NEW YORK (WABC) — If you're about to travel ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, experts advise you leave as early as possible, and before 11 a.m. Traffic will also be lighter on Thanksgiving Day.
AAA predicts 81.8 million people will travel during the holiday period (between Tuesday, Nov. 25, and Monday, Dec. 1), which is a 1.6 million jump from last year and a new Thanksgiving record.
Roads will certainly be more packed than usual.
"It's horrible… the traffic so heavy, and they merge lanes and they're doing construction, and then they merge again," one traveler commented on road conditions. "As a driver I've been stuck here in New York… but I can't complain, it beats flying."
The Port Authority estimates that approximately 5.5 million vehicles will use its bridges and tunnels this week.
For travelers renting cars, car rental company Hertz says today is expected to be the busiest pick-up day.
For those flying, the Port Authority anticipates about 3.3 million passengers will travel through JFK, LaGuardia, Newark and Stewart International Airports during the eight-day Thanksgiving travel period.
Airlines say they're not expecting any residual impacts of the 43-day-long government shutdown during the holiday.
But flight bookings for Nov. 26 through Nov. 30 are down 3.3% compared to last year, aviation analytics company Cirium said, likely due to uncertainty from the government shutdown.
This Sunday is also expected to be very busy on the roads with people heading back home after the holiday.
When you're heading home, the best times to drive are: before 11 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 28; before 10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 29; before 11 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 30; or after 8 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 1, analytics company INRIX said.
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