trends, suggesting Americans are eager to return to "normal."
- Be smart: If you're traveling this Thanksgiving, give yourself ample time to get to and through the airport.
Driving the news: At San Francisco International Airport, 5 million travelers are expected between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, SFO Public Information Officer Doug Yakel told Axios.
- That projection represents the highest passenger traffic levels since the start of the pandemic.
- About 140,000 people are expected to pass through SFO today alone, per the airport.
- Passengers are "strongly encouraged" to arrive at least two hours before domestic flights and three hours ahead of international flights, per an SFO press release.
Between the lines: SFO had the second-highest passenger satisfaction score among North American airports with 33 million+ passengers annually, per J.D. Power.
- Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal ranked SFO the best large airport this year, in part because it "tries hard to make travelers forget they're in an airport."
Zoom out: AAA predicts 54.6 million people will venture 50 miles or more from their homes over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend — a 1.5% increase over 2021, Axios' Herb Scribner reports.
- The holiday weekend is from Wednesday, Nov. 23, to Sunday, Nov. 27.
- This will be the third-busiest Thanksgiving travel season since AAA started tracking numbers in 2000.
- 2005 and 2019 were the busiest years for Thanksgiving travel, according to AAA.
- Most travelers (about 49 million) are expected to drive to their holiday destinations. Thanksgiving road trips are up 0.4% from last year but are still 2.5% below pre-pandemic levels, AAA reports.
Of note: If you're feeling stressed out while at SFO, be on the lookout for the Wag Brigade, "the unicorns of therapy animals," to provide you with emotional comfort.
- And if you need to park at the airport, be sure to book your spot in advance here.